Dúnchad mac Cinn Fáelad (died 717) was the eleventh abbot

Abbot

The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...

 of Iona

Iona

Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. It was a centre of Irish monasticism for four centuries and is today renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. It is a popular tourist destination and a place for retreats...

 (707–717). He was the son of Cenn Fáelad, and grandson of Máel Coba

Máel Coba mac Áedo

Máel Coba was an Irish king who is counted as a High King of Ireland in some sources.Máel Coba was the son of Áed mac Ainmuirech and brother of Domnall mac Áedo , both also reckoned High Kings of Ireland. They belonged to the northern Cenél Conaill branch of the Uí Néill...

, of the Cenél Conaill

Cenél Conaill

The Cenél Conaill is the name of the "kindred" or descendants of Conall Gulban, son of Niall Noígiallach defined by oral and recorded history. They were also known in Scotland as the Kindred of Saint Columba....

. While most early abbots of Iona were members of Cenél Conaill they came from minor branches of the kindred, but Dúnchad came from the ruling line, grandson of one High King of Ireland

High King of Ireland

The High Kings of Ireland were sometimes historical and sometimes legendary figures who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over the whole of Ireland. Medieval and early modern Irish literature portrays an almost unbroken sequence of High Kings, ruling from Tara over a hierarchy of...

 and the nephew of two others, Cellach

Cellach mac Máele Coba

Cellach mac Máele Coba was an Irish king and is said to have been High King of Ireland.Cellach was the son of Máel Coba mac Áedo and belonged to the Cenél Conaill branch of the northern Uí Néill...

 and Conall

Conall Cóel

Conall mac Máele Coba, called Conall Cóel, was an Irish king and is said to have been High King of Ireland.-Biography:Conall was the son of Máel Coba mac Áedo and belonged to the Cenél Conaill branch of the northern Uí Néill...

.

He is first heard of as Abbot of Killochuir on the coast of southeastern Ulster (perhaps Killough

Killough

Killough is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies on the Irish Sea shore near Ardglass, five miles southeast of Downpatrick. It is notable for its sycamore-lined main street. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 845 people....

, County Down

County Down

-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...

). He later become Abbot of Iona, although there is considerable dispute about this matter. The Annals of Ulster

Annals of Ulster

The Annals of Ulster are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years between AD 431 to AD 1540. The entries up to AD 1489 were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, under his patron Cathal Óg Mac Maghnusa on the island of Belle Isle on Lough Erne in the...

first mention him in that capacity in the year 706; but Conamail of Iona

Conamail of Iona

Conamail mac Faílbi was the tenth abbot of Iona . Although he did not die until 710, his successor Dunchad was made abbot in 707. This may be evidence of a split in the Iona community over the Easter controversy, a mistake in the sources, or an otherwise unexplained resignation.-Bibliography:*...

 is said to have been the abbot of Iona from 704 through 710. It is possible that Dunchad served as a coadjutor (or principatum tenuit) of Conamail of Iona. He himself may have been elected in opposition to Abbot Conamail, while Dorbbéne in 713 and Fáelchú in 716 may have been elected to oppose Dúnchad It has also been suggested that he may have been elected in a power-struggle between factions of monks at Iona at the time who disagreed about the dating of Easter and the use of the tonsure

Tonsure

Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...

. It has also been suggested that at least some of these people may have coadjustors, prior

Prior

Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...

s, or possibly even bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

s at Iona at the time. The final argeement about the dating of Easter on Iona took place at the instance of St. Ecgberht of Northumbria

Ecgberht of Northumbria

Ecgberht of Northumbria may refer to:*Ecgberht I of Northumbria *Ecgberht II of Northumbria...

, a priest who had been educated in Ireland, who was successful in persuading the community to abandon the Celtic Easter and tonsure.

When Dúnchad died in 717, Fáelchú continued in his position. In the same year of Dúnchad's death, King Nechtan mac Derile, the Gaelic ruler of the Picts

Picts

The Picts were a group of Late Iron Age and Early Mediaeval people living in what is now eastern and northern Scotland. There is an association with the distribution of brochs, place names beginning 'Pit-', for instance Pitlochry, and Pictish stones. They are recorded from before the Roman conquest...

, allegedly expelled the Ionan clergy from Pictland.

His feast day in 25 May.