North of Ireland Family History Society

[ Home ] [ NI Roots ] [ Articles from Earlier Editions ]

A Talk given by Charles Kelly, Associate Member from Scotland, 

at the Annual General Meeting of the North of Ireland Family History Society, 

on Saturday, 20 May 2000. 

Dalriada

 The earliest recorded migrations were those of the Dal Riata who lived in the glens of north County Antrim. This Irish tribe was part of the Erainn a group of related Celtic tribes another member of which was the Dal Fiatach of north Down. The Erainn had been coming under pressure from the Cenel nEogain, a branch of the Ui Neill who migrated north into Ulidia, i.e. Ulster from the midlands of Ireland around the second half of the 5th century.

The Dal Riata are better known by the name of Scots which was derived from the Latin Scotti meaning sea-pirates. Roman historians referred to the Scots making forays into Argyllshire (Eregyll – the land of the Gael!) from as early as the 3rd century, however the main movement came two centuries later.

 By the year 500 a Scots Chieftain, Fergus Mor and his two brothers, Lorn and Angus had established a significant presence in Argyllshire. Fergus in Kintyre, Lorn around Oban and Angus in Isla and Jura. By the 7th century there were three main branches of the Dalriada in Scotland – the Cenel nGabrain who occupied Kintyre, Gigha and Jura; the Cenel Lorn who occupied the district of Lorn around present day Oban as well as  Ardnamurchan and the islands of Colonsay, Coll and Tiree and lastly the Cenel nOengussa, who occupied  the island of Islay.

The King of the Cenel nGabrain came to be recognised as the overlord of Dalriada with the rock fortress of Dunadd in Argyll becoming his principal stronghold. The different branches of the Dalriada inevitably engaged in conflict this could have led to their disappearance had it not been for the influence of the Christian church in particular St Columba, who established his monastery on the Island of Iona in 563 AD.

Columba consecrated Aedan mac Gabrain on the island of Iona in the year 574 AD. He also accompanied Aedan to the convention of Druim Cett in northern Ireland where the future of Aedan’s Irish territories was discussed with the King of the O’Neill. This close co-operation between church and state secured Aedan’s dynasty and probably led to the ultimate supremacy of the Scots in Scotland.

  THE PICTS

The boundary between the Scots and the Picts was the mountain range known as Druim Alba. During the 6th century there was repeated conflict between the Scots of Argyllshire and the Picts who formed the original population of northern Scotland. The Picts a somewhat mysterious people spoke a Celtic language, they were the descendants of the Caledonian tribes whom the Romans had encountered. Although they left no written records the Picts magnificent standing stones bear testimony to their presence.

Place names also testify to the former Pictish presence with those town and villages prefixed “PIT” e.g. Pitlochry, Pitenweem and Pitmedden signifying a Pictish origin by contrast those prefixed “BAL” e.g. Ballantrae, Balvenie and Balnagowan signify places of Scots settlement. Interestingly where a PIT is in close proximity to a BAL then invariably the Pictish settlement occupies the high ground and predates the Scots settlement which is to be found situated in the valley below.

The links between Dalriada in Argyllshire and Dalriada in Antrim gradually became severed particularly after the battle of Mag Roth (Moira) in County Down in 637AD. The influence of the Cenel nGabrain gradually waned and they were replaced as lords of Dalriada by the Cenel Loairn in 678AD. The Cenel Loairn’s period of ascendancy did not last long, as well as enduring attack from their kindred the Cenel nGabrain they were to be defeated by Angus King of the Picts in 736AD when Dunadd was captured. In 768 AD the defeat was avenged when the Scots defeated the Picts in the province of Fortriu, this was the beginning of the end for the Pictish Kingdom.

In the year 843AD Kenneth mac Alpin united the Scots and the Pictish crowns to form the Kingdom of Alba the precursor of modern Scotland. As well as giving Scotland its name the Scots of Antrim also gave Scotland the Gaelic language this was spoken throughout the Kingdom with the exception of the Lothians where through the Anglian influence the English tongue predominated. This situation lasted until Lallans Scots became the language of the Royal court and Gaelic began its slow retreat into the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Galloway

While it is normally believed that the Gaelic language was restricted to the north and west of Scotland what is not generally known is that the language was also native to south west Scotland particularly to Galloway.

