Celtic Scotland : $b A history of ancient Alban. Volume 3 (of 3), Land and peopleSkene, W. F. (William Forbes)
History
Celtic Scotland : $b A history of ancient Alban. Volume 3 (of 3), Land and people
Skene, W. F. (William Forbes)
Celts -- Scotland; Civilization, Celtic; Scotland -- Antiquities, Celtic; Scotland -- History -- To 1603
This is probably a true picture of the relative position of the
Norwegian and the Gaelic population at this time, and is no doubt
equally applicable to the district of Galloway; but, during the rule of
Olave over the Isles, a simultaneous effort seems to have been made by
the Gaelic inhabitants of both districts to free this mainland border
country from the presence of the Norwegians. The leader of the native
Gaelic population of Argyll was Somerled, and of that of Galloway was
Fergus. The former bears certainly a Norwegian name, but the names of
father and grandfather have been preserved. He was son of Gillebride,
son of Gille-adomnan, and these names are of too purely a Gaelic form to
indicate anything but a Gaelic descent, and they are said in the Book of
Clanranald to have taken refuge from the Norwegians in Ireland, and to
have had a hereditary right to the mainland territories possessed by the
latter. The name of the father of Fergus of Galloway has not been
preserved, but his own name is a purely Gaelic form, and his personal
qualities probably raised him to the leadership of the Gaelic
population. Macvurich describes Gillebride, the father of Somerled, as
being present at a conference held by the Macmahons and Maguires in
Fermanagh, and obtaining help from them to regain his inheritance in
Scotland. He went over to Scotland with his son Somerled and a band of
followers, and when in the mountains and woods of Ardgour and Morvern,
they were surprised by a large force of Norwegians, who were, however,
eventually defeated by Somerled and his party; and, adds Macvurich, ‘he
did not halt in the pursuit until he drove them northward across the
river Sheil, and he did not cease from that work until he cleared the
western side of Alban from such of the Norwegians as had acquired the
dominion of the islands, with the exception of the island called
Innsigall, and he gained victory over his enemies in every field of
battle.’[28] We have no record of what took place in Galloway, except
that the result appears to have been the same, for we find the people of
Galloway joining the army of King David at the Battle of the Standard
under their Celtic leaders, and Fergus fully established in his reign as
Lord of Galloway. The Norwegians, however, were not allowed even to
retain quiet possession of the Isles, and Somerled, who now appears as
Regulus of Argyll, succeeded in eventually wresting the Southern Isles
from them. Macvurich tells us that after he had cleared the mainland of
the Norwegians ‘he spent some time in war, and another time in peace,’
and during one of these intervals peace appears to have been concluded
between the leaders of the Gaelic population and the Norwegian king
Olave, for the latter married Afreca, daughter of Fergus, the Celtic
lord of Galloway, by whom he had a son, Godred, and gave one of his own
daughters to Somerled, the Celtic Regulus of Argyll, in marriage, who
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