Alasdair, 9th of the Isles, who became 10th Earl of Ross in 1429, later devised other arms which carried: Quarterly, 1. A lymphad surmounted of an eagle displayed. 2. Three lions rampant, for Ross. 3. Three garbs, for Cumine of Buchan. 4. On a bend between six crosses couped, three buckles, for Leslie, the whole being within the tressure. Alexander also had another seal which bore: Quarterly, 1. and 4., a lymphad under sail, with one man in it, for The Isles. 2. and 3., Three lions rampant, for Ross. Alexander’s son, John, 10th of the Isles, had a similar seal, supported by an eagle, but in 1471 he changed it to bear: Quarterly, 1. Three lions. 2. A lymphad under sail. 3. An eagle. 4. A dexter hand issuing from the base, holding a sword in bend sinister, the whole within the tressure. After resigning the Earldom of Ross in 1476, John adopted a new seal, showing a lymphad surmounted of an eagle displayed, all within the tressure. The final arms of the Lords of the Isles are given in the Register of Lord Lyon Sir David Lindsay of the Mount in 1542. They are: Or, an eagle displayed gules, surmounted of a lymphad sable. In the register of Lord Lyon Sir Robert Forman in 1566, there is added in the dexter canton a sinister hand appaume’ gules, the Red Hand of Ulster.  Certainly, feudal arms became, not only symbols of Clan Donald's achievement, but of its humiliation as well.

        All subsequent arms adopted by MacDonald chiefs, were granted by the English Crown after the surrender of The Lordship Of The Isles, were symbols of submission to English tyranny, were not approved by The Council Of The Isles, were each expressions of personal illusions of superiority by the grantees over their kinsmen, and are abhorrent to all true Cineal ua Dhomhnuil Nan Eilean.  The only possible exceptions were Irish arms, if any, adopted or maintained without English approval, as Clan symbols.  Perhaps that is why Clan Donald Society, USA does not even acknowledge the existence of any of the Irish branches of Clan Donald except MacDonnell of Antrim.  Is that because those Irish branches are free, and the Scottish and Antrim branches are not?

        It should be noted that, according to feudal tradition, there is no inherent right vested in clansmen to use or adapt the arms of his chief or family. (See Lord Lyon’s pamphlet in our article on Clan Donald Badges) Also, it is actually illegal, subject to fine or imprisonment in Great Britain, to use another person’s arms, even if a blood relation, or to invent or use bogus arms. To do so is an exercise of sovereignty much to be feared by the crown. The entire feudal system is dependent on the premise that only the crown may grant arms and that they are granted to individuals. Arms may pass down only to the individual male heir of the grantee and then only if they are designated by the crown as hereditary. In the United States, and in some other countries, it is illegal to accept a title of nobility from a foreign potentate, if acceptance requires an oath of fealty. Fealty is the much misunderstood key. A feudal armiger is not free, but is rather a dependant of the sovereign. Consequently, to all true Dhomnallaich, MacDonald arms, other than those of “An MacDomhnuil,” are irrelevant except from a historical perspective. Those MacDonalds who flaunt feudal arms, either celebrate their treason to the Clan and grovel at the feet of a foreign tyrant, or show their ignorance.

        Of course, the English Crown can set aside feudal rules in any way that benefits the crown, such as arranging a marriage of the MacDonnell of Antrim heiress to a loyal English aristocrat named Kerr, and then conferring the earldom of Antrim on him, in spite of having declared that only male heirs may inherit such titles, in much the same way that the German House of Hanover changed their name to Windsor in order to make their bigoted rape an pillage of the English people more palatable. After changing his name from Kerr to MacDonnell, Kerr's heir, the present Earl of Antrim, is first placed on the Council Of High Chiefs of Clan Donald by the crown's influence, and is then designated "Chief Herald of Ireland," even though he is neither a citizen of Ireland, nor of Irish descent in the male line, on the theory that this person is an Ulsterman and that Ulster is part of The United Kingdom, not of Ireland.  Having thus offended both MacDonald and Irish honor, the issue is further complicated in that Mr. Kerr lives primarily in London. Now, Clan Donald Society Of Edinburgh has announced the birth of The Earl Of Antrim's grandson, and we must ask, why would CDSE concern itself with this birth?  Are they confused?  Intimidated?  Have they accepted this long standing effort by the English government to impose English control on Clan Donald, repeatedly bombarding us with false propaganda?  I am reminded of Nazi Propaganda Minister Goebbels' premise that, if you shout a lie often enough and loudly enough, soon it will be accepted as truth!

