One Month Out From Stroke

post stroke, slightly shorter beard, and the ole brain at 80% or so...

It has been one month, one week, and several days since my stroke.  Actually, I had two strokes and the ‘big’ one was on 30 September. 

What does one do for one month while recovering from a stroke?  My vision was damaged during the stroke.  This is a fairly common event in a stroke.   Initially, I could not really read or see well at all.  At one month out, I can read some now, and I am back in the reading and research business.  Some formats, such as Kindle, are more readable to me.  Other formats are difficult to read for me.  My eyes do not ‘team’ well now, which is a reason the reading is a challenge. I lost my peripheral vision on my right side, so no more driving for me until that comes back.

The doctors do not have a clue how much, if any, of my vision shall return.  It is a very individual thing.  Strokes are like that and each case is different.  I may get the vision back tomorrow, or... I may never get it back.  I have talked to many people with strokes now and read testimonies from stroke survivors, and some recover fine, some do not.   So, I am in a wait and see (no pun intended) mode.

The rest of the recovery seems to be going ok.  I still have crashing headaches and a lot of fatigue.  During the day I take several naps.  Of course, I am on meds to insure no more blood clots, which caused the strokes.  I am told, I do not have any obvious ‘triggers’ for a stroke.  I do not have high blood pressure, I am fit, I have normal blood sugar level, do not smoke cigarettes, etc., so the reasons and causes of the stroke are a mystery at present.  I still have more doctor visits, so something in the way of a cause may turn up as they examine me. 

The last month was a blur.  Time had little meaning for me.  A day, a week, a month, it all seemed the same.  I kept my mind busy.  I developed an interest in several topics which  I listened to on my Ipad.  I studied the Desert Fathers of the early church, I studied quantum physics, gravity wave theory, paranormal phenomenon, I listened to medieval chants. In the last week in October I began to read again.  Reading a book was difficult, but I persevered.  The book I read was by Louis L’Amour, one of his Sackett series books, this one called Galloway.  I enjoyed the book.  I do not often read fiction, but the L’Amour book was entertaining and soothing to me.  I suppose just reading anything at this point is good exercise for my wounded eyes.

There is humour in even tragic events sometimes... my stroke happened on 30 September, in Oxford, Mississippi.  I was taken to a hospital in Oxford.  There, it was apparent that the stroke was serious, so there was a decision to place me on a helicopter and fly me to Memphis Tennessee.  Now at the time, I could not talk, I barely knew my name as I had aphasia.   The decision was made to move me to Memphis and as I say, I could not talk, but in the midst of the doctors and family around me I said in a very clear well-spoken voice, ‘I do not want to go to Memphis.’   Despite the grim scene going on around me, this did bring smiles and chuckles. 

One other note to you ALL... learn the symptoms of stroke.   If you think you have any symptoms, immediately get medical help.  If you attend the symptoms in a rapid manner, you can avoid having the stroke and save yourself a tonne of pain, trouble, and problems, not to mention expenses.  Learn the stroke symptoms; get medical help if you have stroke symptoms.  There are new techniques, new drugs, that work miracles, if you get medical help quickly. 

My Stroke Update

Two Strokes, an Update.   Sort of old news now, but as many will know, I had two strokes. The first one came on 28 September.  I just thought I felt bad, took some ibuprofen and rested.  This was a great mistake of course.  Then, late on the night of 30 September, I had another stroke, lost my ability to talk, lost much of my vision, etc.  So, there was a helicopter flight to an ICU in Memphis, a lot of tubes, injections, medical procedures, etc.  To bring the tale up to date, here I am some three weeks and a few days later, and I am in the recovery phase.  I can now talk fairly well.  All in all, I have been blessed I think, as strokes can be very brutal and I seem to have recovered fairly well.  I still have vision problems, and I do not know to what extent my visions will recover.  Too soon to tell.  Writing and reading are linked to vision health.  I am a man of letters, a man who reads much, who does research, who writes, and who has published books.  I am concerned if I can still perform these tasks.  Today, 24 October, I will write some today on my current book project.  This is the book I have been working on concerning Scots-Irish folklore, Faeries, and the Second Sight.  Prior to the strokes, the work was going well.  Today, I begin writing again.  We will see how it goes.

Anyroad, I send you all warm and genuine thanks for the many blessings, prayers, best wishes, for my health and recovery.   These are all greatly appreciated and valued.   

