MacDomhnaill Galloglagh

[Colla MacDonnell]

Sirs,

I am a direct descendant of Maolmuire MacDomhnaill, the last chieftain of the MacDomhnaill Gallaglaigh family South of the Blackwater.  Maolmuire was slain around 1647 while in the service of Sir Phelim O'Neill.  Maolomuire is a direct descendant of Torlough Barrach MacDomhnaill first chieftain of MacDomhnaill Galloglaigh slain in 1435 while in the service of O'Neill.  Torlough O'Neill is a direct descendant of Somhairle, Lord of the Argyll.

There is much discussion in my family about the Y chromosome in our family being Norse rather than Gaelic.  Some argue it is Norse, others it is not.  Do you have any feedback.

Colla

[Barry R McCain]

The DNA of the ruling line of the Clann Mhic Dhónaill is R1a1, which is Norse in origin.  Having said that, keep in mind that the Gaels and Norse intermarried and became one 'Gaelic' people and culture in Medieval times. Your typical Gael DNA haplogroup is R1b1b2a1b5 in Argyll and the Southern Hebrides.  That is a very distinguished family history you have, we would certainly love for you to participate in the DNA project.  We already have quite a few from the Mac Dónaill ruling line in the sister project, which is the McCain DNA Project.  Both the Glencoe and the Ardnamurchan Mac Eáin families are in that project; they are a match to the Mac Dónaill chiefs and are R1a1 as expected.

Do you have any interest in testing?

[Colla MacDonnell]

I have not given my participation in the DNA project much thought as my genealogy is well documented and phenologically I look like family members described 500 and 600 years ago by the English.  I have fair hair, blue eyes, am broad of shoulder and well over 6 foot just as the generations before me were.  My family's village in the South of Armagh, immediately know me as one of the tall MacDonnells whenever I visit and many of my relatives carried the name Buidhe from 1400 to 1650.

Here is a discription of Eoin, MacDomhnaill Galloglagh and his brothers and cousins in 1562 in Queen Elizabeth's court.  Wearing saffron and refusing to speak any language but Gaelic was made punishable by death by Henry VIII in the 1530s.  But Sean O'Neill and Eoin MacDonnell remained defiance even in the Queen's court.

“'O'Neill stalked in, his saffron mantle sweeping round and round him, his hair curling on his back, and clipped short below the eyes, which gleamed from under it with a grey lustre, frowning, fierce, and cruel. Behind him followed his galloglasse, bare-headed and fair-haired, with shirts of mail which reached their knees, a wolf-skin flung across their shoulders, and short broad battle-axes in their hands.”- Froude 1562

This scene was further described by Hayes and McCoy as such, “Shane…was accompanied by an escort of gallowglasses armed with battleaxes, bare-headed, with flowing curls, yellow shirts dyed with saffron, large sleeves, short tunics, and rough cloaks, whom the English followed with as much wonderment as if they had come from China or America.” 

[Colla MacDonnell]

Barry,

I have the Viking genealogy of Somhairle back to 216 A.D. This genealogy includes the Viking kings of Dublin in 800 A.D.  I have long suspected that Gilla Adamnain, grandfather of Somhairle, adopted the genealogy of his wife who descended from Geoffradh mac Fergus.  As you are aware, Gilla Adamnain was exiled from the Isles in 1098 by King Magnus of Norway and lived in Airghialla (North of Ireland) the remainder of his life.  His son GilleBride mac Gilla Adamnain may have also been fostered by the Irish, as was common practice, and adopted the lineage of the three Collas. Due to Somhairle's devout religious nature, I have suspected that GillaBride (and possibly Somhairle as a child) was influenced by Saint Malachy himself before the Saint became the abbot of Bangor in Down in 1123.

The Clan Donald has had heated discussion over the viking genealogy, and the some chieftains of the Clan consider me a threat due to my senior lineage under the primogeniture they have adopted.  My family continued in tanistry after we left Scotland in 1366 until it was finally extinguished in 1650, so I have no interest in their titles.

[Colla MacDonnell]

Barry,

Earlier you asked what my DNA profile was.  I have since had that profile completed.

DNA analysis reveals I am of R1a origin. My DNA differs from the current MacDonald chieftains at 458.  I am hopeful that more DNA analysis comes in for the other five principle galloglaigh families in Ireland, i.e., MacDougals, MacSweeneys, MacRorys, MacSheeleys and MacCabes.  Geneologies indicate the MacDonnells, MacDougals, MacRorys and MacSheeleys all descend from Somhairle, Lord of the Isles.  A numbert of authors also beleive that he MacSweeneys decended from Angus mac Somhairle.  It will be interesting to see if your work verifies and disproves these geneologies.  In visiting with the MacCabe DNA project they have identified over 20 different lines of MacCabes at this time.  My understanding is that thus far they know many of the MacCabes are of Western European descent and several have the unique genetic marker of Conn of the Hundred Battles.  I don't even pretend to understand what this means.  Perhaps you can put it in laymans terms.

Thanks,


Colla

[Albaringa]

no such information on wiki is available about Maolmuire MacDomhnaill family .