THE CLAN MACNEIL CLANN NIALL OF SCOTLAND By THE MACNEIL OF BARRA Chief of the Clan Fellow of the Society of .Antiquarie1 of Scotland With an Introduction by THE DUKE OF ARGYLL Chief of Clan Campbell New York THE CALEDONIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY MCMXXIII Copyright, 1923, by THE CALEDONIAN PUBLISHING COMPANY Entered at Stationers~ Hall, London, England .All rights reser:ved Printed by The Chauncey Holt Compan}'. New York, U. 5. A. From Painting by Dr. E, F. Coriu, Paris K.1s11\1 UL CASTLE} IsLE OF BAH HA PREFACE AVING a Highlander's pride of race, it was perhaps natural that I should have been deeply H interested, as a lad, in the stirring tales and quaint legends of our ancient Clan. With maturity came the desire for dependable records of its history, and I was disappointed at finding only incomplete accounts, here and there in published works, which were at the same time often contradictory. My succession to the Chiefship, besides bringing greetings from clansmen in many lands, also brought forth their expressions of the opinion that a complete history would be most desirable, coupled with the sug­ gestion that, as I had considerable data on hand, I com­ pile it. I felt some diffidence in undertaking to write about my own family, but, believing that under these conditions it would serve a worthy purpose, I commenced this work which was interrupted by the chaos of the Great War and by my own military service. In all cases where the original sources of information exist I have consulted them, so that I believe the book is quite accurate. As an honest chronicler I have re­ lated the facts as I found them, and where the results were not in strict accordance with present day standards of humanity I have consoled myself in the knowledge that, despite the pessimist, the world steadily improves. The Duke of Argyll, Chief of Clan Campbell, has very kindly reviewed the book as well as giving the student of palaeography valuable information regard­ ing the vast storehouses of knowledge of the past a,vait­ ing his patient efforts. .. 111 The Clan Macneil The ancient Irish traditional descent is not to be re­ garded in the strictest historical light, but it is of great interest in giving to us, in this modern time, the re­ ligions and customs of the race when century after century reaches back into the early stages of European civilization, and at the same time it does accord with the generally accepted belief in the Aryan origin and western movement of the Celtic people. Beginning with Niall of the Nine Hostages, the history becomes more and more authentic, gradually getting down to documentary records. Grateful acknowledgement is made to the authors of the books quoted in the text and sincere thanks are ex­ tended to those who have been of assistance to me. I often have been asked the correct way to spell Macneil, but obviously it is purely a matter of ones family custom. For general use I have written it as most frequently spelled in Barra and where I had knowledge of an individual's way of spelling it, I have endeavoured to have it written accordingly. In presenting this history of a Highland clan to Scots and Scots descendants, and especially to my fellow-clansmen, I shall be entirely satisfied if it adds, in some small degree, to their kindly sentiment, love of noble traditions and wholesome regard for the Land of the Leal. R. L. MACNEIL OF BARRA. Bachelors' Club., Piccadilly, London., "fF. JV INTRODUCTION ACNEIL OF BARRA, having been so good as to ask me to write a few prefatory words M to this work which deals with the History of his ancient Clan, sent me the manuscript in type to peruse. My own family had the closest relations for centuries with the numerous branches of the Macneils settled in the peninsula of Kintyre, known as the Houses of Gigha (an island off that coast), Arichonan, Ardna­ cross, Gallachalzie, Colonsay, Crear, Lossit, Taynish and Carskeywho frequently married into the Campbell families. As the vast collections of records at Edinburgh have never properly been searched, except for the Clan Lamont and the Campbells, it is obvious that amongst them a great number of Macneil marriages, processes at law and so forth must still remain to be discovered to the patient searcher, for the period 1.