The Scottish Clans Podcast

Episode 31 Clan Clusters: Siol Alpin Pt. 1

The Siol Alpin (seed, or descendants of Alpin) were a group of seven clans that all claimed descent from Alpin, who was the father of Kenneth Mac Alpin, the first king of the combined Scots and Picts.  Or was he?  And were they?  I discuss this idea and take a short look at the individual clans that made up this group: Grant, MacGregor, MacFie, MacQuarrie, MacNab, MacKinnon and MacAulay.  

Episode 30 MacNab vs MacNeish and Grant Origins

For a wild story about a fight between the MacNabs and MacNeishes as well as a brief discussion about the origins of the Grants, join me on this episode.  This will be a lead-in to a future episode about the Siol Alpin, or those clans claiming descend from Alpin, father of Kenneth, King of the Picts.

Episode 29 Clan Clusters: The Stewarts

For a long time now, the Stewarts and their many branches have been tangled in my mind.  In this episode, I share what I have learned as I have sought to straighten out how these branches are related to each other, where they split off, and their individual character.  Thanks for listening!  Also, this is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Episode 28 Mac vs. O'

Did you ever wonder why the O' prefix rarely occurs with indigenous Scottish names?  In episode 28 I relate what I have found about the origin of the O' and Mac prefixes and why there's not as many of them in Scotland, as opposed to Ireland, where they are much more common.

Episode 27 The Clan Chattan

This is the first in a series of episodes on clan clusters.  What clans made up the confederation known as Clan Chattan?  How did the confederation come to be?  How were these clans connected?  Join me as I discuss this major Highland group.

Episode 26 The Gallowglass Pt 3

Wrapping up the series on the Gallowglass, I discuss three more kindreds who operated as Gallowglass, one that you would expect and two that you wouldn't.  

Episode 25 The Gallowglass Pt 2 - Gallowglass Clans

In the last episode we did an introduction to the Galloglass.  In this episode we discuss SOME of the prominent Galloglass kindreds, specifically the MacDonnells, MacDougalls (MacDowells), MacRorys, MacCabes, MacSheehys and MacCoys.  In the next episode we'll introduce some clans that are well-known but not as Galloglass. This is also available on iTunes and Spotify. Hope you enjoy!
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Episode 24 The Gallowglass Pt. 1

The Gallowglass were some of the most fearsome fighters of their day.  Hailing from the Western Highlands and Isles, these clans of mixed Gaelic and Scandinavian descent provided the Lords and Chieftains of Ireland with elite infantry that became famous in western Europe for their prowess on the battlefield.