Fairies and the Old Faith

Walking up to the summit of Loughcrew

This photo taken on the same day as I had the strange experience at Loughcrew in County Meath, at Slieve na Callí, which is the main hill at the site. It is the abode of Béara, who is a Bean Sí (fairy woman) and one of the Tuatha Dé.  There is a passage tomb on top, in which at the equinox sunrise, the rays of the sun shine down and illuminate the inner chamber.  There are the graves of extremely ancient dead kings, queens, and warriors there.  I give a full account of my strange and singular experience at Loughcrew in my book 'Finding the McCains.'  These Celtic fairies are not your wee, cute type, of the Victorian era children's books.  They are tall, fair, powerful beings of light, that are dangerous to be around.  Béara is remembered throughout Ireland and Scotland, in the old Gaelic homelands. She is, or has become in legend, a primordial nature spirit and Queen of Winter.  She can appear as an old woman or as a beautiful young maiden, tall and fair.     

Placing an 'intention' on a Faerie Tree

The practice of leaving 'wishes' or intentions, on Fairy trees goes back to pre Christian times.  A Fairy Tree is often located near a holy well, which was a spiritual place of worship in pre Christian times. They are part of the Old Faith.   Many travel, a pilgrimage of sorts, to the Fairy trees, to leave prayers or intentions, to ask a blessing or a favour, from those mysterious, unseen but felt, aspects of nature and the Old Faith that still manage to survive at these locations. When you visit a Fairy Tree you will see an array of objects left in the branches or at the base of the tree.  You will see ribbons, messages written on paper, colouful pieces of cloth or foil, photographs, toys, small figurines, and even strips of fabric torn from a visitor's clothing. 

A Fairy Tree near a Holy Well

A Fairy Tree is often a Hawthorn tree, but not always. A lone hawthorn standing in the middle of a field or pasture garners both respect and some suspicion by the local communities.  A Fairy Tree is thought to bring good fortune, but it is also known to belong to the Otherworld and is part of the Sidhe.  For this reason, it was the tradition to never cut nor harm the tree for fear of retribution of the old gods and their allies.  The Fairy Tree was, and to some still is, seen as a gateway into the Fairy realms.     

With my old son, Donovan, on Tara Hill at Lia Fáil. 

This photo taken at Tara.  My older son, Donovan, and I are standing by the Lia Fáil, a stone of power that was a gift to Ireland from the Tuatha Dé.  It is one of the four legendary treasures of Ireland brought to Ireland from the Northern Isles by the Tuatha Dé.   The treasures are the Claíomh Solais (sword of light), the Sleá Bua (victory spear of Lugh), the Coire Dagdae (cauldron of Dagda), and the last, the Lia Fáil (stone of Ireland). 

Link:  Finding the McCains

© 2017 Barry R McCain

Irish Coffee... The Rest of the Story

Irish Coffee… The Rest of the Story

Let's see, Irish whiskey, good strong black coffee, a bit of sugar, then nice thick cream, poured over the back of a spoon, so that it sits on top of the coffee, whiskey, and sugar mixture; what's not to love. When made right with good ingredients Irish Coffee is the perfect restorative. Last summer on my travels in Ireland I came upon the real story of Irish Coffee, in Ballybofey, County Donegal.


There is a common and widely held myth that Irish Coffee, that most wonderful of elixirs, was first created in the bar in Shannon Airport. It is true this luscious, Gaelic concoction, was served there at a very early date. But… it wasn’t the first place to serve this wonderful drink, it actually originated in County Donegal at Jackson’s Hotel, in Ballybofey.

There was a seaman named Joe Jackson, a Derry man, who served in the Merchant Navy during World War II. It was his misfortune to be on a ship that was torpedoed in the north Atlantic. When he was rescued he was suffering from exposure and was revived with a high proof drink made from coffee and rum, which was a Navy practice of the day. The rest of Joe Jackson’s service was in the eastern Mediterranean and there he was exposed to drinks containing cream, sugar, and spirits.

With the war over Joe returned home to Ireland and married a woman in the catering business in Ballybofey. Joe purchased a hotel in Ballybofey and calling upon his experiences during the war, began to experiment with new drinks. One of the specialties of the house was an ‘Irish Coffee’ which was made of strong black coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey, and then a layer of cream on top. This was circa late 1940s.

