Clan Macdonald

If we were royal now, we would of been born into it by inheritence, alas our inheritence was frittered amoungst the other families, But the pride that comes with being a Macdonald, Strong, Proud, Resillient, These are the feeling you get when you visit your ancestral lands.

WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER FAMILIES THAT ARE ALSO FROM THE SAME LINES BUT NOW ARE NOT CONSIDERED ROYAL. 

I wanted to bash and have critised the divisions between the races and know that we are all part of one family. Finding these new links has helped other people trace their ancestry.

The Macdonald are the rightful heirs to Scotland and parts of Ireland, They desecend from the High kings of Ireland, Fought for many Kings and Castles, The amount of castles the macdonalds owned is amazing, They married into nobility and other royal families.

THE MACDONALDS ARE THE TRUE KINGS OF SCOTLAND

So here we go, Some infomation i have collated about CLAN MACDONALD.

by the Late Noman H. MacDonald, F. R. S.A., F.S.A.Scot.
(Historian to the High Council of Chiefs of Clan Donald)

“Ceannas  Ghaidheal do Chlann. Cholla, ‘s còir fhogradh” – (The sovereignty of  the Gael to Clan Colla, it is right to proclaim it); so wrote the bard,  O’Henna in his poem on John of lsla, last Lord of the Isles.

Clan DonaId was indisputably the largest and most renowned of all the Highland clans of Scotland controlling, at one time, virtually the whole western seaboard from the Butt of Lewis in the north to the MuIl of Kintyre in the south, almost a third of the Kingdom, with possessions in Northern Ireland as weIl.

The Clan claims descent from Conn of the Hundred Battles, Ard-Righ or High-King of Ireland in the 1st century A.D., through Colla Uais, the first of the family to settle in what is now the Hebrides, and from whom the Clan took its earlier designation of “Clann Cholla” i. e. the Children of Coll, down to Somerled, Lord of Argyll, in the 12th century who, after defeating the Norsemen, was proclaimed King of the Isles, Righ Innsegall, or Rex Insularum. Somerled’s grandson, Donald of Isla(y) is the progenitor of CLAN DONALD, in Gaelic rendered Clann Dhomhnaill, i.e. the Children of Donald.

Donald had, among other children, two sons, Angus Mór and Alasdair or Alexander. Mór means in Gaelic, Big or Great. From Alasdair are descended the CLAN ALISTER or MACALISTERS OF LOUP in Kintyre. Angus Mór had three sons, Alasdair Òg, Angus Òg and John Sprangach. Òg means young and Sprangach means Bold.

Alasdair Òg chose to serve the English after the deposition of John Balliol, King of Scots, by Edward I of England and was killed in 1299 in a battle with his distant cousin, Alexander MacDougall of Argyll and Lorn, with whom he had been at feud. Angus Òg joined forces with Robert the Bruce, whom he is said to have sheltered in the Castle of Dunaverty in Kintyre and later played a vital part with his followers in Bruce’s signal victory over the mighty army of Edward II of England at Bannockburn, on Midsummers’s Day, 1314 – Scotland’s finest hour! For his loyal services to his King and Country, Angus received from the grateful monarch many of the vast territories in the Western Highlands and Isles formerly held by the Comyns and MacDougalls, who were forfeited for their opposition to The Bruce.  By the addition of these lands to those already in his possession, Angus became the most important and powerful magnate in Argyll and the Isles south of Ardnamurchan Point.

From John, or Iain Sprangach are descended the CLAN IAIN (MacDONALDS or MacIAINS) OF ARDNAMURCHAN.

Angus Òg had two sons, both named John or Iain, one legitimate, the other natural. From the natural son, known as lain Fraoch, i.e. John of the Heather, or Iain Abrach, from his having been fostered in Lochaber, are descended the CLAN IAIN ABRACH or MacDONALDS of GLENCOE, whose Chief was known by the patronymic MacIAIN.