        Over the past seven years, this writer has interviewed more than a hundred MacDonnells of Antrim, Catholics, Protestants, and some not religious.  The significance of their almost universal lack of concern for, or allegiance to, the Earl of Antrim was startling to me.  The few that took pride in their relationship, were generally unsophisticated and did so only because of their perceived dynastic connection.  When I pointed out that he was not a MacDonnell, they were insulted and a few even became combative.  Otherwise, virtually all the Catholic MacDonnells despise the man and equate him with Iain Paisley.  More than one knowledgeable MacDonnell denied any relationship at all, to the point of denying they were Antrim MacDonnells, considering themselves to still be descendants of The MacDonnells Of Dun Naibhig & The Glens..

        Such is the effect of feudalism in modern real-world situations.  In spite of timid efforts by the earl to connect to his clansmen in recent years, hosting an annual fair at Glen Arm, the English Crown is seen by Ulster Catholic MacDonnells as the oppressor, and the Earl of Antrim as an English agent.  Ulster MacDonnell Protestants think of themselves as English, but consider the Earl as irrelevant, and he is, except that the luxury he enjoys, rightfully belongs to Clan Donnell of Antrim.

MacDonnell Of Leinster Arms
Pictured by HHG MacDonnell
in his 1892 history of the Clan

        The MacDonnells Of Leinster descend from Oengus Ogh 6th Lord of The Isles.  Their arms have been passed down by tradition within the family. No reliable college of heralds or historical record has been permitted to be maintained of Irish arms, largely by reason of the English Crown having, for more than two hundred and fifty years, attempted to erase Irish law and custom from history. For too long, Irish families were required to espouse or “prove” English descent, religion and honors in order to survive in Ireland. Such Irish traditions as were maintained were kept private and few records remain. However, Hercules H. G. MacDonnell, in his 1892 history of The MacDonnells of Leinster, averred the family tradition that there was a MacDonald Coat of Arms, with variations used by some branches.

        The drawing he rendered was of arms like those of The MacDonnells Of Dun Naibhig And The Glens, but with a motto in French: “Tout Jour Prét” (Always Ready). He offered no authorities or explanation of sources, either for the arms, or for the motto.  We may speculate that the motto in French may have had some relationship to the Leinster MacDonnells’ involvement in the Jacobite wars, but it is only speculation. The arms would be pictured and described as:

        It is said that, in Clan Donald, the Sleates are on top. Several scions of this branch have claimed the high chiefship since the imprisonment of Domhnuil Dubh, 12th of The Isles, in 1545, being descendants of Alexander, 9th of the Isles’ younger son, Uisdein, who they claim was the only surviving direct descendant, even though his heir was a well known fratricidal murderer. (The Sleate claim is also proven false by the genealogical chart appearing near the beginning of our history pages.)  Lyon Court supports their claim because, since 1715, the Sleate MacDonalds have been slavish lackeys of the crown, more proud of their Bosville blood and bastard relationship to the House of Hanover than to their MacDonald heritage.  Sleate’s claim ignores the rights of Clan Ian Mhór, who were high chiefs from 1545 to 1626, and whose line survives. Glengarry has also disputed the claim of Sleate since the Chief of Glengarry was recognized by the government as Chief of “the whole Clan of MacDonald” in 1672. Since the 19th Century, the lords MacDonald and MacDonald of Sleate have been separated into two branches by a private act of Parliament. According to Lyon Court, the arms, granted by the Sasunnaich, of the current Lord MacDonald of MacDonald are:

MacDONALD OF MacDONALD

ARMS
Quarterly, 1st, Argent, a lion rampant Gules, armed and lanqued Azure; 2nd, Or, a hand in armour fessways holding a cross crosslet fitchée Gules; 3rd, Or, a lymphad sails furled and oars in action Sable, flagged Gules; 4th, Vert, a salmon naiant in fess Proper, overall on an inescutcheon en surtout Or, an eagle displayed Gules surmounted of a lymphad, sails furled, oars in action Sable

