That part of me which is not Scots is Gael. Or more precisely Gal Gael.
The simple name-play around my surname – Bolland – referred to in the The Origin of the Bollands becomes complicated as we trace the longest documented strands of my ancestry – typically those of aristocrats (aka Nobs) – back through time to the middle of the first millenium. Those links, tracing back 35 generations, explicit or implied, converge on at least one set of common ancestors in both my maternal and paternal lines of descent – Scandinavians who flourished in the 9th and 10th centuries CE.
And, through the Scots’ line, many of my ancestors, the Nobs, would have been gaelic speakers – either monolingual or bilingual – until the 16th century CE.
Gaelic culture – as opposed to Scots culture – is the product of waves of migration and intermarriage as outlined in Barbarians.
Cruithne, Erainn, Laigin and Gael – all classed generically as Gael and intermixed with Scandinavians – spread across the Western fringes of the British Isles and beyond to Iceland.
Closer in time, my Gaels are Ó Beólláins (Bolans), MacAodha (McKay), MacDhòmhnaill (McDonald), MacCoinnich (McKenzie), MacFfadden (McFadyen), MacLeòid (McLeod) and MacDubhshithe (McPhees).
At the beginning of their narratives, they are peasant farmers in
Ardmeanach in South West Mull,
Gal-Gaels
These stories represent the Gaelic ‘prehistory’ of my stuff before it was inexorably drawn into the industrialising urban boorach of Paisley and Glasgow as recounted in Proletarians.
Though sharing an ultimate destination, the trajectory of immiseration in each location followed a different arc. What is common is a progressive dislocation and a deliberate destruction of traditional lifeways by the proprietors from which they rented land.
| An tSrithideach, Shligigh, Éire 1588 Brid O’Beollain | Achadh Dà Dhòmhnail, Ros, Alba 1599 Ruarhidh MacLeoid | Bohar-Buidhe, Shligigh, Éire 1599 Sean O’Beollain | Cill Fhionnchain, Muile, Scotland 1609 |
| Cill Ghlas, Shligigh, Éire 1623 Brid O’Beollain | An Lochan Beag, Ros, Alba, 1638 Iain McLeoid | An Scrin , Shligigh, Éire 1648 Brian Ó Fiúra | Tapul, Muile, Alba 1653 Tearlach MacFfadden |
| Tireragh, Shligigh, Éire 1656 Iseabeal O’Beollain | Scoraig, Ros, Scotland 1755 | ||
| Kilnaculleen, Shligigh, Éire 1770 | Ardmeanach, Mull, North Britain 1776 Iain MacFadden | Scoraig, Ross, North Britain 1798 Coinneach MacLeoid | Tireragh, Shligigh, Eire 1798 |
| Ardmeanach, Mull, North Britain 1805 Iain MacDubhshithe | Tireragh, Sligo, Ireland 1817 Mairead McGuillan | Scoraig, Rosshire, North Britain 1820 Catriona NicAoidh | Ardmeanach, Mull, North Britain 1820 |
| Tireragh, Sligo, Ireland 1825 | Scoraig, Rosshire, North Britain 1830 | Tireragh, Sligo, Ireland 1833 | Ardmeanach, Mull, Argyllshire 1837 |
| Scoraig, Rossshire, North Britain 1843 | Scoraig,Rosshire, North Britain 1847 | Aird of Kinloch, Mull, Argyll 1850 | Pentland Firth, North Britain 1866 |
| Scoraig, Rosshire, Scotland 1875 |
©John Bolland 2026
[i] Jo Currie
[ii]Also a number of Gal-Gael Kings
[iii] Lachlan McLean settled at the easternmost point, home of Duart Castle, while Hector took lands by Loch Buie, just to the southwest. They became the founders of Clan Maclean of Duart and Clan Maclaine of Lochbuie. The following is an excerpt from A History of the Clan MacLean by J.P. MacLean:
It is related that when Hector went to Lochbuie he found the lands possessed by the chief of MacFadyean, and obtained permission to build a fortalice or keep at the head of Lochbuie. When it was completed Hector ascended to the top, and, taking a bow and arrow, took aim at a bone MacFadyean was then eating from, and pierced it with the arrow. MacFadyean simply remarked, “It is time I was leaving;” took his departure, and gave Hector no trouble.
