Clann Somhairle facts for kids

Clann Somhairle, sometimes called Clan Sorley, refers to several important Scottish and Irish families. These families all come from a famous leader named Somerled. He was a powerful Norse-Gaelic ruler who lived a long time ago. Somerled was even a king, known as the King of Mann and the Isles. The most well-known families from Clann Somhairle are the Clan Donald and the Clan MacDougall. They were very important groups in Scottish history.

Who Was Somerled?

The exact family background of Somerled is a bit of a mystery. We only know his father's name from early records. Later stories said he had Gaelic ancestors. These stories tried to connect him to very old, legendary figures in Scottish and Irish history.

However, historians today think these older family trees might not be completely accurate. Instead, Somerled's claim to rule the Kingdom of the Isles came from his wife, Ragnhildr. She was the daughter of King Amlaíb Derg. This connection through his wife was very important for his power.

Some old writings also mention Somerled's family as the Dalverjar. This name means "dale-dwellers." Some people think this name might be linked to the older kingdom of Dál Riata.

The Name "Clan Gothofred"

In 1549, a writer named Donald Monro wrote about the main branches of Clan Donald. He said that in older times, the family was known as "Clan Gothofred."

He wrote that Somerled's family was called Clan Gothofred because of an ancestor named Gothefred. In the Gaelic language, this name was "Clan Gotheray." This shows that the family was very important a long time ago.

The name "Gofraid" or "Gothofred" appears in many old stories about Somerled's family. One old poem even says that Clann Somairle came from "Síol nGofraidh," which means "the seed of Gofraid." Another poem from the 1600s mentions a "Descendant of Gofraidh, descendant of Amhlaibh Fionn." "Amhlaibh Fionn" might refer to Amlaíb Conung, a Norse-Gaelic king from the 800s. Historians have different ideas about which Gofraid these old texts are talking about.

See also

• Sorley Boy MacDonnell
• Irish nobility
• British nobility
• List of haplogroups of historical and famous figures