Angus Òg’s elder, legitimate son, also named John, added greatly to the already vast possessions of the family, largely through his marriage to his distant cousin Euphemia (Amie) MacRuairi, whose only brother Ranald was murdered by the Earl of Ross at Elcho Nunnery in 1346: and left no heirs.

John of Isla, as the family were now designated, was the first of his line to assume the title of LORD OF THE ISLES which although not at that time recognised by the Scottish Crown, almost accurately reflected his position in the Gaelic-speaking Western Highland and Isles.  John held court, appointed his own heralds, ran the government of his domains through the Council of the lsles, built monasteries and generally acted in the manner of an independent prince, whose authority was absolute.

He patronised the Gaelic bards and thereby preserved the culture of the Gael. For his benevolence to the Church, John earned the soubriquet of “Good John”. It is probable that John ‘s first wife, Amie MacRuairi, whom he had married in 1337, died, perhaps in childbirth, sometime prior to his second marriage in 1350 to Margaret, daughter of Robert, the High Steward of Scotland, who succeeded his uncle, David II as King of Scots in 1371 by the title of Robert II and adopted the surname of Stewart, derived from his former “office”. One of the first acts of the new king was to grant to his son-in-law, John of Isla, a charter of the former MacRuairi lands, which comprised the Lordship of Garmoran in western Inverness-shire, the Isle of Eigg and the Outer Hebrides. The following year, 1372, John granted to Ranald, the eldest surviving son of his first marriage to Amie MacRuairi, a charter of most of the former MacRuairi lands to be held of the eldest son of John’s second royal marriage with the Princess Margaret Stewart.

Ranald, whose principal seat was Castle Tioram in Loch Moidart, became the progenitor of the MacDONALDS of CLANRANALD, descended from his eldest son, Allan and the MacDONELLS of GLENGARRY, descended from his second son, Donald.

By his second wife, John had several sons. The eldest son, Donald, succeeded him as Lord of the Isles and fought the Battle of Harlaw, in Aberdeenshire, against the Government forces, under the Earl of Mar, in 1411; the second son, Iain Mòr Tanaistear, i.e. Big John the Heir, founded the CLAN IAIN MHOIR or MacDONALDS of DUNYVAIG, with lands in Isla, Kintyre and Antrim, sometimes known as the CLAN DONALD SOUTH to distinguish them from the MacDonalds of Sleat who were also known as the CLAN DONALD NORTH; the third surviving son, Alexander was granted the Lordship of Lochaber and it is from his natural son, Alasdair Carrach (Mangy) that the MacDONALDS or MacDONELLS of KEPPOCH, also known as the CLAN RANALD of LOCHABER, from Ranald Mór, the 7th Chief of that branch, descend.

Donald of Harlaw was succeeded as Lord of the Isles and High Chief of Clan Donald by his eldest son, Alexander, who inherited, through his mother, the Earldom of Ross – the reason why the Battle of Harlaw was fought by his father. Alexander had three sons. The eldest, John, by his wife Elizabeth Seton, succeeded him as Lord of the Isles and Earl of’ Ross.

The second, Celestine, by a daughter of MacPhee of Glen Spean, became the progenitor of the MacDONALD of LOCHALSH, the larger part of whose lands passed, in the sixteenth century to Glengarry.

The third son, Uisdean, or Hugh, by a daughter of Gilpatrick, grandson of the Green Abbot of Applecross, became the progenitor of the CLAN UISDEAN or MacDONALDS of SLEAT.

The weakness of John, the fourth Lord of the Isles and his reliance on the advice of persons out with his own family on how to govern his vast territories, which led to his defeat by his son Angus Òg, in the naval engagement off MuIl, known as the Battle of Bloody Bay, his intrigues with the English Government and his failure to match the duplicity of the Campbells, resulted in his final forfeiture by the Crown in 1493.

