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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 1999-07 > 0931649074


From: "Dick" <>
Subject: Re: Irishmen soldiering for other countries
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 1999 18:24:34 -0500


Linda, John Shearer and Colin McCallum have corrected some of my conceptions
and misconceptions regarding the religious issues in Scotland. I have never
visited and was taking my information from others; not always wise. On the
other hand, however, I am certain that Somerled was not a pedigreed Viking
in any sense, although his mother was. Somerled's true and full name was
Somerled mac Gillebride mac Gille-Adaman mac Fergus. On his father's side
he claimed descent from Colla Uais, 4th Century High King of Ireland and
founder of the the Kingdom of Oriel or Airgialla in, naturally, northern
Ireland. He may have descended from Fergus mac Erc one of the three Irish
brothers who in Scotland established the Gaelic realm of Dalriada, in about
500 CE, but although this is very questionable, he was assuredly descended
from Godfraidh (Godfrey) mac Fergus, who was the Toiseach (chief) of the
Innse Gall (Lord of the Hebridean Gaels), died 853 CE.

Moreover, in my thinking the Gaels would not have united and followed the
call of a purebred Viking Jarl. Somerled's grandfather was Gille-Adaman,
the Thane of Argyll in the 11th century, and Somerled's father was the well
renowned Gillebride who also was Thane in Argyll. When he attacked at
Strathclyde his forces consisted of about 6000 men at arms from Ireland,
Man, the Hebrides and the western Highlands. This, of course, was to be his
last battle but in sum his legacy formed about 15 clans, including the
MacDougalls and the MacDonalds. He was known as "The Norse Slayer," not
because he was a Norseman who did the job of slaying, but that he drove the
Norse from the lands and islands of the Gael. Somerled's father and
grandfather had both been vanquished by unknown Norse forces, perhaps the
Norse Earl of the Orkneys, but Somerled was reclaiming his imagined
birthright.

Also, my observation that the lowland Scots were not clans per se was not a
pejorative statement. The Highlanders were denigrated and slighted at every
opportunity by the Borderers and lowland Scots, so much so that more wary
and better educated Highlanders began to hide their identities and Anglicize
their names. I am saying that Border and lowland folk did not live in
Gaelic/Celtic clans. They may have later called themselves "clans" when it
became fashionable, but Highland, Irish, Welsh, even Cornish folk, at one
time lived clannishly. Along this same line, the Welsh as you are aware
consider themselves Cymreag. The name Wales comes from the Norman reference
to the land of the "Gales." G and W are interchangeable in old French, e.
g., the name Wyatt from Giot, Guillame for William. Hence, the Cymric
(Cymreag) people were/are Gaelic folk, as well.

In truth (and you would have to see it for yourselves), I imagine the
closest people on earth to the Highlanders, to their way of life, to their
clannishness, wariness of strangers and their tightly knit family units may
be found in Appalachia of the eastern US and tiny spots in rural Canada, but
probably not in Scotland. I imagine that the Irish Travellers are pretty
darn close to the Highlanders, no matter how perverse and devious they may
seem to outsiders. Of course, the Highlanders in their time appeared
precisely so to outsiders in the same way.

Regards,

Dick Hudson

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