In the early 1950s a Scottish motoring magazine published an account of Joe Jackson’s Irish Coffee. The drink was replicated, according to lore, on 10 November 1952, in the bar of Shannon airport, but this was several years after Jackson’s Hotel served the drink. Perhaps it was a public relations coup or perhaps Donegal was in those days too distant and away, for whatever reason, the Shannon airport origin for Irish Coffee began to take root.

The real story is Irish Coffee is the creation of Mr Joe Jackson and was first served at Jackson’s Hotel in Ballybofey, County Donegal, where they still serve it today, exactly as it was created by Joe Jackson in the late 1940s.

Barry R McCain ©2017

Why 'McCain's Corner?'

McKane's Corner

The story of why and how I call my blog McCain’s Corner goes back to the McCains that stayed in Ireland, in Donegal, when my branch of the family migrated to Colonial America.  I had, from my childhood, been fascinated with the concept of finding that part of my family that stayed behind in the Old Country.  My book, Finding the McCains goes into detail about my forty year search for them and how I finally located them and the McCains in the New World were reunited with the McCains that stayed in Ireland.   The McCain’s Corner blog is named after a landmark associated with our family in Stranorlar, County Donegal, Ireland.

In 2008 I wrote a group of articles for the Irish newspaper The Finn Valley Voice.  The paper is based in Stranorlar and its editor is Celine McGlynn.  It is an old fashioned regional paper that was founded in 1994 and it is one of the two oldest independent newspapers that have survived in Ireland, the other one being the Tirconaill Tribune.  It is unique in another regard in that it is owned by an all lady group.  Celine not only edits and manages the newspaper, but she is also an accomplished artist.  Celine does oil paintings of Donegal landscapes and her works have appeared in the Screig Gallery, in Fintown.  Celine wanted to run some articles to highlight the growing interest in John McCain’s presidential bid.  I suggested to Celine a column for her paper, which would address the McCain connection to the district and other topics of interest.  I suggested we call the column McCain’s Corner.  Celine McGlynn thought my McCain’s Corner idea a good one and in the spring of 2008 I began a series of articles that appeared as the McKane’s Corner column in the Finn Valley Voice.

Hanging Out at McKane's Corner

When I suggested that name I did not know that there exists a landmark called McKane’s Corner.  In the late 1800s John McKane of Trenamullin founded McKane’s General Merchants Shop at the corner of Chapel Street and Main Street in Stranorlar.  From the early 1900s this street corner was used by the local men to meet together and talk about the issues of the day and to enjoy the craic.  It became known as McKane’s Corner and remains to this day a Stranorlar landmark.  Pat Holland, a reporter with the Finn Valley Voice, told me of a poignant letter he read about McKane’s Corner.  The letter was written in 1917 by Patrick Kelly, who was away fighting in World War I.  He sent a letter home to his family and toward the end he wrote, “tell me how they are getting on about McKane’s Corner, you can tell them all I was asking for them.”  Poor Patrick was killed shortly after posting the letter home.  The letter is still in existence, kept by his grandnephew, Jonathan Kelly.

Pat gave me a tour around the twin towns and took me to McKane’s Corner.  On the day we stopped at the corner there were several older gentlemen seated there, deep in conversation.  They were keeping up the McKane’s Corner tradition of meeting to chat about the events of the day.  We talked to them and took photographs and they were delighted as were we.  Pat and I also solved a mystery while we were at McKane’s Corner.  The location of the original sign of McKane’s General Merchants Shop was unknown.  Many feared it had been taken down and was rotting away in some barn, or worse, had been burned as trash.  But we found it that day.  The Flower Shop is now in the building that once was McKane’s General Merchants and as we were looking at the current florist’s sign we noticed that behind it was the original McKane’s sign.  It is worth stopping the car to take a few photos on McKane’s Corner, and besides, Kee’s Hotel and bar are just a few steps away.

John Wayne, Scots-Irish Icon

In one interview in the early 1950's John Wayne described himself as 'just a Scotch-Irish little boy.' John Wayne, or as he was known before his fame, Marion Morrison, was born in Winterset, Iowa. His family emigrated from County Antrim, Ireland, in 1799. The Morrison family, like many Scots-Irish families in Counties Antrim and Donegal, were of Hebridean origin.  The Morrisons were Scottish Gaels that came to Antrim from the outer Hebrides.  Scottish Highlanders and Hebrideans were called Redshanks circa 1520 through the 1600s and many of them migrated to Ulster in the 1500s and 1600s.  They also emigrated to the Colonies very early and became part of the Scots-Irish society there.