CREST
On a crest coronet Or, a hand in armour fessways couped at the elbow Proper holding a cross crosslet fitch'ee Gules

MOTTO
Per mare per terras (By sea and by land)
On Compartment
Fraoch Eilean (The Heathery Isle)

SUPPORTERS
(on a compartment of rocks and heather Proper) Two Leopards Proper
 

STANDARD
The Arms in the hoist and of two tracts Or and Gules, upon which is depicted the Badge in the first compartment, the Crest in the second compartment, and a sprig of heather Proper in the third compartment, along with the Slogan `Fraoch Eilean' in letters Or upon two transverse bands Sable

BADGE
An eagle displayed Gules, armed and beaked Sable, having a Chapeau Gules furred Ermine, holding in its talons an escutcheon Or charged with an eagle displayed Gules, surmounted of a lymphad, sails furled, oars in action Sable

PLANT BADGE
A sprig of heather has also traditionally been used as a badge of the clan and often a bunch of heather mounted on a pole was carried into battle at the head of the clan in lieu of a banner.

BATTLE CRY
“Dháindeoin co theiradh e!” (Gainsay who dare!)
 

        Norman heraldry was military, with simple devices known as “ordinaries” designed for ease of recognition. Gaelic arms came to be related more to Celtic traditions, myths and genealogies which traced every family in the country back to one individual. For instance, the “Red Hand” of Ulster was prominent in the arms of the ÓNeill and other families originating with King Niall Of The Nine Hostages, while the Red Stag of Munster is common in the south.  The Scottish Lyon Rampant has come to characterize Celtic descent, rather than Norman, since William "The Lyon" of Scots devised the Royal Banner of Scotland, c.1100. Irish arms can be dated, in most cases, to the Gaelo-Norman families of the mid-16th Century, and were very elaborate, attempting to establish family status and their English relationships.

        Members of a clan or family who can show probable relationship to the chief but who cannot provide acceptable evidence of their specific genealogical links are sometimes referred to as “indeterminate cadets.” Those who cannot prove their blood relationship to the armiger must apply to the Lord Lyon for a grant of arms in their own right, thus employing the last, most humiliating and demeaning weapon against the sovereignty of the clans and their members.

        It is said that the MacDonells of Keppoch improperly used the arms of Lord MacDonald, so the arms recorded here are from the quartering for Keppoch matriculated in the arms of John Michie in 1761. This branch’s progenitor was Alasdair Carrach, fourth son of John of Islay, 7th of the Isles, by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of Robert the Steward. No reason for the appropriation of Lord MacDonald’s arms has been found, nor can this writer imagine why they would want to. It seems more likely that MacDonell of Keppoch shared the belief of most MacDonalds, that MacDonald arms were a Clan emblem.

     According to the Lyon Register, 1, 228; s.v. Michie; the arms of MacDonell of Keppoch are:

        The “Chiefship of the Name and Clan of Macdonald” was decided in favor of Sleate by Lyon Court, April 11, 1947. Sir Godfrey, 11th Baronet and 3rd Lord MacDonald, had become a professional soldier and served in the Peninsular War of 1808-14, achieving the rank of lieutenant general. He married Louisa, natural daughter of the Duke of Gloucester, brother of King George III. He did not, however, contract a marriage which was legally recognized in England until 1803, by which time his wife had borne him three children. They subsequently had ten more. Although Lord MacDonald’s eldest son was legitimate in Scots law, he was not under the law of England. MacDonald therefore gave him the substantial estates he had inherited from his mother, who was the heiress of the old Anglo-Norman family of Bosville of Thorpe in Yorkshire. He decreed that his eldest son should change his name to Bosville, while the eldest son born after the marriage was recognized in England should have the chiefship of Clan Donald and the peerage. Parliament, in 1847, regulated the position in accordance with Sir Godfrey's wishes. However, in 1910, Alexander Bosville, grandson of MacDonald’s eldest son, obtained a declarator in the Court of Session that his grandfather was legitimate and he was therefore entitled to resume the name of MacDonald and the Scottish baronetcy, a decision which had been reached in the previous century. This writer has observed that today, in regard to Clan Donald affairs, Sir Ian Macdonald of Sleate uses, and it is more appropriate to the interest of Clan Donald to show, the arms of Sleate prior to the decision of the Court of Session in 1910, when, according to Lyon Register, XX, 69; the arms of Sleate were recorded as:

