Genelach Dáil Cuinn Project™ Forum

Would the Campells of the O'Dohertys, be the MacAilin, who are called Campbell due the similarity with MacColin? i.e., Families of Co. Donegal says: "one noted family of the name (MacAilin) , arrived from Scotland and settled in Donegal under the O'Donnells . These MacAilins were of Galloway , of the Campbell clan in Scotland ."

It is also reported that in the 1659 "Census" that Donell McAllin was tituladoe in the barony of Enishowen, with 22 principle men of the surname in Co. Donegal. These where centered on Raphoe, Enishowen. Plus mention that they appear in the Hearth Money Rollsfor Clonmany, Culdaff, Fahan and Conwal.

Of course the give away with when the books says: " Irish origins for the McAllen family are also claimed, with descent from the O'Doherty family."

Donegal History and Society says: "The strong evidence that exists for the Scottish origins of the family does not stop Lughaidh O Cleirigh, however, from stating that the Clann Ailin were a branch of the O Dochairtaigh family and that the eponymous ancestor was, Ailin, was brother of Daibhid, ancestor of Clann Duibhid of Innishowen.33"

33. Anal Hib, 18, par. 300; see section under Mac Diabhid

O'Clery:
300. (Page 33, col a). Daueid (o tat clann Daueid), Ailin (o ttat clann Ailin), Feabhal (o ttatt clann Feabhail), Gilla brighde (o tat clann meic Giolla brighde), Domhnall og (o ttatt clann m Domnaill
oig): ar sliocht Eacmarcaigh oig meic Eacmharcaigh sronmhaoil atad.

David, from whom are the Clann Davids. Ailin, from whom are descended the Clann Ailin. Feabhal, from whom are descended the Clann Feabhal. Giolla Brighde, from whom are descended the Clann Mac Giolla bride. Donal oge, from whom are descended the Clann or sept of Donal oge. All these are the progeny of Eachmarcagh oge, son of Eachmarcagh sronmhaoil
(noseless).

DF97 > FGC8840 > FT28864 > FT69780 Campbells
DF97 > FGC8840 > FGC49693 > FGC49692 > A11106 MacDevitts
DF97 > FGC8840 > A1332 > Y109167 single MacDevitt

LC1208.5: mention of David O Doherty
A great predatory hosting by Aedh O'Neill into Inis-Eoghain, and O'Domhnaill, i.e. Domhnall Mór, overtook them, when a battle was fought between them, in which a countless multitude of people were slain on either side; in which fell Domhnall, son of Murchadh, with an enormous slaughter of the Cenel-Eoghain along with him, and Ferghal O'Baighill, and Cormac O'Domhnaill, and David O'Dochartaigh, and a number of the chieftains of Cenel-Conaill along with them.

U1197.4 mention of his father
Flaithbertach Ua Maeldoraidh, that is, king of [Cenell-Conall and [Cenell-Eogan and Airgialla, defender of Temhair and royal heir of all Ireland: namely, Conall for championship, Cu-Culainn for prowess, Guaire for generosity, Mac Lughach for athletics, died after choice tribulation in Inis-Saimer, on the 4th of the Nones [2nd] of February, in the thirtieth year of his lordship and in the ninth and fiftieth year of his age. And he was buried honourably in Druim-tuamha. And Echmarcach Ua Dochartaich takes the kingship of Cenel-Conaill immediately. And he was but a fortnight in the kingship, when John De-Courcy came with a large force under him past Tuaim into Tir-Eogain. From here to Ard-sratha; after that, around to Daire of Colum-cille, so that they were five nights therein. They go then to Cnoc-Nascain, to be carried across it [Lough Swilly]. But the Cenel-Conaill, under Echmarcach Ua Dochartaigh, come to attack them and gave them battle, where two hundred of them [the Irish] were killed, around their king, that is, Echmarcach and around Donnchadh Ua Taircert, namely, royal chief of Clann-Sneidhghile, to wit, the link of generosity and valour and counsel of all Cenel-Conaill and around Gilla-Brighti Ua Dochartaigh and around Mac Dubhan and Mac Ferghail and the sons of Ua Baighill and other nobles. And they [the English] harried Inis-Eogain and carried great cattle-spoil therefrom.

