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Comments on: How Gaelic is the Scottish clan system? http://109.74.200.198/how-gaelic-is-the-scottish-clan-system/ Sat, 21 Jan 2017 20:38:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.6.1 By: Susan McIntosh http://109.74.200.198/how-gaelic-is-the-scottish-clan-system/#comment-3685 Susan McIntosh Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:51:45 +0000 http://www.scotclans.com/?p=58802#comment-3685 Hamish – Thank you for your comment. Great additional information. The purpose of this particular thread was to begin a dialogue about how today’s clan system might better approach an important Gaelic heritage that today, as much as ever, needs and deserves support. You have pointed out a very cool aspect to the puzzle of our Gaelic past – and one that begins to offer answers to topical questions. I didn’t really “ignore” this contribution to Gaelic social and political institutions it was just a bit beyond the scope of what I has shooting at. Yet it is at the heart of what I recommend in the blog, which is we really need to begin to focus on Gaelic history and heritage, including the influence and effect non-Gaelic contributions, and commit greater resources to Gaelic language survival and historic scholarship, especially in the diaspora.

]]> By: Hamish MacLeod http://109.74.200.198/how-gaelic-is-the-scottish-clan-system/#comment-3680 Hamish MacLeod Wed, 30 Sep 2015 10:42:57 +0000 http://www.scotclans.com/?p=58802#comment-3680 This piece rather ignores the Viking effect on Scots history. The Vikings broke the Celtic church. They forced (inadvertantly) the unification of mainland Scotland. For generations, they isolated the Hebrides from Lowland rule and feudalism.

It also does not highlight the key Viking influences on the original clan system:
- Succession was linear through Tannistry – the Tannist was the next heir.
- Male primogeniture was not practised.
- There was no institution of marriage – children were raised by the whole clan.
- Land belonged to no individual – but to the whole clan, and was allocated
- Democracy – posts of honour were held by election … all had dignity – egalitarian.
- Emnities as well as friendships were collective.

Moreover the Norman influence was also profound – it could be argued that Bannockburn was one set of Norman Knights and their followers fighting another set of Norman Knights and their followers … for but one example Robert Bruce (or Robert de Brus to give the original Norman family name).

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