MacDonnell of Antrim

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Arms of McDonnell of Antrim.

The MacDonnells of Antrim (Gaelic: Mac Domhnaill),[1] also known as the MacDonnells of the Glens, are a branch in Ireland of the Scottish-based Clan Donald. Initially part of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg (Clan Donald South), the MacDonnells of Antrim became their own branch in 1558 when Somhairle Buidhe MacDonnell obtained the lordship of the territory in Ireland from James MacDonald, 6th chief of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg.[2]

The MacDonnells of Antrim were a sept of the Clan Donald of the royal Clann Somhairle, that the English crown had attempted to cultivate since the early 14th century in its efforts to influence the course of politics in Scotland. The MacDonnells established a growing presence in Ireland throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, and played a crucial role in the politics of 17th century Ireland. The MacDonnell's achieved much success in Ireland largely to cultural and familial connections to the Gaelic nobility of Ireland.

Today the surname is predominantly spelled

McDonnell in Ireland and abroad, although many McConnells are also of the same family, as that is the Gaelic pronunciation of the Mac Domhnaill. Most of the leadership of the Clan wrote their name as a variant of McConnell up until the 17th century, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell himself.[3] Many of the present-day McDonnells have a common descent from Sorley Boy MacDonnell
.

History

Origins

The MacDonnells of Antrim are descended from

John Mor MacDonald, chief of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg. John Mor MacDonald was the second son of Good John of Islay, Lord of the Isles, 6th chief of Clan Donald, through John of Islays second marriage to Princess Margaret Stewart, daughter of King Robert II of Scotland
.

John Mor MacDonald married

Isle of Islay and lands in Kintyre, Scotland
.

The MacDonnells of Antrim did not become a separate branch of Clan Donald until 1558, when they were part of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, when Somhairle Buidhe MacDonnell obtained the lordship of the territory in Ireland from James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg.[2]

15th century

John Mor was assassinated by James

Clan MacKintosh
.

The third Chief, Sir John Mor, with his heir John Cathanach and three grandsons, were apprehended through the treachery of the

Macdonald of Ardnamurchan and were executed in Edinburgh for treason. One of his sons, Alexander, fled to Ireland. MacIain of Ardnamurchan, who had also betrayed Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh
, was himself killed in 1518 by those who he had betrayed.

16th century

On the death of James MacDonald, the sixth chief of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg and Antrim, the Antrim Glens were seized by one of his younger brothers, Sorley Boy MacDonnell (Somhairle Buidh:Somhairle of the yellow hair). Somhairle is best known for establishing the MacDonnell clan in Antrim and resisting the campaign of Shane O'Neill and the English crown to expel the clan from Ireland.

In 1565 under Sorley Boy MacDonnell the Clan MacDonnell of Antrim and Dunnyveg fought the

Battle of Glentasie
against Shane O'Neill.

In April 1583 the MacDonnells, led by Sorley Boy MacDonnell, who had been fighting in the McQuillan-O'Cahan feud on the side of the McQuillan clan decided to backstab their allies. In the ensuing battle of Aura Edward McQuillan was killed bringing about the McQuillans rule over The Route as well as their seat of Dunluce Castle.

Alaster, the eldest son of Sorley Boy was killed in 1585, his head was placed on a spike at Baile-atha-cliath (Dublin).[6]

17th century

The arms of the MacDonnells of Antrim, as displayed at Dunluce Castle.

Scottish Covenanters, he offered to lead a sea-borne expedition against the Covenanter regime on behalf of King Charles. This request was granted, but in the end the plans were frustrated by the antipathy of Thomas Wentworth and the success of the Covenanters against the King.[7]

By 1645, however, the Scottish Covenanter regime had broken their truce with King Charles by intervening in the

Alasdair MacColla (also known as Alexander MacDonnell) leading a force of men from Waterford to Scotland. Rallying his Clan Donald kinsmen, and joining with the Marquess of Montrose, despite being outnumbered they inflicted a series of crushing defeats on larger enemy forces.[9]

Perhaps their crowning achievement was when, in a daring winter campaign, the Clan Donald forces undertook a surprise march through the snow-covered mountains into the Campbell heartlands of Argyll, which were considered impregnable. They then scored an overwhelming victory against the Campbell force that was arrayed against them at the battle of Inverlochy, with the chief Archibald Campbell ignominiously fleeing for his life on a barge as the men of his clan were being slaughtered in battle. Alasdair MacColla then occupied Argyll, and the chief Randall MacDonnell arrived to join him, but the successes of the Scottish campaign were to be undone by the defeat of King Charles in England. Many MacDonnell troops fell back to Ireland, where they opposed the Cromwellian invasion.[10]

MacDonnell forces supported King James II in the Williamite War in Ireland.[11]

Castles

See also

Citations

  1. ^ "Dunluce Castle, Ulster-Scots translation" (PDF). Department of the Environment (Northern Ireland). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Sidney, ed. (1893). "MacDonnell, Sorley Boy" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 35. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 59–60.
  3. ^ Hill, George (1873). An Historical Account of the Macdonnells of Antrim. London. p. 44.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ State Papers, Henry the Eighth. Volume II. pp. 7, 27. See also the circa 1540 Book of Howth for a similar list of the lords in Ireland.
  5. ^ Annals of the Four Masters 1522.9
  6. ^ "Annals of Loch Cé (1585)". Corpus of Electronic Texts. Retrieved 15 September 2010.
  7. OCLC 71173890
    .
  8. ISBN 0859760553
    .
  9. OCLC 847594746
    .
  10. ^ Stevenson, Highland Warrior; Alasdair MacColla and the Civil Wars.
  11. OCLC 36469715
    .

References

  • Chambers, Anne, At Arm's Length: Aristocrats in the Republic of Ireland. New Island Books. 2nd revised edition, 2005.
  • Curley, Walter J.P., Vanishing Kingdoms: The Irish Chiefs and their Families. Dublin: Lilliput Press. 2004.
  • Ellis, Peter Berresford, Erin's Blood Royal: The Gaelic Noble Dynasties of Ireland. Palgrave. Revised edition, 2002.
  • O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees. Dublin: James Duffy and Co. 5th edition, 1892.

Sources

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