I guess we will see in time how the pedigrees stack up with haplogroups, however, this would suggest those that are:
FT28864+ are from Ailin O Dochairtaigh
FGC49693+ are from Dabhid O Dochartaigh (and possibly A1332+)

[I see also
DF97 > FGC8840 > FGC49693 > BY18261 Mac Maonghaile Ó Dochartaigh line, however I cannot their eponymous ancestor's pedigree.]

This is a great analysis, I can't wait to see how it develops especially because just like gallowglass kindreds, the redshanks (who the Campbell MacAilins were noted to be, under the Ui Domhnaill) did migrate somewhat between fighting seasons, serve different gaelic and hiberno-norman lordships, and also absorbed/recruited native Irish to fill their ranks, possibly men who were already "ceithernach"(kerns) which were also a societal class of free farmers and sons of nobility. So one would expect that a good number of Campbells/MacAilins who were in Inishowen a great deal of time, probably have Irish paternal YDNA, which you have shown with a Campbell branch. As you state there are Campbell & MacAilin branches in FT28864, these MacAilins may be of the Campbell variety and not descended of Ailin O'Dochartaigh. Typically, a mercenary (whether a galloglass or kern), was assigned a "knave", i.e. Irish farmboy or soldier, by the lord employing them, to carry their armor and weapons (each galloglass would have a knave, and two kerns/redshanks would have a knave). This Irishman would essentially be trained in the mercenary's style of fighting and essentially become a galloglass or kern himself and absorbed into this mercenary kindred. I believe this was the prime reason for so much Irish YDNA SCEs (surname change events) among these kindreds. Your FT28864 could have one or more O'Dochartaigh individuals where these SCEs occurred.

I started the Gallowglass Project on FTDNA in October of 2019, in an attempt to get a real answer on the YDNA of the mercenary kindreds, specifically in Ulster. It turns out that 80+ percent of men with surnames associated with the mercenary families possessing Irish papertrails have native Irish YDNA. It would seem that by the end of gaelic Ireland, many mercenary families were almost wholly Irish and only the constable, who commanded the battalion and was the middleman between the lord and the kindred, actually had direct lineage to any said clan.

The MacAilin/MacCallion/MacAllen origin is also interesting to me because of the way it anglicized elsewhere (M'Elane, M'ilean,M'Clean, M'Kellen, M'Kelane) and it really could be indistinguishable from MacLean (M'Clean, M'Lean, M'Lane; Mac Gilla Eain, a gallowglass family from Mull) which has caused me great confusion for years trying to find the origin of my McLains, and the actual patronym of "MacAilin" has some tenuous origins according to the wise old surname folks like Woulfe and MacLysaght, until you read up on some Campbell history which seems to clear it up.

Around the parish my McLains were in Westmeath was the name McCalan, McLeon, Kellean, Calyan, McClane, Kelleon, so it's completely feasible my ancestors were part of this kindred as well, although they're native to Fore barony, Westmeath and regionally there were several names that could have anglicized to McLain, so it's one of my theories that this name could be MacCailean, an alias of MacAilean/MacAilin, athough the Irish scholars cannot tell what the original patronymic was and just when they came into Ireland.

Some of the different explanations of this name are as follows:

Mac AILEÁIN—IV—M'Elean, M'Elane, M'Ilean, M'Ellen, M'Kilan, MacAlean, MacClean, MacLean, MacKellan, MacKellen, MacKillen, etc.; 'son of Aileán'; a variant of Mac Ailín, which see; a scattered surname in Ulster and Connacht. The following entry in the Fiants of Elizabeth throws some light on its origin: A.D. 1602—Pardon to Elin M'Elane, kern, (in Co. Armagh). The family is probably an offshoot of the MacDonnells or Campbells. See also Mac Coileáin and Mac Coilín.

