Clan MacNeil

Clan MacNeil is a highland Scottish clan originating in the outer Hebriean island of Barra.

Legend states that the MacNeil clan decends from the Irish King Niall of the nine hostages.

Clan MacNeil’s motto is Buaidh no bas which is translated to “Conquer or Die”, and the crest is a rock proper.

The MacNeils historic seat is located at Kisimul Castle, Castlebay, Barra, and is the current seat of the Chief. The earliest record of the MacNeil’s presence in Barra dates back to fourteen twenty seven. According to historic records Gilleonan MacNeil had gained the charter for Barra and Boisdale.

The McNeills of Argyll located in the inner Hebrides was considered to be a branch of the MacNeil Clan. At one point they may have been considered the dominate branch of the family, controlling Castle Sween in the 14th and 15th centuries. Their prominence faded in the 16th century when the Campbells took more control over their traditional lands. In 1962 Lord Lyon declared the chief of the Barra MacNeil’s is the chief of the whole MacNeil name.

The MacNeil’s, up until the 17th century, were know for their raiding and piracy from their base at Kisimul Castle, often been accused of being the “Last of the Viking raiders”. Often upsetting English King and Queens with their raiding missions.

In the early 1800s General Roderick MacNeil, the MacNeil’s chief, had be dealing with huge financial strains was forced to sell the island of Barra and, years of MacNeil rule came to an end. The Highland Clearances of the early 1800s also led to mass emigration of the MacNeils to the new world.

In 1937 the 45th clan chief of the Macneil Clan, Robert Lister Macneil, was able to buy back the island of Barra and began restoring Kisimul Castle. In 2001 Ian Roderick, Roberts successor, gave the lands of Barra to the people of the island. He also rented Kisimul Castle to Historic Scotland for the price of a bottle of whisky a year, for 1000 years.