McDonnells of Knocknacloy

In 1898, Angus and Archibald MacDonald in their pseudo-history Clan Donald made an attempt to document the genealogy of the McDonnell of Cnoc na Cloiche. Neither author could read Gaelic thus they failed to access long existent genealogies. Nor did the authors realize that McDonnell chieftains were selected under Brehon Law of tanistry, not English primogeniture. Rather than the eldest son of a chieftain being next in line to be chieftain, McDonnell Gallogláigh chieftains were selected from the eligible male members of a derbfhine, with a derbfhine being defined as all members of a clan having a common great-grandfather. Thus a brother, son, nephew, first or second cousin, could be inaugurated the next chieftain. Angus and Archibald MacDonald's genealogy unwittingly has second cousins as fathers of succeeding chieftains, brothers as father's of their own brothers, etc. This text should be avoided by serious genealogists and historians of the family.

The McDonnells had a long history with Ireland, which many now believe dates back to the ninth century Vikings. In 1164, Somhairle joined with the Vikings of Dublin to battle invasion of the Kingdom of the Hebrides by the Scots. Donnell, from whom the family takes its name, was slain in Ireland in 1246 while assisting O'Donnell king of Tir-Connail in battle against the English. His son's Aonghus Mor and Alastair Mor assisted their nephew in taking the kingship of Tir-Connell fifty years later, and Aonghus Mor is credited with beginning construction of a monastery in City Armagh in 1264. In 1315, the family and their cousins the McRuaidres supplied 300 ships to move Edward de Bruc's 6,000 man army from Scotland to Ireland and declare Edward de Bruc king of Ireland. According to the Irish Annals, Donnell McDonnell was slain in 1318 and his cousins Alasdair Óg McDonnell and MacRuaidri were slain alongside Edward de Bruc by the English several months later.

In Ireland, the McDonnells first served as professional soldiers (gallogláigh) to the O'Connors kings of Conaught. They and their cousins the MacSuibnes, MacSheelys, MacDowells and the MacRuaidris, became the first of a new military class in Ireland. A second wave of immigration would follow, with marriage of Eoin MacDonald of the Clann-Donald of Scotland marriage to the Margarey Bissets in 1395, followed by a wave of MacDonald mercenaries to Scotland known as "Redshanks", in the 16th century.

About 1425, the McDonnells became the hereditary military body of the O'Neill, kings of Tir-Eoghan (Tyrone). They would serve the O'Neills until 1652 with the last of the McDonnell chieftains, Maolmuire, Aodh Buidhe, and Randall being slain during the Eleven Year War (1641-1652) while in the service of Sir Phelim O'Neill and Hugh O'Neill. For the family's services between 1425 and 1550 they were granted lands including Cnoc na Cloiche in Tyrone, lands near City Armagh and vast holdings in the Fews of southern Armagh. ^[2]

• Notes, Historical and Personal, on the Tynekill Branch of the MacDonnell Family., Dublin: BROWNE & NOLAN, Ltd., 1897.

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