Origins MacNeils of Barra Despite the long-held belief that the McNeil (MacNeil, McNeill, MacNeill) clan are descended from an Irish king or prince, DNA tests have shown that they are descended from Vikings and have no Irish blood at all. An opposing theory, proposed by Nicholas Maclean Bristol, is that they may descend from Neill Maclean who appears on exchequer rolls at a time when
Tarbert Castle was being rebuilt by
Robert the Bruce. In 1252 Neil Macneil, fifth of Barra, was described as a prince at a council of the
Lord of the Isles. His son was Neil Og Macneil, who is believed to have fought for Robert the Bruce at the
Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
History The earliest contemporary record of the Macneils of Barra is only in 1427, when Giolla Adhamhnáin Mac Néill (typically anglicised as
Gilleonan Macneil) received a charter of Barra and
Boisdale, from
the Lord of the Isles, following the forfeiture of the previous Lordships of Uist and
Garmoran, earlier that year. The origins of the Argyll MacNeills is also obscure. In the late 15th century, one MacNeill is recorded as the keeper of
Castle Sween. In the mid 16th century, a certain
Torquil MacNeill was known as the "chief and principal of the clan and surname of Maknelis". The 19th century scholar
W.F. Skene considered Torquil to be the last of the hereditary MacNeill keepers of the castle. Skene believed that after Torquil's demise, the hereditary office passed to the
MacMillans. During the time of Torquil, there are records of separate clans on Barra and Gigha. Skene did not consider Torquil to be a member of either of these clans, since both clans had chiefs of their own. A recent hypothesis make Torquil, son of Niall, living in 1440, the
eponym of the clan, thus totally unrelated to the Barra MacNeils. His Norse name suggests his kindred were remnants of the lordship of
Somerled, along with the
Clan McCorquodale and
Clan MacIver. The chief of the Gigha MacNeills at this time was Neill MacNeill, who was killed in about 1530. His only daughter inherited his lands and handed them over to her illegitimate brother, Neill. According to historian
John Bannerman, while the lands of the chief passed to his daughter, the chiefship passed over to Torquil who was her
second cousin. Bannerman considered it likely that when Torquil died, the chiefship passed to the illegitimate Neill. In 1553, this Neill sold the island to James MacDonald of Islay. Neill died without issue, and the next in line to the chiefship was another Neil, who obtained the lands of Taynish. His descendant Hector MacNeill of Taynish purchased Gigha in 1590. With the power of the Campbells growing and spreading out into the Inner Hebrides, the influence of the McNeills of Gigha decreased. At about this time the MacNeils on more remote island of Barra, far removed of Campbell power, began to grow in prominence and for a long time since have been regarded as
Chief of the Clan and Name. There is even a school of thought that there is no relation at all between this branch of McNeills to that of Barra. In 1838, after going broke, Colonel Roderick's son and heir,
Lieutenant General Roderick MacNeil of Barra, sold Barra to Colonel
Gordon of
Cluny. In 2001 the castle was leased to
Historic Scotland for one thousand years at the rent of £1 per year and a bottle of
Talisker whisky. In October 2004 the chief handed over 3,600 hectares, comprising almost all of his estate on Barra to
Scottish Ministers. The current chief of Clan MacNeil is Roderick Wilson MacNeil of Barra, The MacNeil of Barra, Chief of Clan Niall and 26th of Barra, also Baron of Barra. The chief is a member of the
Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. The current chief, while a
United States citizen, lives in
Edinburgh, Scotland. Regarding the ascent of the 45th chief (Robert Lister Macneil),
The Arms of the Scottish Bishoprics (1917) states: "In 1914 Roderick Ambrose MacNeil, Chief of the MacNeils of Barra, died in the United States of America, being still a British citizen, leaving two sons. Paul Humphrey MacNeil, the elder son, in his father's lifetime renounced his allegiance to the British Crown and became an American citizen; in consequence of this his father in 1913 nominated his second son, Robert Lister MacNeil, the petitioner, to succeed him as Chief of the Clan, and assigned to him the arms pertaining to the Chief. Robert Lister MacNeil therefore petitioned the Lyon King to grant him the arms recorded by General Roderick MacNeil in 1824, which were borne by his (the petitioner's father), Roderick Ambrose MacNeil." ==Clan symbols==