12/9/2022 0 Comments Clann macclean![]() Money – or the lack of it was the clan’s undoing. The search for missing Spanish gold in Tobermory bay has been a pursuit that has occupied acquisitive souls ever since. But hopes of Spanish treasure onboard the galleon were thwarted when an English spy blew it up. When it arrived in Tobermory harbour, Lachlan Mor agreed to help in return for Spanish assistance in his own fight against rival clan neighbours. The prospect of even more money came to Mull in the form of a Spanish Galleon, a survivor of the doomed Armada that Philip of Spain had launched against Queen Elisabeth. His clan warriors fought in Ireland as mercenaries or Galloglas. With the promise of significant financial rewards, clan chief Lachlan Mor offered to provide Maclean men for the English campaign. When Elizabeth I of England went looking for mercenaries to fight for her in Ireland, the Macleans were the obvious candidates for the job. What isn’t mentioned quite so much is that it wasn’t unusual for Scottish clans to work for the English when it suited them to do so. Much has been made in Scottish history about the many battles fought against the English. Sir Lachlan MacLean was killed in the fighting and his sons wrought a terrible revenge by carrying out a massacre of the people of Islay, a bloody operation that lasted for three days. In the 16th century, clan chief Lachlan Maclean led his clansmen against the MacDonalds of Islay at the Battle of Traigh Ghruinneart (5 August 1598. Gilleain translates from the Gaelic as the servant of St John, although there is little in the records to suggest that Gilleain of the Battle-axe was a devout man of peace. ![]() However, the Macleans were eventually broken – not in battle, but by the law courts.Īccording to early historical sources, the founder of the Maclean clan was Gilleain na Tuaighe - Gilleain of the battle-axe, who lived in the 13th century. ![]() The Maclean clan is one of the oldest of all highland clans and was famed throughout history for great fighting skills of its warriors. ![]() Since then, successive clan chiefs have returned to live in their ancestral home on the island of Mull. Sir Lachlan Hector Charles MacLean of Duart and Morven.ĭuart castle was rebuilt from a ruinous state at the beginning of the 20th century by Sir Fitzroy Maclean. Clan Territory: The island of Mull and the island of Coll ![]()
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