        MacDonnell of Dun Naibhig and the Glens descend from Ian Mhór, younger brother of Donald, 8th of the Isles and are the heirs of the MacDonalds of Islay and Kintyre, Clan Ian Mhór, also known as Clan Donald South. Although recorded in Ireland, these are probably the arms adopted by Sir James MacDonnell of Knockrinsay, 16th of the Isles, as indicated by the style of the heraldic symbols which are easily identified with the early 17th Century. Because it is in the crown’s interest to promote the MacDonalds of Sleate and the MacDonnells of Antrim, Lyon Court asserts that these arms are extinct even though the family continues in the Donalds of Renfrewshire, in a number of lines in Colonsay, Antrim, The United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as in the Thome family of Sweden. They are described as:

        MacDonald of Clanranald are the descendants of Ranald, heir to the chiefship of Clan Donald, second and eldest surviving son of John Of Islay, 7th Lord of the Isles, by his first marriage to Amie MacRuairidh, the heiress to the great Lordship of Garmoran. The succession did not, however, pass to him, but to his younger half-brother Donald, whose mother, Margaret (Mary), was a royal princess, daughter of Robert II, King of Scots (Robert the Steward or Stewart, Stuart is the French spelling). Ranald, “Young Clanranald,” 19th of Clanranald, led the clan in the Rising of ‘45 for Prince Charlie. His father Ranald, “Old Clanranald,” 18th of Clanranald, was Donald of Benbecula’s son, who had fought at Killiecrankie. Their direct descendants died out in 1944, and the chiefship, or captaincy, passed to the heirs of Alexander MacDonald of Boisdale, a younger brother of the 17th Chief. Ranald Alexander MacDonald, Captain of Clanranald, the present chief, was recognized by the Lord Lyon in 1956. The Clanranald arms are described in Lyon Register II, 49; as:

STANDARD
The Arms of Macdonald of Clanranald in the hoist and of two tracts Argent and Gules, upon which is depicted the Crest in the first and second compartments, and two sprigs of common heather in the third compartment, along with the Motto ‘Dháindéoin có theireadh é’ in letters Gules upon two transverse bands Argent

PINSEL
Gules, bearing the aforesaid Crest within a strap Gules buckled and embellished Argent, inscribed with the Motto
‘My hope is constant in thee’ in letters also Argent, all within a circlet of the Last bearing the title ‘Macdonald of
Clanranald’ in letters Gules, and in an Escrol Argent surmounting a sprig of heather Proper the Slughorn ‘Dháindéoin có theireadh é’

PLANT BADGE
Common heather

        The MacDonnells of Glengarry stem from Donald MacRanald, younger brother of Alan, progenitor of Clanranald, and grandson of John Of Islay and his first wife Amie. Donald’s first wife was Laleve, daughter of MacIver (MacGregor), by whom he had a son, John. Donald’s second wife was a daughter of Fraser of Lovat, by whom he had two additional sons, Alexander and Angus. John died without heirs, and Alexander is considered by some as the first true chief of Glengarry.

        Aeneas, 9th of Glengarry, was with Montrose at Inverlochy, Dundee, Auldearn and Kilsyth, and Aeneas sheltered the great Jacobite general in Invergarry Castle. At the restoration of Charles II, Aeneas was made a peer, taking the title of “Lord MacDonell and Aros.” The honor was short-lived since he died in 1680 without issue and his peerage became extinct. The chiefs of Glengarry have served their country ably in the field in the last two centuries. General Sir James MacDonell, brother of the 14th chief, was one of the heroes of the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The immediately preceding chief to the current one, who attained the rank of air commodore, was one of the few surviving fighter pilots of the Battle of Britain of 1940. The arms of Glengarry are shown in Lyon Register I, 576; as:

 

 

