The Highlanders of Scotland - Clan Strachan Society

32 THE HIGHLANDERS [parti
his cousin, made a sudden descent upon the monastery of Tory
Island, surprised Brude, the son of Angus, the Pictish king, who
was there at the time, and in defiance of the monasterial
privileges carried him off. This act of treacher)- was revenged
in the following }'ear by Angus, who undertook an expedition
into the Dalriadic territories. W^hen on his march for that
purpose, Talorcan Mac Congusa, by whose conquest Angus had
obtained the Pictish throne, was delivered up to him by his own
brother, and was immediately drowned. Angus then penetrated
into the district of Lorn, where he was attacked near the foot of
Defeat of Dunolly bv Talorcan Mac Drusten, the king of Atholl.
p?^s'a^ Talorcan, however, was defeated and taken prisoner,
Dainads
^^^^ somc }'ears afterwards shared the same fate A\-ith
Talorcan Mac Congusa. Angus then returned to Dunleitfin, a fort
upon the banks of the river Leven, which he destroyed, and Dun-
gal, being wounded in its defence, was obliged to fly to Ireland
from his power. Angus thus, by the same vigour and success which
had marked his previous career, crushed this formidable union.
Two }'ears after this, Dungal again returned to Scotland,
having, in all probability, received assistance from Ireland, and
Angus once more made preparations for invading Dalriada.
His formidable army was divided into two parts ; with the one
he him.self laid waste the whole of Dalriada, burnt the fort of
Dunadd, carried off an immense booty, and cast the two sons of
Selvac, Dungal and Feradach, into chains. In the meantime,
his brother, Talorcan, opposed Muredach, the king of Dalriada,
with the other division of the army, and a battle was fought
between them on the banks of the Linne Loch, in \\hich
Talorcan was victorious, and Muredach was obliged to fl\-.
Whether the northern Picts were engaged in this second
attempt, it is impossible to determine, but Angus seems to have
firmly established his power b\- the event, and to have, for the
time, completely crushed the power of the Dalriads.^
'
For this short detail of the events different years in which they are said
which occurred subsequent to 731, the to have occurred. The author cannot
reader is referred to the accurate resist calling the attention of the
copies of Tighemac and the Annals of
Ulster, printed by 0"Connor, in which
the authorities for the various events
reader to the valuable addition which
an examination of these important
Annals in the original makes to the
here stated will be found under the history of this period.