Ulster Heritage Magazine

tá failte romhat mo chara.

2011-11-21T08:51:59.301-06:00

tá failte romhat mo chara.

Interesting. Those biscuits are fairly popular her...

2011-11-17T20:15:44.419-06:00

Interesting. Those biscuits are fairly popular here in Malaysia; since my last name is similar (MacVay) people sometimes confuse it with the name of the biscuits. There aren't too many Mac/Mc names over here besides my family, the biscuits, and McDonald's so it happens more often than one might think. Anyway, at least now I can give people some more background on the McVitie name. Moran taing.

thank you!! http://blanchirlesdents.org

2011-10-15T08:53:05.958-05:00

thank you!! http://blanchirlesdents.org

On the home page ~ "Samhain" should app...

2011-09-25T16:09:08.324-05:00

On the home page ~ "Samhain" should appear as such : NO accent on the 'a'.

I posted a comment in April 2010 which included in...

2011-05-16T11:16:14.248-05:00

I posted a comment in April 2010 which included information about Lt Brian MacDonald which erroneously stated that he descended from Alasdair Ruadh, MacIain, 12th Chief of the Glencoe MacDonalds.

This has since been disproven. Brian descended from Alexander MacDonnell, the Constable of Wicklow, of a longstanding Gallowglas kindred family which had been in Ireland since before 1350.

I still think it is possible that the (unrelated) MacIain Macdonalds of Glencoe may have been "Redshank" fighters recruited by Clan Iain Mhor or others to fight the native Irish and other Scottish Clans who were contesting for the Glinns of Antrim and other lands.

Glad to see a Dudgeon heading this direction rathe...

2011-02-11T15:43:35.970-06:00

Glad to see a Dudgeon heading this direction rather than towards the new world. I am from that corner that you mention on the fermanagh side of the Donegal border, the same christian names appear on my Family tree.i must look the dates up. If you are in Belfast in 2011 i could let you have any info I have. I know Balyshannon, but i never knew there had been dudgeon's in that area.

Gordon Dudgeon, Belfast

WHO ARE THE FEW ORIGINAL EXTENDED "NOBLE"...

2011-01-11T17:38:39.822-06:00

WHO ARE THE FEW ORIGINAL EXTENDED "NOBLE" HERIDITARY COMMANDER FAMILIES

Galloglaigh means: - gall = foreign + glaigh = yo...

2011-01-11T17:35:40.902-06:00

Galloglaigh means: - gall = foreign + glaigh = young male; ie, foreign young warrior in Ireland. They, also being Gaelic, were only termed “foreign” in Ireland because of the Insi-Gall, Hebridean Norse bloodline (post c.800AD). They, the first truly professional military of Ireland (the “berserker” Fianna weren’t), were firstly the hereditary Commanders or Constables, of Norse-Hebridean Scots “armoured” heavy infantry.
These hereditary commanders are directly descended from Gaelic-Norse aristocracy of Argyll & the Isles. These commanders were noble; they were high ranking, important men. At first many of the arrangements were temporary, eg, a quick assignation job on a leadership rival, some were seasonal forays or a campaign, (& hired by the quarter) but this quickly developed into permanent arrangements when their true worth became fully recognised.
They grew in numbers within their own extended Commander's (eg, Macdonnell) families (many ‘wives’, sons), – "If the father be a Galloglass, the son be a Galloglass” (Barnaby Rich) - but also by bringing over other Hebrideans for basic rank & file axemen, eg, some suitable McDonald seasonal Redshanks who stayed (circa 1400- say to 1550) and the later “New Scots”, (say circa 1560-1650). And from circa 1400, as time went on and with expansion, by also hiring promising big irish “locals” (starting as the horseboys).
WE MUST BE CLEAR AS TO WHO ARE THE FEW ORIGINAL EXTENDED "NOBLE" HERIDITARY COMMANDER FAMILIES - AND WHO ARE THE LATER RECRUITS TO THE BASIC RANK OF "AXEMAN". THEY ARE DIFFERENT AND HAVE DIFFERENT TIMEFRAMES/PERIODS/LABELS. ANY BIG BRAVE "JO-BLOW" FROM ANYWHERE COULD LATER BE A GRUNT AXEMAN IN A "BATTLE"! - AND BE CALLED A GALLOGLASS. BUT ONLY THE ORIGINAL "NOBLE" COMMANDERS ARE THE TRUE HERIDITARY GALLOGLAIGH DYNASTIC FAMIILIES. (TRACEABLE BY DNA TO SOMERLED FOR EXAMPLE, THRU CLAN DONALD, DOUGALL, RAURI CHIEFS; - McCABE, MACSWEENEY)
Aristocratic Hebridean family leaders stopped coming to Ireland around 1400 to set up Galloglaigh dynasties. It was the less well-harnessed and armed “redshanks” (Catholic of course) that came from the Hebrides after 1400 as mercenaries. They were effective, much less expensive and so could be hired seasonally in large numbers. (eg, from Clan Ranald.) THEY ARE ONLY A (rank & file) GALLOGLASS AXEMAN - IF THEY JOINED AN OLD GALLOGLAIGH HERIDITARY COMPANY - BEFORE SAY 1590 AT THE LATEST. The "New Scots" (Protestant) came even later -1560 to 1640's civil war; Ulster plantations. THEY ARE NOT, NEVER! GALLOGLASS (incl 'Scots-Irish'.)

CAN YOU PLEASE CONTACT ME BARRY - MAYBE I CAN SEND MY ARTICLES FOR YOUR SITE. I'D LOVE TO TALK TO TOM MCDONNELL, FROM "SOUTH OF THE BLACKWATER!" TOM ,“Galloglass under the Blackwater” SHOULD BE NORSE 'Y' DNA (R1a) BEING DESCENDED FROM SOMERLED! (BARRING ANY "straying" ALONG THE WAY!)