MacDONELL OF GLENGARRY

ARMS
Or, an eagle displayed Gules surmounted of a lymphad Sable her sails furled up and rigging Proper, in the dexter chief point a dexter hand couped in fess of the Second and in the sinister a cross-crosslet fitch`ee of the Third

CREST
A raven Proper perching on a rock Azure

MOTTO
Craigan nam Fhithich (The rock of the raven)
On Compartment
Per mare per terras (By sea and by land)

SUPPORTERS
Two bears each having an arrow pierced through his body all Proper


 

        The MacDonnells of Antrim derive from Sir Randal (or Ranald) MacDonnell, only surviving son of Somhairle Buidhe, youngest of five brothers of Iain, 6th Lord of Dun Naibhig & the Glens. Somhairle Buidhe won the title “Captain of The Route” on the battlefields of Ulster and was granted the title, "Lord of the Glens" by his nephew, Angus, 8th of Dun Naibhig and 13th Lord of the Isles. Somhairle Buidhe’s son, Sir Randal, was first Earl of Antrim, a title taken from the county of that name located in the northeast corner of Ireland, approximating what was once Irish Dalriada.

Antrim Arms displayed on Glen Arm gatehouse, completed c.1820

 

MacDONNELL OF ANTRIM

ARMS
Quarterly, 1. Argent, a lion rampant Gules.
2. Asure, a hand in armour holding a cross-crosslet fitchée Gules
3. Or on a base asure, a row galley (or lymphad) the sails furled sable.
4. Argent, on a base Vert, a salmon naiant in fess proper.

CREST
A hand in armour holding a cross-crosslet fitchée Gules above an earl’s cornet

MOTTO
“Deus Est Adiutor Meus” (God Is My Protector)

SUPPORTERS
Dexter, a clansman proper, Sinister, an eagle proper

 

        The MacIains of Ardnamurchan descend from “Iain Sprangoch” (John the Bold), natural son of Oengus Mhór, 4th Lord of the Isles, who died in 1294, and to whom his father conveyed the property which he had obtained in 1284 when he appeared at the convention where the four year old Maid of Norway was declared heiress of the crown. Oengus Mhór obtained, as the price of his support of the Maid, a grant of Ardnamurchan, a part of the earldom of Garmoran, and the confirmation of his father’s and grandfather’s grants to the monastery of Saddell. Iain Sprangoch became an adherent of the English after he “was advanced to the dignity of Baron of the Exchequer of England” by Edward I. Nevertheless, this branch appear to have become extinct in Ardnamurchan during the 17th Century, being forced to emigrate because of government persecution and the hostility of neighboring clans (notably the MacLeans, Campbells and other branches of the MacDonalds), because of the Ardnamurchan chief’s aspiration to become Lord of The Isles. Its representation has, however, recently been claimed by a family named MacKain, hailing from Elgin in Moray. According to Lyon Register, XVIII, 20; the arms of Rev. William J. McKain are:

        The MacAlisters of Loup are traced to "Alasdair Mhór" (Alexander the Great), who was the younger brother of Oengus Mhór, 4th Lord of the Isles. The brothers were great-grandsons of Somhairle mac Gillebruide. After the forfeiture of the Isles in 1493, under the chiefship of Eoin Dubh, they became independent with the chief’s seat at Ardpatrick in South Knapdale. The chiefs of Loup adopted the style “Mac Eoin Dubh” (sons of Black John). But being exposed to the encroachments of the Campbells, their principal possessions were soon absorbed by that powerful clan and, from 1515, the chiefs of Loup were servitors of the Campbell Earl of Argyll. The senior heir moved to Ayrshire after inheriting an estate through an heiress, although they continued to figure prominently in the history of Kintyre. The MacAlisters of Loup appear in the General Band of King James VI in 1587. Their arms, as shown in Lyon Register, IV, 105; are:

        When England decided to conquer the Gaelic world, they found the clans to be rebellious, Catholic and fiercely independent.  Usually, these troublesome adversaries were attacked and slaughtered, exiled or enslaved, as in the cases of the Clandeboye, Clanranald, Dun Naibhig, Glencoe, Glengarry, Islay, Keppoch and MacAlister MacDonalds.  Where possible, the clans' leadership was infiltrated and subverted, as were the Antrim, Ardnamurchan and Sleate MacDonalds. But there were some that the Sasunnaich could neither catch nor subvert.  Those they tried to discredit, attempting to make them irrelevant, as they have undertaken to do to the MacDonnells of Leinster and of Ulster.  But the Sasunnaich and their lackeys, the Campbells, the Kerrs and the self-serving chiefs of Sleate have not succeeded in erasing Cineal Ua Dhomhnuil from history, nor will they, ever.  The MacDonnells of Leinster are not subordinate to any strutting lackey of the English claiming to be a chieftain of Clan Donald.  We will, however, take great pride in supporting An MacDhomhnuil, whenever An Comhairle Nan Eilean elects the 17th!

        James MacDonald, genealogist for Clan Donald Society, USA, concludes that “There is absolutely no difference in McDonald and McDaniel. The pronunciation and spelling was in the ‘ear of the hearer.’ We know of families who changed from one to the other every 10 year census period. Confederate company clerks seemed to take great joy in eliminating McDonalds and creating McDaniels.” The Clan Donald USA Society records MacDaniel and MacDaniell (The McDaniel spelling is inferred) as being a sept of MacDonald of Sleate (Scotland), MacDonnell of Dun Naibhig and the Glens (Scotland and Ireland) and of MacDonnell of Antrim (Ireland). But the most prominent use, apparently unknown to, or ignored by, Clan Donald Society, was by The MacDonnells of Leinster, since the entire sept of Tighearna Coille, including James, 7th of Leinster,  himself, changed their name to MacDaniell in order to escape detection by the English, after James was forfeited in 1679. Our own use of MacDaniel, our sept deriving from the Wicklow Sept of Governor of Wicklow, Alasdair MacDonnell of Leinster, began when his son, Archibald MacDonnell, our ancestor, probably literate only in Gaelic, if at all, had his children christened in Old Swedes Church, Wilmington, Delaware. The Christenings were undoubtedly performed by a succession of Swedish Lutheran ministers who probably spoke and wrote German very well, English and Latin a little bit, and Gaelic not at all, so that Archibald’s progeny ended up with at least three different surnames recorded in the Church Register, one of which was MacDaniel. The MacDaniel Crest is also a variation of the “Cath Bhuaidh,” (Battle Cross - Cross or Crosier of Colm Cille or Saint Columba).  Burke’s “General Armory,” 1844, 1878 & 1884 editions say, “The arms described . . . for the family of McDaniel, McDaniels, etc. originally of Ireland . . . This is the only arms recorded for this family. Many branches of this family, also of Scotland, bore this same arms.”  Burke shows:

        Burke’s Armory shows no motto recorded for MacDaniel, but that “Timor Omnes Abesto” (Let Fear Be Far From All) was used by some. It could be argued that this motto is evidence that its originator considered these arms to be an inclusive Clan emblem.  Moncreife shows that “Timor Omnis Abesto” (Let Fear Be Far From Me - note the slight difference, one being singular and the other plural) is the recorded, venerable motto of Clan MacNab. Fairbairn shows it as the motto of Craigge, Craigie, Craigy and MacNab.

        Under feudal practice, the MacDaniel family of this writer, because of the dispute as to the origins of Marcach mac Oengus Ogh (or mac Alasdair Ogh), would be considered indeterminate cadets by Lyon Court and would not be entitled to the use of any previously established individual arms, crest or honors created by another person and registered to them. But then, Gaelic clansmen, especially in Ireland, tend to think of arms as a family emblem, rather than a personal honor.  No one knows which MacDaniel recorded these arms, and it could have as easily been our ancestor as anyone's.  The originator of the arms may even have been a Keppoch MacDonald, since the arms are similar. Besides, we hold little regard for “Sasunnach” rules.

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MacDANIEL

ARMS
Asure, a lyon rampant Or.

CREST
A hand couped in fesse, ppr holding a cross-crosslet
fitch`ee Gules.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MacALISTAIR OF THE LOUP
(Correctly MacAlister or MacAlasdair)

ARMS
Or, an eagle displayed gules, armed sable; on its breast a galley, sails furled; oars in action of the last, all within a bordure of the third, charged with three cross-crosslets fitchée argent.

