THE IRISH CHIEFS AND CLANS IN DALRIADA,[1] OR PART OF ANTRIM AND DERRY

From Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation by John O'Hart

« Modern Nobility in Down and Antrim | Book Contents | Modern Nobility in Dalriada »

THE chief clans in Dalriada were as follows:—The O'Cahans, and MacUidhilin or MacQuillan, who held the territory of the Routes, and had their chief seat at Dunluce. The MacDonnells of the Hebrides invaded, A.D. 1211, the territories of Antrim and Derry, where they afterwards made settlements. In the reign of Elizabeth, Somhairle Buidhe MacDonnell or "Sorley Boy," as he was called by English writers,—a chief from the Hebrides, descended from the ancient Irish of the race of Clan Colla, came with his forces and took possession of the Glynns. After many long and fierce battles with the MacQuillans, the MacDonnells made themselves masters of the country, and dispossessed the MacQuillans. Dubourdieu, in his Survey of Antrim, says:—"A lineal descendant of the chief MacQuillan lives on the road between Belfast and Carrickfergus, near the Silver Stream, and probably enjoys more happiness as a respectable farmer, than his ancestor did as a prince in those turbulent times." The MacDonnells were created earls of Antrim. The O'Haras, a branch of the great family of O'Hara in the county Sligo, also settled in Antrim; and several families of the O'Neills. The other clans in this territory were the O'Siadhails or Shiels; the O'Quinns, O'Furries, MacAllisters, MacGees or Magees, etc.

« Modern Nobility in Down and Antrim | Book Contents | Modern Nobility in Dalriada »

NOTES

[1] Dalriada: This ancient territory comprised the remaining portion of the county Antrim, not mentioned under Ulidia in the last chapter, together with a small part of the present county Derry: as Dunboe, now the parish of Dunboe, in the barony of Coleraine, county Derry, was (according to the Four Masters) in ancient Dalriada. As elsewhere mentioned, this territory was named after Cairbre Riada, son of Conaire (or Conary) the Second, Monarch of Ireland, in the second century. Dalriada is connected with some of the earliest events in Irish history. In this district, according to our old Annalists, the battle of Murbolg was fought between the Nemedians and Fomorians, two of the earliest colonies who came to Ireland; and here Sobairce, Monarch of Ireland, of the race of Ir, long before the Christian era, erected a fortress in which he resided; which, after him, was called Dunsobairce or the Fortress of Sobairce, now "Dunseverick," which is situated on a bold rock projecting into the sea near the Giants' Causeway. And it is mentioned by the Four Masters that at this fortress of Dunseverick Roitheachtach, No. 47, page 353, was killed by lightning. In after times, the chief O'Cathain had his castle at Dunseverick, the ruins of which still remain. Dalriada was divided into two large districts: 1st, "The Glynns" (so called from its consisting of several large glens), which extended from Olderfleet or Larne to the vicinity of Ballycastle, along the sea-shore; and contained the barony of Glenarm and part of Carey; 2nd. "The Routes," called Reuta or Ruta, which comprehended the baronies of Dunluce and Kilconway.—CONNELLAN.

FEATURED eBOOKS

Truelove's Journal: A Bookshop Novella

From a sad, comfortless childhood Giles Truelove developed into a reclusive and uncommunicative man whose sole passion was books. For so long they were the only meaning to his existence. But when fate eventually intervened to have the outside world intrude upon his life, he began to discover emotions that he never knew he had.

A story for the genuine booklover, penned by an Irish bookseller under the pseudonym of Ralph St. John Featherstonehaugh.

FREE download 23rd - 27th May

Annals of the Famine in Ireland

Annals of the Famine in Ireland

Annals of the Famine in Ireland, by Asenath Nicholson, still has the power to shock and sadden even though the events described are ever-receding further into the past. When you read, for example, of the poor widowed mother who was caught trying to salvage a few potatoes from her landlord's field, and what the magistrate discovered in the pot in her cabin, you cannot help but be appalled and distressed.

The ebook is available for download in .mobi (Kindle), .epub (iBooks, etc.) and .pdf formats. For further information on the book and author see details ».

Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger

Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger

This book, the prequel to Annals of the Famine in Ireland cannot be recommended highly enough to those interested in Irish social history. The author, Mrs Asenath Nicholson, travelled from her native America to assess the condition of the poor in Ireland during the mid 1840s. Refusing the luxury of hotels and first class travel, she stayed at a variety of lodging-houses, and even in the crude cabins of the very poorest. Not to be missed!

The ebook is available for download in .mobi (Kindle), .epub (iBooks, etc.) and .pdf formats. For further information on the book and author see details ».

The Scotch-Irish in America

The Scotch-Irish in America

Henry Ford Jones' book, first published in 1915 by Princeton University, is a classic in its field. It covers the history of the Scotch-Irish from the first settlement in Ulster to the American Revolutionary period and the foundation of the country.

The ebook is available for download in .mobi (Kindle), .epub (iBooks, etc.) and .pdf formats. For further information on the book and author see details ».

MAILING LIST

letterJoin our mailing list to receive updates on new content on Library, our latest ebooks, and more.

You won't be inundated with emails! — we'll just keep you posted periodically — about once a monthish — on what's happening with the library.