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Hi all and a Merry Xmas! I have a couple of questions that some here may be able to answer: In popularist Clan Books MacLae/Donsleavy are often put down as Septs of Buchanan.I've done an awful lot of research on my surname (I live near Edinburgh) and haven't found any real links.Anyone any ideas? I did however find a Jon MacCondie alias Buchanan in the Records of the Privy Council along with a whole bunch of Buchanans outlawed for some interclan scrap or another. Any Gaelic speakers know if this would be pronounced in a similar way as MacConley perhaps? On another note, I luckily aquired 'Adventures in Legend' by The Marquis of Lorne whilst in Callander recently. There are several references to the Lismore Barons in that book which I'll happily quote if people aren't already aware of them. Cheers, Jamie

Merry Christmas, James Popularist Clan Books are a decidedly mixed blessing. On p125-6 of the most prestigous Clan Reference "Clans Septs and Regiments" by Adams and Learney, second edition it mentions some confusion about the Dunleavy, Mackinlay

If you send me an e-mail address I'll scan the relevant pages and they could possibly be used on the website.In retrospect it's quite a long story that'll suffer from being shortened.

Actually , after a more careful view of the website the story is already there in the 'Celtic Review' article 1909 about the Stewart of Ardnamurchan and the Baron and his two red haired sons and daughters. Same

Hi Jamie, All of the DNA evidence generated so far would indicate that there is a 95% chance the chieftains of Clan Buchanan and the MacLea chief had a common ancestor who was born from between 600 and 850 years ago.

Rob, I hate to take issue publicly but the references to Mac Duinnshleibhe are very much earlier than 1309. According to Byrne the Ulaid rigdamnai alone used the name Mac Duinnshleibhe

The Privy Council records for that particular piece of info are dated 1641. I believe that there is an early link between a lot of the Ecclesiastical clans, the early Buchanans being possessors of the bell and alms of St Kessog and Clerics to the Lennox Earls and the Leny Buchanans keepers of a tooth of StFillan . I don't know enough about the early middle ages to really comment, but I'm working on it! Cheers, Jamie

Dear Rob, Given the history and regional association- I think it likely that the MacGregor's and the Buchanan's may share a similar origin from Siol Alpin. All the best!

Hi Niall Of course this is a very important citation, but how do we know that this Mac Duinnsleibhe family is the same as our clan? And if we do not know for sure, then surely we have to consider all options? Donleavy in its various forms was obviously a Northern Irish and therefore Argyll personal name, and obviously all such names were used in patronymic and family names. For example the evidence for the way that Mac Dunsleibhe could become MacLea was based upon members of another family, right (I believe the Macquarries of Ulva)? It would of course be good if you could answer: but the Macquarries have the same DNA also, but at this stage I don't think we know this, and so we have to assume there were multiple families (at least multiple patrilineal families) using this name. Still, I am sure no one will disagree that what you say is the "null hypothesis" so to speak. But I do very much admire Rob's lateral thinking. Best Regards Andrew

Hi Andrew My point is that we don't know which Dunsleve is our ancestor.