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3 Celts & Company • "MACNEIL"

Niall, Nigel, or Neil the clan's founder in Bruce's reign had lands in Knapdale and Kintyre, and was probalbly of Clan Donald stock. MacNeills in Galloway at least as early as Bruce may be of the ancient Irish O Neills. The MacNeil clan at first followed the Lords of the Isles, then after 1493 the two separated branches of Barra and Gigha took opposite sides with the MacLeans and Islay MacDonalds respectively. Neil's great-grandson was in 1427 granted Barra, the Hebridean isle with its forbidding islet-castle Kisimul, and South Uist. Torquil MacNeill about the same time founded the branch-clan of Gigha, also of Taynish and Colonsay.
The clan's maritime tradition appears in 'The Highland Fair,' Mitchell's ballad-opera of 1731, when the Bardess omits Noah from one long genealogy: "The MacNeil had a boat of his own!" And one of the clan was chief designer of the Cunarders 'Queen Mary' and 'Queen Elizabeth'.

Septs: MACGOUGAN, MACGRAIL, MACGUGAN, MACGUIGAN, MACNEAL, MACNEALE, MACNEILAGE, MACNEILL, MACNEILLY, MACNIEL, NEAL, NEALE, NEIL, NEILL, NEILSON, NELSON, NIEL, NIELSON

"MACNEIL." Scots Kith and Kin and Illustrated Map Revised Second Edition. Edinburgh, SCOT: Clan House, c.1970. p.75. Print.

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