CREST
A dexter hand holding a dirk in pale, both proper

SUPPORTERS
Dexter, a bear pierced by an arrow, Sinister, an eagle, all proper.

MOTTOES
above escutcheon, “Fortiter” (Bravely), and below escutcheon, “Per Mare Per Terras” (By Sea By Land)
 

 

 

 

MacIAIN OF ARDNAMURCHAN

ARMS
Or, a galley, sails furled, oars in action sable, between in fess dexter, an eagle displayed gules, and sinister, a buckle of the last

CREST
An eagle’s head couped sable, beaked Gules, between two wings erect of the first.

MOTTO
In hope I byde.
 

 

 

 

 

        The legend above the arms displayed on the gatehouse of Glen Arm Castle in Antrim (the date at the bottom of the inscription is disputed by some sources) reads:

WITH
THE LEAVE OF
GOD THIS CASTLE
WAS BUILT BY SIR
RANDLE McDONNEL
KNIGHT ERLE OF ANTR
IM HAVEING TO HIS
WIFE DAME AELLIS
ONILL IN THE YEAR
OF OUR LORD GOD
1856

                Although the present Earl of Antrim, a scion of the English Kerr family, who obtained the earldom through his ancestor's marriage to a MacDonnell heiress, has recorded slightly different arms, with a new crest and motto, the traditional arms of The MacDonnell earls of Antrim, recorded in Ireland, are:

CLANRANALD

ARMS
Quarterly, 1st, Argent, a lion rampant Gules, Armed Or;
2nd, Or, a dexter hand couped in fess holding a cross crosslet fitched in pale all Gules;
3rd, Or, a lymphad her oars saltireways Sable, and in the base undy Vert a salmon naiant Argent;
4th, Argent, an oak tree Vert surmounted of an eagle displayed Or

CREST
A triple-towered castle Argent masoned Sable, and issuing from the centre tower a dexter arm in armour embowed grasping a sword all Proper

MOTTO
My hope is constant in thee
On Compartment
Dháindéoin có theireadh é (Gainsay who dare)

SUPPORTERS
Two bears each having two arrows pierced through his body all Proper
 

 

 

MacDONNELL OF DUN NAIBHIG & THE GLENS

ARMS
Quarterly: 1st, Or a lion rampant gules;
2nd, Or a dexter arm issuant from the sinister fess point out of a cloud Proper, in the hand a cross-crosslet
fitch`ee erect azure;
3rd, Argent a lymphad sails furled sable;
4th Per fess azure and vert a dolphin naiant proper.

CREST
A dexter arm embowed fesswise couped at the shoulder vested or cuffed argent holding in the hand proper a cross-crosslet fitch`ee erect azure.

MOTTO
No motto is recorded for this branch of the Clan, but the ancient traditional motto “Fraoch Eilean” is inferred.
 

 

 

MacDONALD OF SLEATE

ARMS
Quarterly, 1. Argent, a lion rampant Gules.
2. Or, a hand in armour holding a cross-crosslet fitch`ee Gules
3. Argent, a row galley (or lymphad) the sails furled sable.
4. Vert, a salmon naiant in fess proper.

CREST
A hand in armour holding a cross-crosslet fitch`ee Gules

MOTTO
Per mare per terras (By sea and by land)

SUPPORTERS
Two leopards collared Or Gules
 

 

 

 

 

 

MacDONELL OF KEPPOCH

ARMS
Or, a lion rampant gules, a canton, argent, charged with a dexter hand couped fessways proper holding a cross-crosslet fitchée of the second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MacDONNELL OF LEINSTER


ARMS
Quarterly: 1st, Or a lion rampant gules;
 2nd, Or a dexter arm issuant from the sinister fess point     out of a cloud Proper, in the hand a cross-crosslet    fitch`ee erect azure;
3rd, Argent a lymphad sails furled sable;
4th Per fess azure and vert a dolphin naiant proper.

CREST
A dexter arm embowed fesswise couped at the shoulder vested or cuffed argent holding in the hand proper a cross-crosslet fitch`ee erect azure.

MOTTO
Tout Jour Prét