Records from the time of the Roman occupation inform us that the earliest recorded language of southern Scotland was akin to Welsh. The epic poem the Goddodin was written in this early British language, it tells of a battle between the Northumbrians and the Britons of Strathclyde. By the late 6th century the Celtic Christian Kingdom of Rheged became established in western Galloway. The capital of this Kingdom being Dunragit, which lies just to the east of Stranraer.

The presence of the Gaelic language together with archaeological evidence indicates the colonisation of Galloway by Irish migrants, the Gall Ghaidhill (foreign gael) after whom Galloway is named. The Irish influx is believed to have occurred during the 7th and 8th centuries.

Across the head of the Mull of Galloway there are two earthen ridges known as the Double Dykes. It was believed for a long time that these structures were associated with a possible British line of defence against incoming Scots from Ulster, this theory is however disputed by modern historians.

Gaelic place names abound in Galloway, examples include Ballantrae (the town on the beach); Cairn Ryan (the Kings Hill) and Drummore (the Big Ridge). There is evidence of Gaelic speaking people even as far north as Kyle in Ayrshire with Troon from An t-Sron (the nose).

The prevalence of Gaelic surnames in Galloway also attest to its having been a Gaelic speaking area, examples including MacCulloch, MacDowell, McKibben, McMaster and McKee (names which are also common in County Down).

It is believed that Gaelic was still widely spoken in Galloway until the mid 16th century. By 1560 Lallans Scots was commonplace throughout south west Scotland, as the language of both the Kirk and the courts. Ecclesiastical and legal pressure led to Scots gradually replacing Gaelic as the everyday speech of the common folk. 

There is evidence however that a number of 17th century Scots settlers took the Gaelic language with them to Ulster. In his book “Presbyterians and the Irish Language”, Roger Blaney quotes evidence supplied by various historians and states that many of the lowland Scots settlers in Ulster were probably bi-lingual in both Scots and Gaelic.

The Reverend James Stothers in his unpublished work, “The Use of the Irish Language by Irish Presbyterians” comments that a significant number of the Presbyterians who settled in Ulster, spoke Gaelic. These Presbyterian immigrants to Ulster would have continued to use their Gaelic language at least for the first generation and possibly longer.

There was a policy of recruitment and encouragement by the Synod of Ulster of Irish speaking Presbyterian ministers of both native Irish and Scots origin, e.g. Jeremiah O’Quinn and James Wallace. Stothers comments that with the presence of such Ministers and a large number of Gaelic speaking Scots settlers present, the conversion of many Irish Catholics to Presbyterianism is easier to understand.

There would not have been the same cultural disparity felt between the native Irish and the Scots settlers as there would have been between the native Irish and the English settlers.

The Hebridies & Ulster

So far I have mentioned the movement of Irish people to Scotland, there has also been considerable movement in the opposite direction. From the 13th to the 16th centuries there was a migration of Scots from Argyll and the Isles to Ulster. These Scots came principally as mercenary soldiers in the earlier centuries they were termed Gallowglass.

The native Irish Lords e.g. the O’Neills and the O’Donnells hired large numbers of these fighting men to assist them in their various campaigns.  Initially based in Ulster the Gallowglass were to eventually settle throughout the four provinces.

The Gallowglass were the descendants of mixed Gaelic and Scandinavian forbears that is the Vikings who settled in the Hebrides from the 9^th century onwards. The Norse settlers were the progenitors of the Lordship of the Isles. In 989 AD one of the Norse rulers was described in a Gaelic source as Ri Innse Gall, that is the King of the Hebrides, Innse Gall meaning the Isles of the Foreigners. This Gaelic/Norse Sea Kingdom was to stretch from the Isle of Lewis to the Isle of Man.

Contemporary English writers described the Gallowglass as:

“Valiant and hardy, great endurers of cold, labour, and all hardness, very active and strong of hand, very swift of foot, picked and selected men of great and mighty bodies, men of great stature, of more than ordinary strength of limb, grim of countenance, tall of stature, burly of body, well and strong timbered”. 

Being well paid they apparently fed chiefly on beef, pork and butter.

A company or battle of Gallowglass consisted of from 80 to 100 men armed with spears, bows, axe and sword. By the end of the Tudor period the Gallowglass had become obsolete their medieval equipment and style of combat being totally unsuited to the needs and demands of late 16th century warfare.

