The MacIains of Ardnamurchan 

The crest of the MacIains of Ardnamurchan is the great sea eagle with its head erect and its wings spread as if to take off.  This is referred to as "rising".  The sea eagle is no longer common in the British Isles, but is frequently featured in Celtic mythology. Currently sea eagles are endangered in the few areas they remain which are Lapland and the Ukraine.  The elongated neck and huge wingspan (up to 8 feet) are what distinguish this as a sea eagle on the Ardnamurchan crest.  The Arnamurchan peninsula is well known for a wide variety of wildlife and birds.  Sea eagles feed mainly on salmon which are plentiful in the seas surrounding Ireland & Scotland.  The motto of this branch of Clan Donald is "In Hope I Byde", perhaps a reference to the Ardnamurchan chiefs' repeated attempts to restore the Lordship of the Isles after it was forfeited.   Perhaps there is a not so subtle symbol in the sea eagle.  It was once the largest predator of the seas and western isles of Scotland, but no longer.  A fitting symbol of the Lordship of the Isles and this branch of Clan Donald.

Ardnamurchan is Gaelic meaning "point, or high place, of the sea hounds (otters)" and is the most westerly point of the Scottish mainland.  It spans from Ardgour (Gaelic = high place of goats) to Morvern (Gaelic = sea gap) on the south and Kilchoan originally Cill Chomhghain (Gaelic = church of St.Comgan) to the North.   Kilchoan is the most Westerly village on Great Britain's mainland.  The ancient manuscripts and legends all refer to the lands from which   Sòmhairlidh  (Somerled) first  expelled the Norse as Ardgour & Morvern.  These lands are the Ardnamurchan peninsula.  The earliest reference to Ardnamurchan is in the account of the missionary journeys of Colum Cille (St. Columba).  Ardnamurchan is described as a very rough, wild area referred to as Garmoran (Gaelic = rough bounds).

The ruins of Mingary castle (Gaelic mhionn ghairaidh = oath of a fertile field or Mioghairigh = smiling king) was built on the same design as castle Tiram in Clanranald country.  Its origins are not recorded, but it was occupied by the MacIains of Ardnamurchan until seized by the Scottish King upon the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles in 1493. 

The MacIains of Ardnamurchan (alternate spelling MacKean) are descended from Iain Sprangoch, Gaelic meaning John the Bold, who was the son of Angus Mhór, the 4th Lord of the Isles.  Angus Mhór was awarded the lands of Ardnamurchan in 1284 for his participation in the assembly that declared the Maid of Norway heiress to the crown of Scotland.     Like many Clan Donald chiefs Iain Sprangoch gave allegiance to whatever crown acknowledged his right to govern the lands he received from his father. This oftain put Iain Sprangoch  at odds with neighboring clans and even the other branches of Clan Donald.   

The English King Edward I granted Iain Sprangoch "the dignity of Baron of the Exchequer of England” during the same period his brother,  Angus Og and most of Clan Donald supported Robert the Bruce against King Edward (Longshanks).  The Ardnamurchan branch were one of the few branches of Clan Donald to embrace the Reformation to the extreme views of the "The Covenant" (which created a religious civil war) when most of Clan Donald remained Catholic or Episcopalian.  There were many marriages between Clan Campbell and several branches of Clan Donald, but most frequently with the MacIains of Ardnamurchan. Although the Ardnamurchan leadership embraced many changes that occurred in Scotland the one change they could not accept was the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles.  It was John of Islay's 1462 treaty with the English King Edward IV (that the Lords of the Isles would rule the Highlands as an English vasal if England conquered the Lowlands) that lead the Scottish Parliament to require the forfeiture of the Lordship of the Isles in 1493.  When the  attempt to restore the Lordship of the Isles in 1540 failed King James V proclaimed the Lordship of the Isles would forever be the inherent right of the eldest son of the reigning Scottish monarch.  Ironically, with the unification of the English & Scottish crowns under James VI the end result was similar to the 1462 treaty deemed treasonous to Scotland. 

A MacIain of Ardnamurchan chief was blaimed for the killing of the father of Sir. Donald MacDonald of Lochalsh which brought a siege of Mingary and fire & sword upon the surroung Ardnamurchan branch by Lochalsh MacDonalds in 1515 and again in 1517.  In 1519 King James V gave the Ardnamurchan lands including Mingary to Colin, Earl of Argyll.  In 1588 the MacIains of Ardnamurchan allied with their Dunnyveg cousins fighting in Ulster, Ireland, on Colonsay, and finally at home on the Ardnamurchan peninsula.  These continued skirmishes abroad and finally at home with their MacLean of Duart neighbors severly weakened their ranks and their ability to maintain their lands.  In 1622 the MacIans of Ardnamurchan attempted to retake Mingary castle from Donald Campbell, son of Colin Campbell of Calder.  The slaughter of the MacIains was so devastating  to this branch of Clan Donald that they never recovered.

 The Ardnamurchan chief's persistent aspirations to bring back the Lordship of The Isles failed to unite Clan Donald and eventually the Ardnamurchan chief sold his remaining estates to the British crown and retired to London.  Many of the surviving Ardnamurchan clansmen left the Ardnamurchan peninsula hoping for better prospects as part of the plantation experiments in Northern Ireland beginning in 1605.  Like the sea eagle on the MacIain of Ardnamurchan's crest this branch  of Clan Donald no longer plays a prominent role in  Ardnamurchan's rough country.

 Ardnamurchan Current Events

There is a blog with beautiful photos of the Arnamurchan wildlife for which it is famous.  It is found at http://kilchoan.blogspot.com/.  Jon, a current resident informs me the most common bird of prey is this part of the British Isles is referred to as the "common buzzard".  He has had many tourists excitedly declare many eagle sightings that he identified as actually being buzzards.  The common buzzard is a far cry from what those in North & South America call a buzzard.  The common buzzard of Great Britain resembles an eagle although the average wingspan is less than 4 feet.  Jon informs me there are a few Golden Eagles native to this area.  Sea Eagles were re-introduced on the Isle of Rhum and then to Mull a few years ago and have done well.  He says they are huge, sometimes described as "a flying barn door" and very exciting to see.  If you are able to walk this beautiful land of our ancestors it will be worth your time.  If you are far distant you can enjoy the scenes shared by a current resident by going to his blog.