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Archiver > Scotch-Irish > 2001-01 > 0980897891


From: Charles Clark <>
Subject: Re: [Scotch-Irish] Leyburn: The SI A Social History
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 12:38:11 +1300
References: <96.f661f5e.27a8a139@cs.com>




wrote:

> In a message dated 1/30/01 3:21:30 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> writes:
>
> > There is a picture in "Ireland; A Concise History"
> > (O'Brien) of "Scottish mercenaries in the service of Gustavus Adolphus of
> > Sweden, 1631. The caption of this contemporary German broadsheet describes
> > them
> > as 'physically strong, enduring much; if bread be scarce, they eat roots'.
> > The
> > Irish 'galloglass' came of the same stock."
>
> Charlie:
>
> Recently, I learned that there is one or more branches of my family in
> Germany/Switzerland, etc. This was a bit of a surprise until I saw your
> recent post (see above) that mentions "Galloglas". My family is said to be a
> Galloglas family.
>
> My question is this: Is it possible that one branch of my Galloglas family
> went to Ireland and another went to Europe? Or could it be the same branch
> that shucked off some members in each locale?

I should think that the European branch of the family could only be described as
Galloglas if they went first to Ireland at the time those who became known as
gallowglass went to Ireland, served enough time there to become known as or
described as Gallowglass, and then went on to Europe.
The Scottish mercenaries who served for Gustavus Adolphus would not have been
called gallowglas because gallowglas is essentially an Irish word as I understand
it, and only applies to Scottish mercenaries in Ireland (at least according to
Hayes-McCoy). They were just called Scottish mercenaries!
But I understand there were a lot of them. Basically if life is hard, hiring
oneself out as a fighter is one way to make a buck. And life must have been hard,
if "if bread be scarce, they eat roots'."
My only qualification to that is that the webpage I saw that had McGirr as
gallowglas was pretty loose in its definitions, so might use the word gallowglas
in ways that Hayes-McCoy might not approve of
Charlie


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