Mac AILÍN—IV—M'Aline, M'Alline, MacAllion, MacAllen, MacAllon, MacEllin, MacEllen, etc.; 'son of Ailín'; the name of a branch of the Campbells of Scotland, some of whom were brought over by the O'Donnells as fighting-men, about the middle of the 16th century, and settled in Tirconnell. This surname easily got confused with Mac Cailín, which see.

Mac CAILÍN—IV—M'Calline, MacCallion, MacCallan, MacCallen, [Campbell]; 'son of Cailín' (the Scottish Colin); also Mac Coilín, which see. The family of fighting-men brought over from Scotland by the O'Donnells of Tirconnell in the 15th century, were sometimes called Mac Cailín, sometimes Mac Ailín (which see), and it is impossible to say which form is correct.

Mac COILÍN—IV—M'Colline, M'Culline, M'Kellyn, MacCullion, MacCullen, MacKillen, MacKellen, MacQuillin, MacQuillian, MacQuillion, MacQuillan, Collen, Cullin, Cullian, Cullen, Quillen, Quillan, Collins, &c.; 'son of Coilín'; a variant of Mac Cailín, which see. This form of the surname was very common in Tyrconnell, and in Down and Antrim, at the end of the 16th century. Its anglicised forms cannot always be distinguished from those of Mac Uidhilín, which see.

It's relatively clear to me that this is all the same family, its just that the scholars cannot really figure which one is correct. But once you research the actual Campbell history to find the most likely eponym, you'll find that there was a Cailean Cambeul, who was Lord of Loch Awe, knighted in 1280 and slain 1296, and an adherent of Robert the Bruce. His son Niall was one of the Bruce's closest men and allies. Cailean's descendeants styled themselves the "Mac Cailean Mor" i.e. Sons of Colin the Great, although their actual patronyms were the nickname of their more distant ancestor Caimbeul (wry mouth or crooked mouth), it seems the "war-like branch of Clan Campbell" spoken of that took part in the mercenary flow would have most likely been the "Mac Cailean Mor"/"MacCailean", the pronunciation of which may have changed in Ireland as the Irish may have pronounced the given-name slightly different; Rev Woulfe writes...

CAILEAN, genitive -ein, Colin; a Scottish-Gaelic form of the Irish Coileán, which see; more of less peculiar to the Campbell family. Latin — Colinus.

COILEÁN, genitive -áin, Colin; also written Cuileán; an old Irish personal name meaning 'whelp,' the same as the Scottish Cailean or Colin among the Campbells; rather rare and in later times almost peculiar to the family of O'Dempsey. Latin — Culanus, Culenus.

COILÍN, genitive — id. (the same), Colin; a variant of Coileán, which see. Coilín was also in use among Anglo-Irish families as a 'pet' form of Nicol or Nicholas. Latin — Colinus.

The name was probably more accurately, MacCailean, and not MacAileain. It definitely seems the McAllen/McAilin variant is much more numerous in Donegal and it may be that in the curious ways names anglicized, there already being MacAilins who were actually a sept of the O'Dochartaigh, the MacCailean around Inishowen pronounced their surname in this fashion, over time making them almost indistinguishable from the native Irish MacAilin.

If we take this as the likely original name, looking at the Elizabethan Fiants, we can see that this kindred of mercenaries was scattered throughout Ulster, Connacht and Meath, and they must have been in Ireland for quite some time. It is said that Sir Niall Campbell's son (also named Coilin/Cailean, and the grandson of Cailean Cambeul) accompanied Edward the Bruce's army into Ireland in 1317 for his multi-year campaign which kicked off the gaelic resurgence. He likely had a large swath of his kin with him, and they may have already been partaking in being swords for hire, and may not have not returned to Scotland. Digging into the Elizabethan Fiants for these names that came from MacCailean/MacAilean/MacAilin/MacCoilin, are the following pardons...