The title of Lord of the Isles was annexed to the Crown as had been the Earldom of Ross in 1475, due to John, the last Lord’s intrigues with England, and bestowed on the Dukes of Rothesay, heirs to the Kings of Scots and has ever since been retained among their principal titles by the British Crown Princes.

With the fall of the MacDonald dynasty in the Western Highlands and Isles, Gaelic culture fell into rapid decline. The Scottish monarchs and their Lowland-dominated Governments had no sympathy for what they regarded as an alien and barbaric way of life. A political vacuum was created which the Government agents, the Campbell Earls of Argyll, largely due to their policy of self-aggrandisement and intrigue, were unable to fill.

Several vigorous attempts were made by various Clan Donald leaders to re-establish the old order and were supported by most of the old vassals of the Isles e.g. the MacLeans, MacLeods and MacPhees, who all despised the Campbells but they were eventually forced to yield to the stronger forces sent against them and when the 17th century dawned, the various branches of Clan Donald, e.g. Sleat, Clanranald, Glengarry, Keppoch and Glencoe, had become independent clans, each with its own Chief, none of whom could claim to be MAC DHOMHNAILL. This situation pertained through the troublesome times of the 17th century and the Jacobite risings of the 18th century till after the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and the end of the Clan System.

Not until 1947, was Clan Donald again to have a High Chief, when the Rt. Hon. Alexander Godfrey Macdonald, 7th Lord Macdonald, was granted by the Lord Lyon, King of Arms, the undifferenced ARMS of MACDONALD of MACDONALD. His elder son, the Rt. Hon. Godfrey James Macdonald of Macdonald, 8th Lord MacDonald, is the present High Chief of the Clan.

The principal branches of the Clan are represented at the present time by Sir Ian Godfrey Macdonald, 17th Baronet and 24th Chief of Sleat; Ranald Alexander Macdonald, Captain and 24th Chief of Clanranald; Aeneas Ranald Euan MacDonell, 23rd Chief of Glengarry; The Rt. Hon. Alexander Randal Mark McDonnell, 14th Earl of Antrim, and William St. John Somerville McAlester, 25th Chief of Loup.