By the mid-16th century a dispute over the leadership of the O’Neills led to the recruitment of large numbers of New Scots mercenaries from the Western Isles. These New Scots and the Antrim McDonalds were called Redshanks as they fought barelegged.

Turlough Luineach O’Neill was supported by 8,000 Scots sent by the Campbells whilst his adversaries the sons of the former chief Shane O’Neill had the help of 5,000 men sent by the MacLeans.  It has been estimated that the numbers of Scots employed in Ulster between the late 1550’s and the early 1590’s was in the region of 25,000 . 

Several Ulster clans are descended from these Hebridean Scots including the MacSorleys, the MacSweenys, the MacVeighs, the MacNeils, the MacRorys, the MacCabes, the MacDowells, the  MacAllisters the MacQuillans and of course the MacDonnells.

As well as their role as mercenary soldiers the MacDonnells came to be land-owners in north County Antrim through the marriage in 1399 of John MacDonnell (John Mor) of Isla to Margery Byset, heiress of the Glens of Antrim.

Being Gaelic speakers and mainly Roman Catholic, these Scots gradually integrated into the host Irish community. Links between these Ulster Scots and their Scottish kin remained strong with the sea as a major means of transport and communication. A number of historians believe that but for the Union of Crowns in 1606 the Gaeltacht of Ulster and Argyllshire may well have formed a strong political and economic unit.

Having a common enemy in the English, alliances were often made between the Scots of Antrim and the native Irish. In 1584 an English commentator noted that Sorley Boy McDonnell had been joined by a formidable array of friends including, Con McNeal Oge’s son, the Scots of the Dufferin, the O’Kellies, the woodmen of Kilwarlin and McCartan’s country and Hugh McPhelim’s sons.

Although I have described the Gallowglass and Redshanks as Scots migrants into Ulster it should not be forgotten that they were the descendants of the Antrim Scots who established Dalriada in Argyllshire in the 6th century. It might be fair to say that they were returning home.

The Plantation of Down

I will conclude this discussion on the movement of peoples between Scotland and Ireland by describing the movement of Scots to County Down during the early 17th century. I thought it might be interesting if one of those actually involved in the Montgomery Plantation told his story.

What follows is a fictionalised account by Lambert Kelly of Kirkinner in Wigtownshire as told to the local Dominie, i.e. Parish Schoolmaster.

It is the year Sixteen Hundret and Eighty four and my name is Lambert Kelly. I am in my 79th year and live in Garcherie in the Parish o’  Kirkinner, which lies just south of the town of Wigton. The local dominie has asked me to relate the events o’ my life whilst I still may.

I was born in the Parish of Stoneykirk in the year of our lord sixteen hundred and five. My faither was yin Alexander Kelly a tinant fermar in Balgreggan fermtoun, my mither was Isabella McCubbin frae the parish o’ Inch near Stranraer.

Balgreggan where I spent my youth was much like any other fermtoun in Wigtownshire, there were but 20 households in our fermtoun, in these dwelt 6 tenant farmers including my father and 12 poor cottar families. McCulloch the smith and Gibson the cobbler also lived in Balgreggan, their skills being much in demand throughout the parish.

My father had a one year tack (a lease) on his holding which the laird renewed every Whitsunday without increasing the rent. My father pledged himself to pay the grassum, i.e. downpayment and the rent at the terms of Whitsunday and Martinmas. 

The land in the fermtoun was divided into Infield and Outfield holdings, the Infield being nearest to the houses was the better quality land being well manured and tended to. The Outfield portions were of a poorer quality but still provided us with much of necessity.

Infield my father had 10 acres to plough, having but two oxen he would combine with his neighbours, together their twelve oxen would allow each of the tenant farmers to prepare his land for sowing.

My fathers rigs provided us (in good years) with sufficient oats to sustain us throughout the winter. Outfield he had another 6 acres, on these he grazed some Ewes and a few goats, these provided us with milk and cheese. We often had Herring, which my father got from the fisher folk of Drummore for a trade of butter or cheese.

As part of his tack my father had to perform Bonnage for the laird. My father was often angered at this as the laird would call upon him during harvest time when my father wanted to tend his own crop, but as my father often said, “ye dinee argu wi the laird”.