John Wayne's immigrant ancestor was Robert Morrison born in 1782, son of John Morrison. The Morrison family were active in the United Irishmen movement and their decision to emigrate was brought about by a British warrant issued for the arrest of Robert Morrison.

Robert Morrison and his mother arrived in New York City, in 1799. Like so many Scots-Irish the Morrison family had a tradition of being strong willed, opinionated, and carried a well developed sense of right and wrong.  Following the path of other Ulster settlers, the Morrisons pulled up stakes many times and followed the frontier west. The first wave of Ulster settlers headed west and south and people the Southern Uplands and the hill country of Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas. The Morrison were part of a second wave of Scots-Irish that moved along the rivers west into Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Iowa. They became the Mid West Scots-Irish.

John Wayne is arguably the most famous and most successful actor in history, quite an accomplishment for a Scots-Irish boy from Winterset, Iowa. He was a complex man, his family very Presbyterian, yet John Wayne often described himself as a 'cardiac Catholic.' He lived his life as a Christian with noticeable Presbyterian focus and drive, yet his wife Pilar was Roman Catholic, as were all his children. John Wayne himself converted to the Catholic Church officially just days before he passed away.

John and Pilar Wayne



John Wayne's childhood home in Winterset, Iowa











© 2017 Barry R McCain

REDSHANKS

Irish actor Dave Swift in Redshank attire circa late 1500s

The text below is a chapter from my book 'The Laggan Redshanks, The Highland Scots in West Ulster, 1569-1630.'  It is the very interesting tale of a migration of Highland Scots from Argyll to Donegal in the 1500s.  They were, and still are at times, called Redshanks.  My interest in this part of the history of Ireland came to me while working on my family's DNA project.  This chapter posted below discusses the use of the term Redshank.  

Link to purchase book: The Laggan Redshanks, The Highland Scots in West Ulster, 1569-1630

Redshank

It is not known when the term Redshank came into general use, but the word began to appear in published works by the mid 1500s.  At that time Redshank was a Lowland Scottish term for a Gael from the ‘Highlands.’  Scottish writer John Jamison included the term in his Supplement to the Etymological Dictionary of the Scottish Language published in 1825.  His entry is an interesting summary of early usage of Redshank in English.  Jamison includes quotes by the sixteenth-century writers Edmund Spenser, Thomas Stapleton, Raphael Holinshed, and John Elder.  In the citations provided by Jamison the term Redshank is consistent in that it always refers to a Scottish Gael.  As for the origins of the word Redshank there are two stories; one that the name came from the hair-out roe deer buskins (a calf high boot) commonly worn by Gaels and the other being that the name came from the Gaels going bare legged, or ‘rough footed.’

The dress of Scottish Gaels in the 1500s was in general very similar to Irish Gaels.  The léine, or linen shirt, and short woollen jacket were worn in both Ireland and Scotland.  The léine came down to just above the knee and in warm weather the wearer would be barelegged.  But, while this mode of dress was common, various forms of trews were also in wide use.  Most contemporary examples of the trews are ankle length, though there is one illustration from the 1570s drawn from life which shows a short trew, or a short pant, similar to a type that was worn in other parts of Western Europe at that time.  The use of the kilt, or the féileadh mór, dates to the mid 1500s, and it was worn over the léine.  So, during the 1500s when the term Redshank came into common use in Scotland, Ireland, and England, a Scottish Gael would have been dressed various ways, both barelegged and with trews.  Of importance perhaps is that the one consistent element of Gaelic dress was the hair out roe deer buskins, which is at least suggestive that this gave rise to the Scottish Gaels being known as Redshanks.

Whatever the origin of the term is, the meaning in the sixteenth century was certainly clear.  Raphael Holinshed, in his History of Scotland, describes some of the soldiers with Robert the Bruce as ‘Irish Scots, otherwise called Katerans or Redshanks.’  Holinshed’s work was published 1577 and the word ‘Irish’ meant ‘Gaelic’ in modern usage.  Calling Scottish Gaels ‘Irish’ was common in the 1500s.  There was a need in the sixteenth century to differentiate between the ‘Irish’ or traditional Gaelic Scots and those Scots in the Lowlands, especially the southeast Lowlands, which spoke Lallans and had developed their own unique society.  Additionally, Tudor writers often would describe Highland Scots in Ireland as Scots-Irish or Irish Scots, to give clarification when they were referring to Gaels from Scotland in Ireland and not native Irish Gaels.

