The Complete History of Clan MacNeil - Digital Edition

From the windswept island of Barra to the shores of Nova Scotia, discover the remarkable story of one of Scotland’s great Hebridean clans.

The Complete History of Clan MacNeil explores centuries of MacNeil history, tracing the clan from its uncertain medieval origins through the rise of the chiefs of Barra, the power of Kisimul Castle, the turbulent politics of the Western Isles, and the creation of a worldwide MacNeil diaspora.

At the heart of the story stands Kisimul Castle, the dramatic island fortress guarding Castlebay. From this stronghold, the MacNeil chiefs commanded a maritime lordship shaped by galleys, alliances, warfare and the constantly shifting politics of the Hebrides. Their fortunes became intertwined with the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, the Scottish Crown, neighbouring Highland families and the struggle to control Scotland’s western seaboard.

This book goes beyond the familiar legends to examine what the historical evidence actually tells us about Clan MacNeil. It investigates the traditional descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages, the complicated relationship between the MacNeils of Barra and the MacNeills of Knapdale, Gigha and Colonsay, and the surviving medieval records that reveal when the chiefs of Barra first emerge clearly into documented history.

Follow the clan through the great political changes that transformed the Highlands and Islands: the fall of the Lordship of the Isles, conflict with the Crown, the age of Rory the Turbulent, maritime raids and alliances, MacKenzie superiority over Barra, Jacobite traditions, the survival of Catholic Barra, and the gradual economic pressures that changed the old clan society forever.

The story then crosses the Atlantic. Large numbers of MacNeils left the Hebrides for North America, with especially important communities developing in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. There they carried their Gaelic language, Catholic faith, music, family traditions and memories of Barra into a new world. Their descendants helped create one of the most enduring Scottish Highland communities outside Scotland.

The history ultimately comes full circle. After the MacNeil chiefs lost the Barra estate during the nineteenth century and Kisimul Castle fell into ruin, a descendant of the chiefly family returned from North America. In 1937, Robert Lister Macneil purchased Kisimul and began the extraordinary restoration that transformed the ancient fortress once again into an international symbol of Clan MacNeil.

Inside This Book

• The origins and meaning of the MacNeil name
• Niall of the Nine Hostages and the clan’s legendary ancestry
• The MacNeils of Barra, Knapdale, Gigha and Colonsay
• Gilleonan MacNeill and the documented beginnings of the Barra lordship
• Kisimul Castle and life in the medieval Hebrides
• The MacDonald Lords of the Isles
• Sea lords, Highland alliances and raids on Ireland
• Rory the Turbulent and conflict with the Scottish Crown
• Jacobite traditions and Catholic Barra
• Gaelic language, tartan, symbols and clan identity
• Debt, emigration and the loss of the Barra estate
• The MacNeil diaspora in Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and beyond
• The ruin and twentieth-century restoration of Kisimul Castle
• The modern chiefship and worldwide Clan MacNeil community

Written for readers who want more than romantic clan legend, this is a detailed account of the people, places and events that shaped the MacNeil name across more than six centuries.

Whether you are researching MacNeil or McNeil ancestry, fascinated by the history of Barra and the Outer Hebrides, exploring your Scottish roots, or simply enjoy the dramatic history of Scotland’s clans, The Complete History of Clan MacNeil offers an absorbing journey from medieval island lordship to the modern worldwide clan.

Digital Edition: Available in EPUB, KPF and PDF formats for convenient reading on compatible e-readers, tablets, computers and mobile devices.