[iv] Associated with Kenneth McAlpin
[v] 1500-1800 CE
[vi] Leasing them back to the MacGillEthains to allow them to accumulate still greater debts.
[vii] Plundering and, allegedly, hamstringing cattle for sport
[viii] 1693-1699
[ix] Rev Dugald Campbell from The Naked Clansmen, Ian McPhee.
[x] James Francis Stuart
[xi] [xi] Dr. Johnson described the class as “Next in dignity to the laird […]; a large taker or lease-holder of land, of which he keeps part as a domain in his own hand, and lets part to under-tenants. The tacksman is necessarily a man capable of securing to the laird the whole rent, and is commonly a collateral relation. These tacks, or subordinate possessions, were long considered as hereditary, and the occupant was distinguished by the name of the place at which he resided. He held a middle station James Francis Stuart, by which the highest and the lowest orders were connected. He paid rent and reverence to the laird, and received them from the tenants. This tenure still subsists, with its original operation, but not with its primitive stability.” The Tacksman was also expected to render his laird military services, raising levies from his sub-tenants for this purpose.
[xii] Such as peat cutting or harvesting for the laird.
[xiii] The Islay branch of Clan Ranald
[xv] Though his eldest son, Alexander, did: suggesting that the family were keeping a foot In both camps.
[xvi] McGregor ibid. Hogg visited Dundonnel in 1803
[xvii] McKenzie
[xviii] Son of Kjetil Flatnefr (Flat-nose) Bjarnson, Kin of Man and the Isles. The Norse marriage may be the reason Applecross remained active and relatively unmolested as a Celtic tribal abbey during a period of fierce Viking raiding.
[xix] In Ireland
[xx] Abbots in the Celtic church were not celibate and abbacies were hereditary, though through the matrilineal line.
[xxi] St. Maelrubha
[xxii] The abbey became the centre of the cult of St. Andrew. His relics were first kept here before transfer to Fife.
[xxiii] Helgi, brother of Aud the Deep-minded, was an early settler of Iceland. He is reputed to have moved on from Mann after some ‘set-backs’. Since my closest ‘ancient’ DNA match is a Gal Gael Viking buried on Iceland around 935 years ago, this speculation is not entirely implausible.
[xxiv] Ó Beólláin remains the surname of the Earls of Ross from around 1200 CE until the death of Uilleam Ó Beólláin III, Earl of Ross in 1372 when his daughter, Euphemia I, Countess of Ross married Sir Walter Leslie.
[xxv] Kaðlin’s father, Hrolf (Rollo) Rognvaldsson (1st Duke of Normandy) is a common ancestor in borth the Gaelic and the Scots strands of my ancestry.
[xxvi] Formerly part of Hy Fiachrach. Hy Fiachrach of the Moy formerly stretched from the river Moy to the Reivir Erne with the Northern boundary between the Fiachrach and Cineal Conail being at Drumcliff.
[xxvii] History of Sligo, Terence O’Rorke. It was Maurice Fitzgerald who founded the city of Sligo and established a Keep and a (Roman Catholic) monastery in the town.
[xxviii] The King’s Game
[xxix] Elizabeth I.
[xxx] Church of Ireland
[xxxi] Though he may have needed no provocation.
[xxxii] The History of Sligo Vol. 1 pp119-121.
[xxxiii] The Parish of Kilmaflagen was granted to John Booke, Richard Hillary, William Edwards and John Irwin.
[xxxiv] In 1734, Jeremiah Fury raised a bill against William Griffiths and Teige Reigh Kelly on the grouds that Griffiths was renting land to Kelly. He won this case and Griffiths land were forfeit and granted to Fury.
[xxxv] England
[xxxvi] Arthur Young 1785 quoted by Cornwalle Lewis
[xxxvii] So called due to their wearing of white-shirts/smocks over their clothes during their (often nocturnal) operations in a manner reminiscent of the later KKK.
[xxxviii] Agents who levied the state-sanctioned tithes on behalf of Protestant ministers of the established (episcopalian) church.