Teige M'Kelane, of Balruntagh, Co. Meath, 30 Apr 1558
Donagh MacKalen, kern, of Bryanmore, Co. Westmeath, 5 Oct 1567
Thady boy M'Alyan of Ballinafadda, Co. Sligo, 17 Sep 1582
Callogh M'Alin of Barnecullin, Co. Roscommon, 1 Jan 1585
Hew boy M'Alen duff, kern, of Co. Roscommon, 23 Nov 1587
Cormick Roe M'Alean of Ardslart, Galway, 16 Dec 1590
Richard M'ilean of the same, 16 Dec 1590
Moyler M'Aline, kern, of Kilbreede, Co. Galway, 16 Dec 1590
Elin M'Elane, kern, of the Fues, Co. Armagh, 24 Jun 1602
One Og M'Elane, kern, of the same, 24 Jun 1602
Owen M'Callan, kern, Enishowen, Donegal, 6 Mar 1609
Gilpatrick M'Alline, of the same, 6 Mar 1609
Gillagroom M'Allin, of the same, 6 Mar 1609

The last 3 entries here are from O'Dochartaigh's Rebellion. It would be quite an undertaking to figure this all out, if you need any assistance with anything, please reach out, I would be glad to help. You can see here these two surname variants overlap around Inishowen & Lough Foyle which may support them being two variants of the same family as well as the unrelated MacGillaEain MacLeans

Interesting research. I can offer the following info from Robert Bell's (The Book of Ulster Surnames)
Campbell
'many of the Donegal Campbells descend from the Clan Campbell MacAilin galloglass family brought to Tirconnell in the fifteenth century (see MacCallion). Further many of the Tyrone Campbells are really members of the Tyrone sept Mac Cathmhaoil, a name which was subject to an incredible number of different anglicisations.'

MacCallion (also Killen, MacAllen, MacCallen and MacKillen)
'These names have been brought together because they represent, in their different forms, descendants of the Campbell galloglasses of Argyllshire who came to Ulster in the sixteenth century to fight, as mercenaries, for the O'Donnells of Donegal. There remains, however, much work to be done to unravel their respective histories. MacCallion is an exclusively Ulster surname found mainly in Donegal and Derry, rendered in Gaelic Mac Cailin. MacCallan is the Co. Fermanagh form of MacCallion, often further anglicised to Collins. MacAllen, Gaelic Mac Ailin, from ail, a 'rock', is another form of this Campbell connection, confused historically with and still noted as a synonym of MacCallion.'

Further Gerard Hayes McCoy (Scots Mercenary Forces in Ireland) makes a passing reference to a Lauchlan MacAllen, a Campbell of Argyll, who was with O'Cahan in the Route in north Antrim in 1567.

All great info, Richard I've never heard of that book, I'm definitely going to get myself a copy. Also if you haven't read Sean Duffy's "World of the Galloglass", I highly recommend!
I did come across info about this 16th century grave slab at Cloncha church in Inishowen, said to be made by one of the Campbell MacAilin's, as it's in Scots-gaelic.

‘Fergus Mak Allan Do Rini in Clach Sa Magnus Mec Orristin Ia Fo Trl Seo‘ (Fergus MacAllan made this stone; Magnus Mac Orristin under this).

Also from my decade-plus of research digging up every single "McClean & similar" variant in every source I could get my hands on, I can probably add a bit to these known farming clusters of McAilin/McCallion/McCailean in Inishowen and also on the Tyrone/Armagh border as noted by Rev Woulfe ("Elin M'Elane of the Fews, 1602"). Looking at the proximity of these people in both areas, one can probably conclude that "McClean" was a variant of McCailin/McAilin/McCallion, if an ancestor pronounced the name in the Scots-gaelic variant over the Irish one. Also, although Campbell is almost everywhere in some number, the largest concentrations of Campbell also happen to be where there are concentrations of McAllen/McCallion/McClean.

