The Scandinavian Influences among the Ui Neill & Scottish Clans

The Scandinavian Influences among the Ui Neill & Scottish Clans

Marriages among the Gael clans and Norse occured more than often especially in the Hebrides Isles. In the middle of the 9th century Muirgel, the daughter of Maelsechlainn I of the Ui Neill married the Norse Larnkne. Amhloabh, son of the king of Norway, married the daughter of Aed MacNeill. There are old stories of Irish Chieftains who were levying tribute on the Shetlands, the Orkneys and the Faroes. Sigtrygg's elder brother and predecessor as king of Dublin, Gluniarainn, his half brother and brother in law was Maelsechnaill mac Domnall.

In 1098 A.D. Norwegian King ,Magnus Barelegs . He had conquered the Hebrides and the Isle of Man. He married Muirchertach's daughter when he was killed in Ulster inthe year 1103 he sent her back to her father. He left a son King Harold Gille, who was born in Ireland or the Hebrides Isles.

Among the MacNeills of Scotland the Y-DNA shows that Haplogroups R1a, I1c and I1a is present among the clan.


Aud the Deep Minded (Aud Ketilsdatter ), wife of Olaf the White , in the Icelandic tales she was have said to have brought many Irish slaves from Dubh - linn " the Black Pool" , modern day Dublin. The Vikings were involved in the slave trade and usually prefered islands as their bases of operation.

Aud the Deep Minded her name in Old Norse Auðr djúpúðga Ketilsdóttir.
[*]The daughter of Ketil Flatnose.[*]The Mother of Thorstein the Red also known as Thorstein Olafsson .

Current Mt-DNA studies of Icelandic women show a high percentage of the women can trace back their ancestry to Scotland.

The history of the Vikings in Ireland and Scotland is by majority told by one side the side of the Irish writters. Most of the Vikings Norse or Danes were invited by the Irish kings of the Ui Neill to fight against their rivals. Marriage among the Norse and Danes among the Ui Neill was prevalent althought not accepted by many Irish historians .

There is clear evidence of marriages among the Ui Neill and the Vikings from lower class soldiers and among the Ui Neill Kings.

The Norse vikings were called Fingall .

The Danish vikings were called Dubhgall .

The Gallowglass mercenaries of Scotland
[*]The Gallowglass were a people of the hebrides Isles of a Norse and Gaelic ancestry they became the elite mercenary soldiers bound by clan ancestry. They were imployed by the Ui Neill and other Irish chiefs throught Ireland.

They were sometimes used as the Irish Chiefs equivalent of the pretorian guard role to a Roman Emperor.

They were organized into a "Corrughadh", of 100 men. The Captain of the " Corrughadh" was called a " Consapal ".

The Hebrides were called Innes Gall, " Islands of the foreigners".

The Gallowglass clans in Ireland
[*]The MacDonnell's
[*]The McDonald's the hereditary mercenaries of the O'Neill's of Ulster. They settled in Knocknacloy in Co. Tyrone. They are the descendants of King Somerled, Lord of Argyll.
[*]The MacSheehy's
[*]The MacDougall's (Mac dhughaill ), the decendants of Dougal , the son of King Somerled , Lord of Argyll. This clan settled in Co. Roscommon.
[*]The MacCabe's
[*]The MacRory's
[*]The McSweeney's
[*]The McLean's of Duart are the clan that settled in Ulster in the 14th century. The Macleans of Duart were brought over to Ireland to serve the O'Donnell's sept but later served the O'Neill's of Ulster. The MacLeans are of the Royal House of Loarn. Associates and allies of the McDonald's , Lords of the Isles.
[*]The McNeill's of Barra are the clan that settled in Ulster in the 14th century.
[*]The Campbell's
[*]The MacSweeney's of Fanad this famous Gallowglass family who settled in Co. Donegal would not give the necessities in the flight of the Earls that Hugh O'Neill and O'Donnell needed and attacked the crews who ventured out looking for wood and cold water.
[*]McEvie's this clan fought for the O'Neill's of Tyrone.
[*]The McCallion descendants of the Campbell's of Argyll-shire. They served the O'Donnell's in Co. Donegal in the 16th century.
[*]The MacCabe's brought to Ireland in the 14th century and served under the O'Rourke's and O'Reilly's Septs in the Kingdom of Breffny. They are a branch of the clan Macleod of Harris of the Hebrides.

King Somerled of the Isles

King Somerled of the Isles, is speculated to have been of the Haplogroup R1a and a descendant of the O'Neill's of Ulster. In the Scottish accounts Prince Aodh Anrothan, the son of Aodh Athlone O'Neill, relocated to Scotland from Ireland in the early eleventh century. Then married the heiress of Cowal and Knapdale, a princess from the Royal House of Argyll.

Somerled it is written to have been born around 1113 in Morven, Argyleshire.

The grandson of Sommerled, Donald is the progenitor of Clan Donald of Scotland.
King Somerled , of the Isles and Man d. 1064.

King Somerled's wife Ragnhildis, was the daughter of King Olave the Red, King of Man.