The term was used for several centuries.  In the 1600s, in both the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (1639-1651) and the Williamite War (1689-1692), Scottish Highlanders from both Ulster and Scotland were commonly referred to as Redshanks in English.  Redshanks, sometimes styled ‘Redlegs,’ was also used in the Caribbean to describe poor whites, usually of Gaelic origin, that were the descendants of Highland soldiers exiled there by Cromwell.  It was also used to a certain extent to describe all poor whites of Gaelic ancestry, even Irish.  In the Caribbean the term ‘Beck e neck’ or ‘baked neck’, meaning ‘red-neck.’ was also used to describe Redshanks.  Any possible etymological connection to the Southern USA term Redneck can only be speculated upon, but it is of interest that in the American South this term referred in large part to the descendants of Gaels in Upland and rural areas.

In the 1500s the Gaelic writers in Ireland called the Redshanks, who had settled in Ulster ‘Albanaigh,’ which is Gaelic for ‘Scots.’  The term ‘New Scots’ was also used to describe Redshanks as a way to distinguish them from the ‘Old Scots’ that were the Gallóglaigh clans in Ireland.  The Gallóglaigh Scots settled in Ireland circa 1250 AD to 1350 AD and as previously noted, Redshank settlements came later, from 1400 to 1600 AD.

Some consider Redshank as a pejorative term, but many Scottish Gaelic writers when writing in English would describe themselves as a Redshank without any negative connotation.  Redshank is still occasionally used to describe people of Highland Scottish ancestry both in Ireland and Scotland.

Redshanks were a common feature of Irish armies throughout the 1500s.  Almost all of them came from the western Highlands, primarily Argyll, and from the Hebridean Islands, but there are examples of Redshanks coming from Ayrshire and Gallowayshire in the southwest Scottish Lowlands.  In the 1500s the southwest Lowlands still had a sizeable Gaelic speaking population and a culture that was not significantly different from the Highlands.  Clann Chaimbeul had lands and alliances in the western Lowlands and they were the largest suppliers of Redshanks.  The Caimbeuls drew men and captains from these southwest Lowland connections to serve in their military forces.  The Redshanks were also in high demand in both the English Tudor army and with various armies on the Continent.  As mercenaries they were considered hardier than English soldiers and superior to Irish soldiers.

The Elizabethan English were very cognizant of the Redshanks in Ireland.  The Calendar of the State Papers Relating To Ireland has many letters and reports of English officials in Ulster concerning Redshank activities from the mid 1500s until the early 1600s.  English concern and fear of the Redshanks grew greatly when they began to settle in Ulster. The nature of the Redshanks’ function was changing in Irish society.  Initially, the Redshanks were only paid for time in service and there was the added benefit that the Irish lords did not need to grant them land to live on.  This made them popular with these lords as they were less expensive than Gallóglaigh.  However, more Scottish warriors were needed as the wars against the Elizabethan English escalated.  The Redshanks were available in much greater numbers than the Gallóglaigh and the broadening scope and changing nature of warfare of the 1500s led some Irish lords, those that could afford it, to have Redshanks settle in strategic areas on their lands.

From the early fourteenth century, the Gallóglaigh were the elite element in Irish armies.  They were the armoured heavy infantry and were a warrior caste that functioned much like the samurai did in medieval Japan.  The Gallóglaigh were drawn from Hebridean and west Highland kindred groups.  Their leaders married into the Irish aristocracy and were granted lands throughout Ireland.  These warriors had not changed their basic mode of warfare and accoutrement of battle since the 1200s.  They had an iconic dress and weapons which included a conical helmet, coat of mail, and two handed axe.  Their accoutrement of war was archaic even in their heyday and was drawn from their mixed Gaelic and Norse heritage.  The Gallóglaigh were very effective on the field of battle.  They could stand up to the shock of English cavalry and were superior to English infantry.  Every Irish lord of any importance had them in his retinue.  In the 1500s however, the technology of war was changing along with the scale of warfare in Ulster.  Gallóglaigh were expensive to equip and train and it was very hard to organize them in numbers sufficient to counter the growing English threat in Ulster.  The Redshanks were available in much greater numbers and became the most effective way to counter the growing English threat.