The Ulster or "Laggan" Army...
Rory McClen, Capt. Stewart's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Raphoe, Co. Donegal
Rob't McLynne, Lt. Col. Sanderson's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Rapehoe, Donegal
Thos. McClane, Sir Wm. Stewart's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Ramelton, Donegal
Jno McClane, Sir Wm Stewart's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Ramelton, Co. Donegal
John McClane, Capt. Erskine's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Newtowne, Co. Donegal
James M'Calleene, Capt. Cunningham's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Newotwne, Co. Donegal
John M'Cline, Capt. Cunninghame's Reg't, 20 Aug 1642, Newtowne, Co. Donegal
Alex'r M'Cline, Sir Wm. Stewart's Cavalry, 20 Aug 1642, Newtowne, Co. Donegal
Thomas Maklane, Capt Robert Thornton's Reg't, 18 Aug 1643, Londonderry, Co. L'Derry

Hearth Rolls...
Edmund M'Laine, Glenconway, Bovevagh, Keenaght, Co. Londonderry
John M'Clean, Killybegs, Bannagh, Co. Donegal
John M'Clean, Clanlery, Kilmacrenan, Co. Donegal
Thomas M'Clean,Aghnish, Kilmacrenan, Co. Donegal
Torlagh Mackline, Dowish, Rapoe, Co. Donegal
Patrick M'Clean, Templemore, Inishowen, Co. Donegal
John McKline, Coolkill, Clonfeakle, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Stephen McClene, Mullycarnan, Clonfeakle, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Neall McLeane, Skeanigarett, Desertcreat, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Patrick McGlaine, Galcussah, Desertcreat, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
John McOlane, Lederg, Killyman, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Andrew McClean, Ballymenagh, Tullyniskan, Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
James M'Clane, Kilfoyle (?), Strabane, Strabane, Co. Tyrone
Torlagh McLynn, Armagh, Ardmagh, Co. Armagh

Early records in St. Columb's, Londonderry...
7 Aug 1654 Baptism of Ann M'Kilane, dau. Owen M'Kilane
22 Jul 1655 Baptism of John Machilane, s. Owen
5 Jun 1656 Baptism of Meve Mc Chillane, d. Owen
22 Jan 1663 Marriage of Archiball M'Clene & Mary M'Cracken, wit: Wm M'Clene
6 Aug 1663 Marriage of Jno Robertson & Jennett M'Clene
16 Nov 1663 Marriage of Daniell McKillane & Mary ORuddan
27 Dec 1663 Baptism of William M'Clene, s. Patrick
27 Dec 1663 Baptism of Jno M'Clene, s. Archiball, wit: Wm M'Clene
Dec 1664 Marriage of Thos. M'Kalline & Sarah
29 Mar 1665 Baptism of John M'Clane, s. Anndro
9 Mar 1667 Baptism of Andrue M'Lane, s. John
21 Feb 1668 Burial of James M'Aline, s. John & Elinor
23 Jan 1673 Bapt, Wm M'Caline, s. Tarlo
14 Jul 1685 Baptism of Katherine McGilleane, dau. Deneiell & Kath.
12 Dec. 1695 Burial of John McOlane, s. Daniall
24 Feb 1696 Baptism of Daniall McOlane, s. Daniall
2 May 1698 Baptism of James McAlane, s. Daniel & Kath.

For whatever this might be worth, I'll append this to the conversation:

From The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948):

O'DOCHARTY: Irish O'Dochartaigh, 'descendant of Dochartach' (Woulfe). There were a number of people of this name in Islay in early seventeenth century under the Campbells of Cawdor. Donald O'Dochartie in Islay, 1629 (Cawdor). James Odocherty and William Odocherty in Tormistell, Islay, 1733 (Bk. Islay, p. 552).

https://archive.org/details/surnamesofs ... ochartaigh

Interesting. From another standpoint- The Macleans & Campbells were quasi-allies of eachother in the 16th century, and were both mercenary kindreds in the Laggan Valley, Donegal intermarrying for generations, and would've lived among O'Dochartaigh as well. Islay at the time in the late 16th was half under Maclean control and half under Mac Domhnaill. I wonder if there was some maternal kin from Donegal flowing with them between Islay and the Laggan between fighting seasons.