h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm really sorry, but to claim that Scotland was split into three distinct areas: Dalriada, Alba and Caledonia, is far too arbitrary a statement. Claledonia was a word used occassionally by the Romans to describe everything north of Hadrians's Wall.
Alba was originally the q-Celtic or Gealic name used to describe the whole of mainland Britain (basically everything that wasn't Ireland) and later became a term used to describe sometimes the whole of Scotland, and sometimes the part of Scotland that wasn't under Gaelic rule.
In contrast, Dalriada was the name of a small kingdom in the north east of Ireland which, due to political pressures in the area gradually began expanding across the sea to what is now Scotland. The Irish section of Dalriada continued to exist for about 100 years after this expansion took place before finally fizzling out. Dalriada was NEVER used to describe the 'Highlands of Scotland' as a whole, as much of what is traditionally thought if as the highlands was under Pictish rule.

Sorry to be pedantic again, but I'm fairly sure the reason the Romans never conquered the Scottish Dalriada was because they had buggered off out of Britain before it came into existance. I can't be exact on the dates, but I'm fairly sure.

Look, I know I sound like a total ogre, but I'm really a very nice person.It's just that I've got a degree in Celtic History and I don't like to see inaccurate stuff about the Celts posted on the guide.

The artical you're writing is a really good idea. Nice to see someone promoting Scottish History. I'd be happy to help out, if you like (once you're past the stage of wanting to clout me round the head with something heavy)

Oh and (sorry about this) Dalriada VERY DEFINATELY did not refer to the area north of the Caledonian Canal!

Most of the Eastern half of this area was under Pictish control. The traditional heartland of Dalriada was in modern day Argyle ('the coast of the Gael'), spreading northwards from there and for the first few hundred years of it's history hugging the coast and islands in the West. Eastward expansion took place hundreds of years later (not long, relatively speaking, before the union of all of Scotland, including pictland, under one king) and was probably triggered by the sharp increase in Norse raids in the West. At this point the centre of political power also moved eastward and the religious centre of Gealdom (Scotland and Ireland) left the Island of Iona and split into two centres; one at Dunkeld in Perthshire, and the other at Kells in Ireland.

From that point on, pretty much everything above the Forth -Clyde line was known as Scotland.