The MacDonnells of Glengarry

The crest of the MacDonells of Glengarry is a raven perched upon a rock.  In his beautiful 1982 book "The Highland Clans" Sir Iain Moncreiffe of that Ilk concluded the raven is an indication of the Norse influence in Clan Donald and represented Odin's raven.  With all respect to the author and his wonderful work, I take issue with this scholar on this one interpretaion.  The Norse god Odin was often depicted with his two ravens Huginn & Muninn (thought & memory) perched on each shoulder or flying above each shoulder.  The Norse legend is that each morning the ravens flew gathering information to pass on to Odin when they returned.  Some have tried to make a connection between Odin and the Celtic god Lugh who was also depicted with a raven flying over him.  But Lugh of the long arm was a Celtic demi-god champion and the raven symbolized he was in his "battle rage".  To the Celtic people the raven was an omen of war & death often called the "battle crow".  The Gaelic word for raven is fhithich pronounced "eeich" (sounds like a raven's screech).  The battle cry or motto for the MacDonnells of Glengarry is "Cragan an Fhithich"  meaning "the Raven's Rock".  Many large rocks all over the Highlands are called Cragan an Fhithich  by the locals because they mark the location of a significant battle in the area.  The Celtic explanation is consistent with the Gaelic motto, the Norse explanation is not.  The Old Norse word for raven, "hrafn"  is not found in any Clan Donald traditions or histories, but Cragan an Fhithich is consistently found in Scottish Place-names including Invergarry, the seat of the MacDonells of Glengarry and the scene of many significant battles where our ancestors fought and died.  This is a prime example of what Donald J. Macdonald referred to in his introduction to his history of Clan Donald.  Studying the traditions and the culture of our ancestors is the foundation of understanding them.

See the lands of Glengarry in the  Armadale video  

 The gleann garu or Glengarry

The Glengarry, was part of the lands granted to Angus Òg, Lord of the Isles, by Robert the Bruce after Clan Donald’s support at the Scottish battle of independence at Bannockburn.  Angus Òg's son, Good John of Islay, was the next Lord of the Isles.  Good John’s eldest son, Raghnall (often rendered Ranald) by Amie MacRuairi, was the father of  Clanranald.  Raghnall’s son, Dhòmhnaill (often rendered Donald), was the father of the McDonells of Glengarry as they chose to spell the surname.  Glengarry is Gaelic Gleann (glen) and garu meaning rough or turbulent.  Garu would be an appropriate description of both the rough glen and the turbulent loch.This branch of Clan Donald was considered part of Clanranrald until the 15th century when it rose to prominence as one of the problem clans to King James IV after the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles.King James IV thought he would bring the west Highlands & Islands under control by replacing the Lordship of the Isles.  Some chiefs accepted the King’s demand they forfeit the lands of his fathers.  Alexander Macdonell of Glengarry did not. King James gave Glengarry to the Earl of Huntly as he gave southern MacDonald lands to Campbell of Argyll. This made little difference to the chief or the people of Glengarry who refused to pay rent or acknowledge Huntly as their leader. Alexander of Glengarry committed the Macdonells of Glengarry to support his kinsman, Alexander of Dunnyveg’s 1531 attempt to restore the Lordship of the Isles by sword. After they failed, both of them, with other Clan Donald chiefs, were summoned before King James for treason. They submitted to the King and were forgiven past offenses, but the King did not acknowledge Alexander’s clan as the rightful holders of Glengarry. The King granted Ewan Cameron of Lochiel (Gaelic for leather strap, the shape of the loch) 12 merklands of Glengarry for the inflated rent of 40 merks (a merk =13 ½ pence) rent. Locheil received little more respect from Glengarry than Huntly. The Anglo/Saxon feudal concept of landlords was totally foreign to the Highlanders. The Lordship of the Isles was established in the Celtic style of local leaders selected from the derbfine (leading family) who made up the Council of the Isles. The Council of the Isles then selected the Lord of the Isles from eligible candidates of the ruling family. The Lordship of the Isles was basically a democratic republic 500 years before the United States Constitution was even conceived. The Sassanach (Gaelic for Saxon, usually said as if a swear word) believed in the king’s Divine right to rule by birthright.  Ironically the monarchies of Britain thought the Celtic government of Clan Donald primitive and barbaric. 

The Glengarry branch of Clan Donald was particularly resistant to the idea of rent and leadership appointed by what they felt was a foreign King. Alexander of Glengarry was a close ally of John Moidartach (Clanranald) and their combined forces proved too formidable a power even for the Scottish King. Alexander died in 1560 with his clan holding the lands of their ancestors in every way except the Kings papers. Unlike his father, Angus of Glengarry sought and obtained office from the Scottish crown to patrol the lochs for fish poachers. Although Angus maintained unquestioned allegiance to the government, he was not able to be at peace with his neighbors.  Then his son, Angus Og of Glengarry attacked their old enemies, the Mackenzies of Kintail in 1601. Life in Glengarry must have been terrifying at this time with Clan Donald men off on raids while Mackenzie men retaliated in the Glengarry. The most foreboding indication of the end of the Lordship was that Glengarry went into battle without the support of their Clan Donald kinsmen. When the forces of both sides met in battle the slaughter was devastating to both. Angus Og was killed and the castle of Strome was demolished.