We never had much when I was growing up but we never wanted either. Myself and my 6 brothers and sisters were fortunate compared to the bairns of the cottars in Balgreggan. My own father sublet an acre of his infield and two of his outfield to Ninian McCulloch.

McCulloch had twelve bairns, unlike us they were ragged and barefoot and often went hungry, unbeknown to my father my mother would often slip Mrs McCulloch some cheese and a bowl of oats, “just tae keep the bairns frae starvin” she would tell us, but dinae tell yer faither.

Life was hard but bearable in Stoneykirk, we had our troubles but we had our pleasures. Many a good night was had with our neighbours before the ingle with the Uisge Beatha lubricating the strings of our fiddles. Care had to be taken if the Minister or members of the Kirk Session were about, they frowned upon too much enjoyment.

We still celebrated the old festivals in Stoneykirk chief amongst them being Beltan when we drove our oxen through the flames to purify them. All Hallows was a time to take care, spirits were said to stock the land looking for idle fellows to corrupt. Twice a year we would travel to Wigtown to the horsefair and once a year to the cattle fair. At these fairs bargains would be struck and there would be opportunities for young fellows to make the acquaintance of lassies. 

The worst crime bar Murder to our Minister was Hougmagandie, should a lass fall the worse for being with some young lad then they would both be dragged before the Kirk Session to explain themselves. They would be required to be married and found guilty of pre-nuptial fornication, for their crime they would be fined and have to repent in front of the whole congregation on three consecutive Sabbath days.

Anyway the seasons came and went till the fateful year of sixteen hundred and twenty three when I was in my eighteenth summer. The harvest had been poor for the last couple of years but in 1623 it failed completely. Things quickly went from bad to worse, not only did we lack sustenance for the coming winter but the laird informed us that he was increasing the rent. My father had heard that the laird was raising the rent to force the cottars and some of the tenant farmers off the land so he could increase the size of the holdings.

My father said we had no option but to leave Balgreggan but where could we go? One of the cottars, McClellan told my father that the tinkers often spoke of land and money to be had ower the sheugh in Ulster for anyone with a good back and willing hands. The decision was made, we would sell our Oxen, Ewes and Goats and take the boat fae Portpatrick tae Donaghadee.    

My father’s cousin John Kelly of Wigtown had made the same trip many years before us. My father told us that his cousin had gone across with Montgomery of Braidstane in Ayrshire around the year sixteen hundred and six. John Kelly had been given life rent of 20 acres of good land in the Parish of New Town Ards. The Lady Montgomery had seen to it that my fathers cousin also had grazing rights for his stock, fodder for the winter a house and a garden plot.

With a favourable wind and following a short but rough passage of some three hours we landed in the port of Donaghadee on the shores of County Down. This was no strange land as the tinkers had rightly told us, the Scots tongue was as broad there as in Wigtownshire. The names of the town folk were also well kent tae us, Campbell, Gibson, Dixon, McKee, Kennedy, Johnston, McCubbin, McCulloch and of course Kelly were all present. I began to wonder if our ship had not been blown back onto the shores of Galloway!

Travelling by foot to John Kelly’s house we were received most generously and given shelter. My father was granted an interview with the factor of the Lairds estate and with his cousin standing security he was placed on a holding of his own in the townland of Ballmagreehan adjacent to the Parish of Comber.

For the next ten years or so our situation could not have been better, my father prospered in the security of his holding and indeed I myself had taken a wife, Grace Kennedy of Ballyalton and now had my own holding in Drumro in the Barony of Lower Iveagh.

When we first arrived in Ulster we were surprised to find that many of the Irish remained in the country. Relations between Scot and Irish were friendly enough with trade and bargaining an everyday business. There were indeed a number of the Irish in our Kirk having been converted by oor Ministers. Many of our older folk have the Gaelic tongue and find conversing with the Irish an easy task.

Although relations were good between Irish and Scot, the Lord Montgomery conducted a Muster of all able bodied men of fighting age in sixteen hundred and thirty. We all had to assemble with pike, sword or musket and had our names taken by the Lords man. It made for a good show but I could see no point in it.

It was a year or two following the Muster that a strange occurrence happened to me, I was working at the plough when a loud yelling set me running towards the burn nearby. My eldest bairn, Alexander had fallen in and as the burn was in spate he was being carried swiftly downstream. I feared for his life when of a sudden a stranger appeared from the woodland and jumped in to the torrent and pulled Alexander safely to the bank.

