The MacDonnells of Antrim were a sept of the Clan Donald of the royal Clann Somhairle, that the English crown had attempted to cultivate since the early 14th century in its efforts to influence the course of politics in Scotland. The MacDonnells established a growing presence in Ireland throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, and played a crucial role in the politics of 17th century Ireland. The MacDonnell's achieved much success in Ireland largely to cultural and familial connections to the Gaelic nobility of Ireland.
Today the surname is predominantly spelled McDonnell in Ireland and abroad, although many McConnells are also of the same family, as that is the Gaelic pronunciation of the Mac Domhnaill. Most of the leadership of the Clan wrote their name as a variant of McConnell up until the 17th century, including Sorley Boy MacDonnell himself.[3] Many of the present-day McDonnells have a common descent from Sorley Boy MacDonnell.
John Mor MacDonald married Margery Byset, daughter of the Mac Eoin Bissett, Lord of the Glens of Antrim. Although the MacDonnells would a century and a half later claim that her dowry included the lordship itself, this is false because the Mac Eoin Bissetts remained in possession of it into the early or mid 16th century.[4] However following the death in battle, in support of his friends and kinsmen the O'Neills against the O'Donnells, of the last known Mac Eoin Bissett in 1522,[5] the recently arrived MacDonnells appear to have started making their own gains in the region and eventually used the earlier marriage to claim they had rights to the Bissett lordship. The MacDonnells already possessed Dunnyvaig Castle on the Isle of Islay and lands in Kintyre, Scotland.
The MacDonnells of Antrim did not become a separate branch of Clan Donald until 1558, when they were part of Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, when Somhairle Buidhe MacDonnell obtained the lordship of the territory in Ireland from James MacDonald, 6th of Dunnyveg.[2]
The third Chief, Sir John Mor, with his heir John Cathanach and three grandsons, were apprehended through the treachery of the Macdonald of Ardnamurchan and were executed in Edinburgh for treason. One of his sons, Alexander, fled to Ireland. MacIain of Ardnamurchan, who had also betrayed Alexander MacDonald of Lochalsh, was himself killed in 1518 by those who he had betrayed.
16th century
On the death of James MacDonald, the sixth chief of the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg and Antrim, the Antrim Glens were seized by one of his younger brothers, Sorley Boy MacDonnell (Somhairle Buidh:Somhairle of the yellow hair). Somhairle is best known for establishing the MacDonnell clan in Antrim and resisting the campaign of Shane O'Neill and the English crown to expel the clan from Ireland.
In 1565 under Sorley Boy MacDonnell the Clan MacDonnell of Antrim and Dunnyveg fought the Battle of Glentasie against Shane O'Neill.
In April 1583 the MacDonnells, led by Sorley Boy MacDonnell, who had been fighting in the McQuillan-O'Cahan feud on the side of the McQuillan clan decided to backstab their allies. In the ensuing battle of Aura Edward McQuillan was killed bringing about the McQuillans rule over The Route as well as their seat of Dunluce Castle.
Alaster, the eldest son of Sorley Boy was killed in 1585, his head was placed on a spike at Baile-atha-cliath (Dublin).[6]
17th century
The arms of the MacDonnells of Antrim, as displayed at Dunluce Castle.
Randal MacDonnell was a personal friend and courtier of King Charles I. Upon the commencement of the Bishops' Wars between Charles I and the Scottish Covenanters, he offered to lead a sea-borne expedition against the Covenanter regime on behalf of King Charles. This request was granted, but in the end the plans were frustrated by the antipathy of Thomas Wentworth and the success of the Covenanters against the King.[7]
By 1645, however, the Scottish Covenanter regime had broken their truce with King Charles by intervening in the English Civil War on the side of the English Parliament. Randall MacDonnell once again requested to assist the King by orchestrating an expedition from Ireland. This had the joint aims both of weakening the Covenanter regime on behalf of the King, and of reclaiming lands from Clan Campbell. The Catholic MacDonnells were pitted against their Campbells foes, who were at the forefront of the puritanical Protestant Covenanter regime.[8] This time, the plans for an expedition came to fruition, with Alasdair MacColla (also known as Alexander MacDonnell) leading a force of men from Waterford to Scotland. Rallying his Clan Donald kinsmen, and joining with the Marquess of Montrose, despite being outnumbered they inflicted a series of crushing defeats on larger enemy forces.[9]
Perhaps their crowning achievement was when, in a daring winter campaign, the Clan Donald forces undertook a surprise march through the snow-covered mountains into the Campbell heartlands of Argyll, which were considered impregnable. They then scored an overwhelming victory against the Campbell force that was arrayed against them at the battle of Inverlochy, with the chief Archibald Campbell ignominiously fleeing for his life on a barge as the men of his clan were being slaughtered in battle. Alasdair MacColla then occupied Argyll, and the chief Randall MacDonnell arrived to join him, but the successes of the Scottish campaign were to be undone by the defeat of King Charles in England. Many MacDonnell troops fell back to Ireland, where they opposed the Cromwellian invasion.[10]