for more information on this clan please visit https://clandonald-heritage.com/ 

The Massacre of Glen Coe Glen Coe is one of the most magnificent areas of natural wilderness in the whole of Britain and home to one of the worst atrocities. From Loch Leven at its northern end to vast empty spaces of Rannoch Moor further south, the Glen Coe pass is skirted on either by huge imposing mountains. The rugged beauty of the area and the often arctic weather make the area a hotspot for climbers and skiers today. However, the temperamental weather on February 13, 1692, was the death knell of the Clan MacDonald. Glen Coe Factsheet Clan Donald was a huge force within the Highland clan system, of which, the MacDonalds of Glen Coe (or MacIains as they were more specifically known) were only a small part. Glen Coe had been home to the MacDonalds since at least the early 14th century when they supported King Robert the Bruce. The chief of the MacDonalds of Glen Coe was Alasdair MacDonald, known as MacIain. He was a huge man with flowing white hair, beard and moustache. He was well respected by own clan and feared by others - very much an old-school highland chief. The MacIains were constantly involved in trouble with the law and with neighbouring clans for their consistent raiding, pillaging and cattle rustling. The clan had particular trouble with neighbouring Campbell clans. There were many Highland clans at the time who were a possible threat to the new regime in London under King William of Orange, and many who openly swore their allegiance to the deposed Stuart King - James VII. King William himself was more concerned with his war against the French King, Louis XIV. Problems in the Highlands were little more than a nuisance to him. The order came through that the chiefs were to sign an oath of allegiance to King William by January 1, 1692. Although this oath was originally packaged with the promise of money and land for the clans, by the time it was circulated publicly the terms were much more threatening - the clans would sign the agreement or be punished with the "utmost extremity of the law". The man who used this deadline to his own political ends was the Secretary of State, John Dalrymple, Master of Stair, who was a Lowlander and a Protestant. He disliked the Highlanders and viewed their whole way of life as a hindrance to Scotland, which would be better served, he thought, in union with England. He had a particular dislike for the MacDonalds of Glen Coe. Another problem for the clans at the time was the fact that many of them were bound by an oath to James Stuart, the deposed King in France. It was December 12 before James had released the clans from their oath and December 28 before a messenger arrived in the Highlands with the news - leaving only three days until the deadline. As the worst of winter swept through Glen Coe on December 31, MacIain, fearful for the safety of his clan, left for Fort William to sign the oath. From here he was turned back by Colonel John Hill, who explained that the oath had to be taken before a sheriff. This involved a 60 mile trek to Inveraray: the principle town of his enemies, the Campbells. Still MacIain could have met the deadline had he not been captured by Campbell soldiers serving in Argyll’s regiment. They detained him for a day, whilst he was detained for several more days in Inveraray due to the absence of the Sheriff, Sir Colin Campbell. Even then, MacIain had to plead with the Sheriff to accept the late oath. In Edinburgh, the Master of Stair with his legal team declined the late-delivered oath. Everything was ready for the fall which Stair had engineered for the clan. The orders were explicit: the MacDonalds were to be slaughtered - "cut off root and branch". Three commanders were to be involved - two from the Campbell-dominated Argyll regiment and one from Fort William. In the end, two of those never arrived in time, claiming delay through bad weather. It was Captain Robert Campbell of Glenlyon, a desperate man who lost his all through gambling, who carried out Stair’s final order: "to put all to the sword under seventy". The soldiers arrived at Glen Coe 12 days before the massacre, as friends, seeking shelter due to the fact that the fort was full. The MacDonalds, honouring the Highland hospitality code, duly gave the soldiers quarter in their own houses. For 12 days they lived together with neither the clan nor the common Argyll soldiers knowing what lay ahead. On the night of February 13 a blizzard howled through Glen Coe, giving whiteout conditions. As the clan slept the house guests gathered, received their orders, and set about systematically killing everyone they could. 38 lay dead the next morning, including the chief, MacIain. Many more escaped into the hills, some finding shelter before the elements could kill them, some, including MacIain’s elderly wife, dying on the mountainside. It seems certain that some of the Campbell soldiers, disgusted with their orders, alerted the families who had been their hosts, giving them time to escape and at least wrap up against blizzard. Many historians also claim that the lateness of the other two companies of soldiers who were to help in the slaughter was deliberate - a ploy not to be involved in such an atrocity. The nation of Scotland, although used to war and murder in its many forms, was outraged by the callousness of the massacre of Glen Coe. For the Jacobites in Edinburgh it was a powerful piece of anti-government propaganda. An inquiry was held and Scottish Parliament declared the whole affair an act of murder. John Dalrymple, the Master of Stair, resigned and the matter was forgotten by the government. In Scotland it passed into legend. The Campbells were accursed in much of the Highlands and even to this day the old Clachaig Inn at Glen Coe carries the sign on its door, 'No Campbells'.

Flora MacDonald is famous for helping Bonnie Prince Charlie escape from Scotland after the defeat of the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746.

The grandson of James II of England, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, or  Bonnie Prince Charlie as he was affectionately known, had led the second Jacobite Uprising of 1745 to overthrow King George II.

The part that Flora played in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie  ‘over the sea to Skye’ is immortalised in the ‘Skye Boat Song’,  published in 1884:

“Speed bonny boat like a bird on a wing,
Onward the sailors cry.
Carry the lad that’s born to be King,
Over the sea to Skye.”

After his defeat at the battle of Culloden Moor in 1746, Bonnie Prince Charlie was forced to flee for his life. After  two months on the run he arrived at the island of South Uist where he  met 24-year-old Flora. As both her step-father and her fiancée Allan  MacDonald were in the Hanovarian army of King George II, she would have  seemed an unlikely ally. However after some initial hesitation, she  agreed to help the Prince escape.