I ran to the man to thank him and upon nearing him I realised he was of the Irish . I had not his tongue but he spoke to me in Scots, he told me his name was Richard O’Kelly and he was a yeoman from Ballyvicknacally in the Parish of Dromore. I expressed my gratitude and upon telling him my name he said the following, “ you must be kin of one of those who left this country in the dark times”. This puzzled me at first but I later remembered that in my youth the old folk used to speak of how the Kreenie had come to the Rhins frae ower the sheugh before the time of Ninian.

I still think of my meeting with the Irishman, although a stranger to me I felt a bond between us older than the race or faith which separated us.

Our peace and harmony was not to last for in the year of sixteen hundred and thirty three, King Charles sent his man Thomas Wentworth too harass our Kirk. Our Ministers were put from their charges and the common folk were forced to take the Black Oath swearing allegiance to the English Episcopal Church, many refused and left for Scotland.

The authorities made sure of the obedience of those of us who remained, by quartering their troops among us and seizing our pikes and muskets. It was provident to keep your head down and pay lip service to the English Kirk, we had our ain Ministers and Bible and had nae need for theirs.

Worse still was to come for in the year of sixteen hundred and forty one a great rebellion broke out amongst the Irish. At first it did not trouble us Scots, indeed we heard tell that the leaders of the Irish had told their men that no Scot should be harmed. This situation was not to last however, as is always the case in such bloodletting things swiftly got out of control. Neighbour turned on neighbour and many an evil deed was done on both sides.

I feared for my wife and children and upon hearing of the advance of the Irish force I fled with them to the safety of New Town Ards. Here we remained till Monro’s Army relieved us early in sixteen hundred and forty two. Whilst we were grateful to our Scottish brethren for saving our lives and property we were not expecting them to remain for as long as they did. Like all such armies there were a number of nare do wells and rougues who abused our hospitality. We became so aggrieved by their presence that we finally petitioned Edinburgh that they remove our protectors.

Although the soldiers had started to trouble the guid folk o the town with their sinful ways they did bring with them several men of the Kirk to Minister to their spiritual needs.

We never returned to Drumro but took lease of a few acres of land in Drumhirk just outside Newtownards, here we continued to raise our bairns and manage our crops.

A great sadness spread amongst us when in November of sixteen hundred and forty two the Viscount Montgomery died, he was but forty and five years of age and had been a decent Laird to us.

In February sixteen hundred and forty nine an even greater calamity befell us when we heard news that the King had been most brutally murdered in London. Now Charles Stewart had not been loved by our people particularly as he had tried to force his Bishops on us and our kin in Scotland but he was our rightful King and ordained by God as such.

The new Viscount Montgomery appealed for all loyal subjects to sign a covenant rejecting Cromwell’s rule and demanding that the young King be placed on the throne. He held a great party in the town at which plenty of ale was drunk much to the anger of our Minister. Charles Stewart was proclaimed King at the Market Cross and a great bonfire was lit that night. Although I joined heartily in the celebrations, I feared for our future.

Military activity quickly replaced the husbanding of stock and the tilling of soil all loyal subjects of the King were required to Muster with Pike or sword and to prepare to defend our liberty.

I was fortunate in being part of the garrison of Newtown where I could keep close watch on my wife and bairns. Other’s were not so fortunate being sent to Belfast and Carrickfergus.

Three months after our muster we were told by our Minister that the Lord Montgomery was using us for his own ends, this angered us and we returned to our homes to await developments.

Montgomery continued his foolishness and in the December of the year we heard that he had been defeated an English force at Dundalk. There were few tears shed by the guid folk of our town at the news.

Although we had separated ourselves from Montgomery and his treachery the English force garrisoned our town and often sent spies into our Meeting House. These were for the most part ill times for our people.

With the English soldiers unwelcome presence and following several poor harvests many decided to leave for Scotland. I struggled on for several years until sixteen hundred and fifty six when at last with my family I took the boat to Portpatrick.

Although times were hard upon our return, at least we could sleep safely in our beds at night or so we thought. For in but a few years we found ourselves facing more soldiers, this time oor ain Scots sent by the new King to oppress our Kirk and Covenant. The Killing times would soon be upon us but that is another story.      

 Back To Articles from Earlier Editions