MacDonald Clan

Your Clan Heritage-Clan MacDonald-Compiled by Alan McNie

Your Clan Heritage-Clan MacDonald-Compiled by Alan McNie

Your Clan Heritage-Clan MacDonald-Compiled by Alan McNie

 

Milton was the sixth child of Joseph and Annie MacDonald of Scituate, Rhode Island. The name Mac means “son of”.  Therefore, Milton was a descendent of the Donald Clan in Scotland.

The Donald clan is the strongest and largest of all the Scots clans. Their ancestral home is on the Isle of Skye (off the Scotland mainland) and this land will remain in perpetuity as the ancestral land of Clan Donald.   Milton’s nephew visited the Isle of Skye.  “The Isle of Skye is located on the West Coast of Scotland in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.  Skye is one of the most visited parts of the UK. The island is 50 mile long and 25 miles wide.  The capital is Portree, other villages include Dunvegan, Staffin, Carbost, Broadford, Elgol, Kyleakin and Armadale.” (isleofskye.com)

 

 

 

“The illustrated tartan–booklet cover to the left– is the Macdonald of Clan Donald tartan.  The motto on the crest badge means ‘By sea and by land’.  In the artist’s montage the Clan Donald Centre is depicted along with heather in the foreground the clan plant badge.” (MacDonald [Clan Donald], compiled by Alan McNie, 1983, extensively revised, 1989, Cascade Publishing Company, Rowandene, Belses, Jedburgh, Scotland)

 

 

 

The website on clandonald.com gives us the following information: “The Clan Donald has exercised a powerful influence on Highland history.  Translated literally as ‘children of Donald’ it was named after Donald, grandson of the medieval Gaelic hero Somerled. Donald gave his descendants and followers the name of MacDonald or the son of Donald.  The Clan’s leaders were Lords of the Isles until the forfeiture of the Lordship in 1493, when the Scottish King took the title away.  However, the influence of Clan Donald survived.

The seven main branches of the Clan (Antrim, Ardnamurchan, Clanranald, Glencoe, Glengarry, Keppoch and Sleat) held extensive estates from Ulster to Skye.  Gradually, these lands were sold or confiscated.  In 1971, the last remaining lands to be held by one of the Clan chiefs came up for sale.  These were the lands in Skye of which Armadale is the heart.  They were purchased by a charitable trust, the Clan Donald Lands Trust, founded by (and now supported by) Clan Donald members worldwide.  Clan Donald is still the largest clan in Scotland and the descendants of thousands of MacDonalds who emigrated also make it the largest in the world.”

 

“Na sloigh as feart san gcruinne A muirn a mire a bhfighnamh; Ni comhnairt bheith ‘ na bhfeagmhais: Ni h-eibhneas gan Chlainn Domhnall” translated: “The best people in the round world, their joyousness, their keenness, their effectiveness; without them is no strength; it is no joy without Clan Donald.”