The seat of Glengarry shifted to Invergarry castle built upon the living rock. The crest of Glengarry is of a raven on this rock and the motto “Cragan an Fhithich” meaning the raven’s rock. To the Celts the raven symbolized battle (The Celtic goddess Morrigan assumed the form of a great crow or raven). The clansmen of Glengarry had to battle neighboring clans and even kinsmen.  Donald mac Angus of Glengarry had to battle his own kinsmen of Knoydart who raided Glengarry lands in 1610. Rather than retaliate, Donald appealed to the King’s Privy Council to judge between him and his Knoydart kin. The Council awarded Donald the royal charter to all of Knoydart. Glengarry then fell victim to raids upon the recently acquired Knoydart lands by Clanranald, but Donald found a peaceful solution without appeal to the crown. King James VI, newly crowned King of England as well as Scotland, had little time to bask in the newfound loyalty of his formerly rebellious Highlanders. The Protestant reformation became a civil war in England and Scotland. The Episcopalian James VI was at odds with Presbyterianism that saw little difference between Episcopal Bishops and Catholic Bishops. James VI, and Charles I after him, both declared themselves head of church and state. In 1638 the National Covenant was signed by the Protestants of Scotland. It amounted to a declaration of war on Catholicism and Episcopalian Protestants. Most of Clan Donald remained Catholic.

In 1639 the King appointed Randall Macdonnell, Earl of Antrim  and Sir Donald of Sleat  In 1640 The Earl of Argyll was given a commission “of fire and sword to pursue not only proven enemies to religion, but also unnatural to their country to the utter subduing and rooting them out”. Glengarry was the first of the Catholic clans to be victim of the Covenanters. The mainly Campbell Covenanters led 4,000 men into Glengarry to burn chapels and kill Catholic men, women, and children. In 1643 the Earl of Antrim entered into an agreement with the Earl of Montrose to raise an army to fight against Argyll and the Covenanters. Angus of Glengarry joined his kinsmen of Antrim and Sleat to fight for Montrose. According to British histories the “Earl of Montrose raised an army of Irish and Highlanders” in 1643 to fight for the King against the Covenanters. Almost half of Montrose’s army was made up of 1,500 Clan Donald including 500 of Glengarry. They were victorious against Argyll’s Covenanters. The Keppoch bard, Iain Lom (Gaelic thin) described the battle of Inverlochy urging the Campbells to “not forget their bonnets floating in the Lochy”, and advised them to “take swimming lessons before returning to Glengarry”.

According to British Histories the Irish and Highlanders deserted Montrose at Philiphaugh, but the in reality Clan Donald supported Montrose only to regain the old Lordship of the Isles and oppose those who opposed the Lordship. The Antrim McDonnells attacked the Campbells in Kintyre to recover the lands once held by their clan under Iain Mhoir. Glengarry returned to Invergarry castle after re-establishing their right to live on their lands “by sword”. Without Clan Donald Montrose suffered a total defeat at Philphaugh and fled to shelter at Invergarry. In 1649 Cromwell had King Charles I executed. This was an unthinkable act both in England and Scotland. Charles II was in Holland when he was declared King of Scotland. In 1661 Angus of Glengarry was raised “to the peerage” under the name “Lord Macdonell and Aros”. The Glengarry branch have spelled their name Macdonell since that time (it more closely reflects the Gaelic pronunciation). The odd turn of events that led up to the loss of the Highland way of life hinged on poor timing. When Glengarry finally gave allegiance to the King, all Scotland and England turned against him. That fierce loyalty was again displayed in 1745 when Bonnie Prince Charlie landed in Clan Donald lands to raise his Highland army and regain his throne. After the tragic defeat of the Highlanders at Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie took refuge at Invergarry before fleeing to the Isle of Skye. Like Manannan mac Lir of Celtic mythology, Glengarry found itself a victim of changing religion.

                                           Glengarry Current Events

Aeneas Ranald Donald (Donald) MacDonell, 22nd Chief of Glengarry, a much-beloved and respected Chief of Clan Donald, died on June 7, 1999. A memorial to the 22nd Chief of Glengarry was commissioned in the form of a bronze statue of the Raven on an actual piece of The Raven's Rock from Invergarry. The monument was mounted adjacent to the Museum of the Isles at Armadale.

Want to own a piece of Glengarry?  If you have ever dreamed of being a "Laird" or "Lady" of your own piece of land in Scotland some enterprizing people in Glengarry will give you the opportunity.  Just go to www.myglengarry.com and choose your wee plot of land from the battle crow's point of view.