~00 onwards. Much earlier matter can be found in the invaluable Government publications such as the Register of the Great and ~rivy Seals, that of the Secret Seal and in the large collection of charters and sasines in the General Register House of Edinburgh. Most of the great western Clans go back to the old Irish stems which can be consulted by those who have some knowledge of palaeography in those vast collec­ tions of pedigrees in the Books of Lecan, Ballymote, Ms. Egerton at the British Museum and Rawlinson's Ms. at the Bodleian for most of which the published facsimiles now available to students are a great boon. V The Clan Macneil In Scotland the less known Clans or septs of Clans have not had their pedigrees preserved with anything approaching the intricate completeness with which similar septs in Ireland down to at least the 17th century had theirs entered in some of the famous parchment books in Dublin, but it is probable that a considerable amount of such purely Scottish matter still remains to be _discovered by the diligent searcher. In all these cases the preservation of the descent of even far off collaterals to the main branch of any race was due to the early Celtic laws governing the succession to Chief­ ship and lands, which I need not go into here as it has been often dealt with by others. From their remote insular situation in the Hebrides the Macneils of Barra must have had far closer re­ lations with the Norse invaders than was the case with some of the mainland Clans. Barra was dedicated to and no doubt converted to Christianity by the labours of S. Bairre, Barr or Finbar, first Bishop of Cork, who was a native of Connaught, being the son of Amairgen, son of Dubduibne, son of Art, son of Carthann, son of Fland, son of Ninnid, son of Brian, son of Cochaidh Muigmedon, who was High King or Ardrigh of Ire­ land. S. Barr's churches are mostly to be found on lonely islands for which he had a particular affection, such as the Island of Davar, at the mouth of Campbeltown Harbour in Kintyre, Argyll, of this Barra is an in­ stance. He lived in the 6th century and died on 25th September. Since the following work was written by Macneil of Barra, a very interesting work in two volumes on the . Vl Introduction Lives, in Irish Gaelic, of the Irish Saints has been published by Rev. Charles Plummer at the Oxford Clarendon Press with full translations and copious notes and amongst them is a most interesting one of this very saint. The same author before the Great War issued two similar volumes on the Latin Lives in which S. Finbar will also be found. All such books are of great value as the place, names and persons mentioned in them and the strange customs incidentally mentioned throw a flood of light on those early times. Of his death day it is stated that, "for twelve days afterwards no sunset occurred, that is so long as the churches of Desmond were busied about their master with hymns and psalms, masses and recita­ tion of hours. Then the angels of heaven came to meet his soul and carried it with them with honour and reverence to heaven where he shines like the sun in the company of patriarches and prophets, in the company of the apostles and disciples of Jesus, in the company of the nine heavenly orders who sinned not, in the company of the divinity and humanity of the Son of ·God, in the company that is higher than any company, the company of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen." ARGYLL. On the Feast of S. Andrew, Apostle and Martyr, Patron of Scotland, 1922. 28 Clarges Street, London, W. vu.. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE 111 INTRODUCTION . .. V ANCIENT IRISH TRADITIONAL DESCENT. .1 THE CLANN NIALL. • . • • • • • • • • . 11 THE CADETS OF CLANN NIALL. 93 The Macneils of Ersary . 93 The Swift Macneils . 94 The Macneils of Vaslan . 95 The Macneils of Skirval and Vatersay . 95 The Macneils of Brevaig . 97 The Macneils of Taynish and Gigha . 98 The Macneils of Tarbert . 104 The Macneils of Gallachallie . 105 The Macneils of Arichonan . 106 The J\1acneils of Colonsay . 106 The Macneils of Tirfeargus ........ .- . 114 The Macneils of U gadale . 119 The Macneils of Kintyre . 120 The Macneils of Ardnacross · . 122 The Macneils of Bute . 126 Clansmen . 128 EMIGRATION, AND AMERICAN l\,fACNEILS. • . .. 133 RELIGION • . • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • . 145 The Roman Catholic Church. 145 The Church of Scotland. 148 The Religion of the Chiefs. 149 The Religion of the Clansmen. 150 Religious Customs and Traditions. 150 . lX The Clan Macneil PAGE CUSTOMS OF THE MACNEILS. 159 ANCIENT DESCRIPTION OF THE CLAN'S ISLANDS. 173 THE HOME OF THE MACNEILS. 179 The Isle of Barra. 179 Castle Bay . 182 Kisimul Castle . 183 SOME LEGENDS OF THE MACNEILS OF BARRA. 189 How the Macneils Went to Sealltuinn. 189 Black Ruairidh and Rob Roy MacGregor. 191 How Black Ruairidh the Unjust Died. 192 Colonel MacNeill and His Brownie. 196 KILLIECRANKIE . 199 THE MACNEIL OF BARRA (Poem by James Kennedy).....