BARRY-WE HAVE EMAILED BEFORE...MANY YEARS AGO.
CHEERS, IAN MACDONNELL.(MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.)

are there any plans for a meeting next year

2010-12-04T04:23:20.215-06:00

are there any plans for a meeting next year

are there any plans for a gathering of the o catha...

2010-12-04T04:22:05.486-06:00

are there any plans for a gathering of the o cathain clan in 2011

I just found your blog. I'm writing from Lond...

2010-10-31T21:42:51.444-05:00

I just found your blog. I'm writing from Londonderry, New Hampshire (about 35 miles north of Boston). Our town was settled in 1719 by Scots Irish presbyterians, and it was originally called "Nutfield". I'm going to recommend your blog to our Historical Society. By the way, there was a very famous McCain/McKean family from our town- you can read about them on my own blog.

It is nice to know where my name came from other t...

2010-09-24T16:06:54.356-05:00

It is nice to know where my name came from other than Laurens County SC. My given name is Hance and have always like having it. Being 37 years old I have only found 3 other people with it as a first name. I would love to know if there is a tartan or family seal for this name or any other history. Thanks and keep up the good work.

WOW, what a view!! Must go there someday......hope...

2010-08-22T07:36:09.273-05:00

WOW, what a view!! Must go there someday......hopefully soon!

What might the following mean? Derry, 5296, Irel...

2010-06-01T15:53:36.106-05:00

What might the following mean? Derry, 5296, Ireland

Lovely city.Pity about litter around williams stre...

2010-05-31T08:29:43.756-05:00

Lovely city.Pity about litter around williams street.

Because Derry City is so famous for it's marve...

2010-05-31T08:27:40.892-05:00

Because Derry City is so famous for it's marvellous musicians and singers it is deserving of the City of culture.

13 could be Derry/Londonderry's lucky year and...

2010-05-26T14:12:23.494-05:00

13 could be Derry/Londonderry's lucky year and deservedly so. Always a good place to visit, either side of the Foyle. Good luck with the bid!

Derry your culture,environment, people,youth &...

2010-05-26T14:12:23.493-05:00

Derry your culture,environment, people,youth & business acumen are the recepie for success. I wish you luck in your bid for UK City of Culture.

Come and see the city, it has lots to offer

2010-05-25T05:15:15.008-05:00

Come and see the city, it has lots to offer

Be great if Derry would win the bid for UK City of...

2010-05-25T05:11:45.771-05:00

Be great if Derry would win the bid for UK City of Culture, to help boost the economy and tourism of the north west of Ireland.

When you visit Derry, don't forget the GARDENS...

2010-05-25T05:11:45.770-05:00

When you visit Derry, don't forget the GARDENS and visit the Donegal Garden Trail. Good luck in your bid Derry.

Yes there are many many Scot Gaelic surnames in Ul...

2010-04-17T14:53:01.607-05:00

Yes there are many many Scot Gaelic surnames in Ulster.It is interesting and more should be done to research their background..ie.
List of those surnames
Why and when they arrived in Ulster
And are their origins gaelic Irish(did they originally leave Ireland to settle in the Isles and highlands of scotland before returning to Ireland many years later.I would suggest that is the case.

Doctoral Nursing Programs Doctoral nursing pro...

2010-04-14T22:28:19.875-05:00

Doctoral Nursing Programs

Doctoral nursing programs are offered primarily by large universities. DNP programs are often designed to allow students to continue working while attending the program. They sometimes concentrate classroom time into two-week segments or into long weekends supplemented with online instruction and can be completed in a year or two. PhD programs usually take between three and five years of full-time study to complete and include involvement in research projects and completion of a dissertation. Students are typically required to attend full-time.
Doctoral Degrees

My grandmother descended from Brian Macdonald, who...

2010-04-10T22:21:24.647-05:00

My grandmother descended from Brian Macdonald, who was from an old Galloglass family. He had been a Lieutenant in Francis O'Toole's Regiment of Irish Volunteers in service of James VII whose Jacobite revolt failed in 1691. Brian then emigrated with his family to New Castle (now Delaware) in the colonial province of Pennsylvania in America.

The family story is that Brian was a son of Alasdair Ruadh Macdomhnuill, 12th MacIain, murdered chief of the Glencoe Macdonalds. I found the discussion on the Gallowglass connection with the names of McKean, MacIain and McCain to be very interesting. I wonder if any of you know detailed information on the Glencoe Macdonalds. Were they mercenaries serving as Gallóglaighs or "Redshanks" in Ireland ? Had Alasdair Ruadh served in Ireland as a young man ? Could Brian have been a natural son of the Glencoe Chief ?

Surely this small clan was fierce. Grey John Campbell of Glenorchy, 1st Earl of Breadalbane and Holland could attest to that fact.

If any of you have information on the Glencoe Clan in Ireland, I would be most interested to hear from you.

Charlie Morrison
morrisonch@aol.com

That was really interesting about the McHenry Fami...

2010-04-06T05:05:53.957-05:00

That was really interesting about the McHenry Family of Bushmills. I am not aware of anyone of that surname there now, but there are plenty of people with the surname "McKendry" which when you try spelling McHenry phonetically it does sound like McKendry.

Then there was the famous Jame McHenry, the Presbyterian from North Antrim who was the American Secretary of War in the War of 1812 and has a Fort McHeny in Baltimore, Maryland named in his honour, I had heard he was from Ballymoney but yet there is other references of him being from Ballymena.