The Redshanks were very successful soldiers and had distinct advantages over the English soldiers they faced and also over the Irish infantry and Gallóglaigh.  The Redshanks were not a structured entity in Gaelic society as were the Gallóglaigh.  The Gallóglaigh required very formal, elaborate, training and often the sons of a Gallóglach would follow their father into the profession.  In this sense the Gallóglaigh were a bona fide warrior caste and were more than simple mercenaries.  The Redshanks were much more flexible.  There were some similarities of course and at times there was very little difference between a Redshank warrior and a Gallóglach.  The Redshanks were also soldiers for hire and they came from the same Hebridean and Argyll kinships as did the original Gallóglaigh.  The Redshanks were trained and hardy, but they were not a Gaelic societal institution as were the Gallóglaigh.  As soldiers they were straight forward mercenaries, but they would farm, or fish, or turn to a trade if they tired of a soldier’s life.

The Redshanks were also more flexible even as warriors.  They were quick to take up the use of firearms to supplement their two handed swords and bows and they were noted for their excellent marksmanship.  They provided the swiftness of Gaelic light infantry, or the Ceithearn, yet also had the dynamic hitting power and shock of the Gallóglaigh.  By 1575 Redshank pay was equal to that of the famed Gallóglaigh. An example of their increasing importance in Ireland is found in the 1566 letter to the Elizabethan court by Sir Francis Knollys, an English agent in Ireland. The letter referenced the growing number of Redshanks the English encountered in the Irish armies they faced.  Knollys reported to Queen Elizabeth that 300 Redshanks were ‘harder to be vanquished in battle than 600 Irishmen.’

As mentioned, the initial settlement of Redshanks in Ulster was in the Glens of north Antrim.  The Biséd family of Scotland had gained control of the Glens circa 1245 AD.  The family held the Glens until the end of the 1300s when the head of the clan, Eóin Mac Eóin, failed to produce a male heir.  His oldest daughter, Máire Nic Eóin, married Eóin Mór Mac Dónaill of Clann Dhónaill in 1399 AD.  The marriage was the beginning of a large migration of Redshanks into north Antrim under Clann Dhónaill’s auspices.  These Redshanks settled in the Glens and Route districts that were controlled by Clann Dhónaill.  In 1542 John Travers, the Master of the Ordnance in Ireland wrote:

where as a company of Irishe Scottes otherwise called Redshankes daily commeth into the northe parties of Irelande and purchaseth castels and piles uppon the seecoste there so as it is thought that there be at this present above the nombre of 2 or 3 thousande of them within this Realme

In April of 1571 Lord Justice William FitzWilliam wrote to the Privy Council:

The Scots in the North build, manure the ground, and settle, as though they should never be removed.

There is a description of Redshanks found in the early 1600s book Beatha Aodha Ruaidh Uí Dhomhnaill (Life of Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill), written by the seanchaí of Clann Uí Dhónaill, Lughaidh Ó Cléirigh: 

They were recognized among the Irish soldier by the distinction of their arms and clothing, their habits and language, for their exterior dress was mottled cloaks of many colours with a fringe to their shins and claves, their belts were over their loins outside their cloaks.  Many of them had swords with hafts of horn, large and warlike, over their shoulders.  It was necessary for the soldier to grip the very haft of his sword with both hands when he would strike a blow with it.  Others of them had bows of carved woods strong for use, with well seasoned strings of hemp, and arrows sharp pointed, whizzing in flight.

Ó Cléirigh’s comments referred to an arrival in Derry of a thousand Scottish Gaels lead by Dónall Gorm Mac Dónaill (presumably from Skye) and ‘Mac Leóid’ of Arran in 1594. These Redshanks were in the service of Aodh Rua Ó Dónaill.  Ó Cléirigh was an eye witness of the Redshanks living in west Ulster and his comments provide an accurate assessment of their dress, weapons and characteristics.  By the late 1500s the unique Scottish dress of the belted kilt was worn by many Redshanks.  The two handed swords and bows described by Ó Cléirigh were favourite weapons of the Redshanks.  Ó Cleírigh also notes the Gaelic dialect of the Redshanks, which was unique to the Isles and Argyll.  As in Antrim, so many Redshanks settled in west Ulster that they influenced the Gaelic spoken there, giving it many elements of Scottish Gaelic.

The Redshank migration to Antrim came primarily from the Hebrides and Kintyre, which were lands controlled by Clann Eóin Mhóir.  The Redshank movement into West Ulster came primarily from mid Argyll and western Lennox and was organized by Clann Chaimbeul.

(c) 2017 Barry R McCain