Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Iberian Peninsula

A friend suggested I look up "celtiberian " in my quest for knowledge about my early ancestors. I did and learned that it means "celt-iberian" (as in Iberian Peninsula of Europe - now Spain). The people living there, the Celts and the Iberians, co-mingled and apparently migrated to Ireland over two millennium ago. My DNA group (R2B2) closely matches a small group of these people from what is now the area near Albacete, Spain.

I shared my information with my new-found 'cousin' in Canada, Lyn McMullen, and he wrote back:

"I have read that article, and here is a better map outlining populations that inhabited the Iberian peninsula circa 200 BC. It is more specific in terms of listing ethnic population groups that occupied territory at that time. It is this map which forms part of the evidence I have reviewed concerning the Germanos (Germano-Celts), the group I believe our family genetically descend from. They are shown as located in the Celtic language speaking area just above another group called Oretanus. Recorded history around these Germano-Celt Suebi, clarify that a larger group (mercenaries) were invited into this area later (circa 100BC), then subsequently driven out circa 57 BC by Roman Legion’s. This I believe may have been the migration point for elements of that ethnic population to Ireland."




The circle near the center is the area around Albatete.
So now I'm beginning to get a picture of where my family can trace it's earliest roots. We are descendants of Germano-Celts.
This is great information that would have taken me years, if ever, to find. Thanks to Lyn I have been able to place us in Ireland, Scotland and now Spain over a 2,000 year period. How cool is that!!!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Scottish Gathering in Salado, Texas

Another adventure...


Judy and I went to our first Scottish Gathering & Highland Games event over the weekend. It was in Salado, Texas, just south of Waco.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and took some time to get to know Salado. It didn't take long because it's a small town. We drove through the park and it was so nice that we walked along Salado Creek, a beautiful clear spring-fed creek that flows through town and the park. A fellow Big Green Egger who lives in Salado suggested we take a look at the park as a possible Eggfest site in the future. He was right... it would be a great place for an Eggfest.




But our mission in Salado was to represent our Clan MacMillan Society of Texas group, so we went to the Gathering site to see where our tent would be placed and get a lay of the land. We were surprised at how large an area the Gathering would occupy.



Saturday morning we found the tent already set up and organized. Mark McMillan and his wife Judy were waiting with plenty of information for those interesting in the MacMillan family. But after a couple of hours we could tell that it was going to be a slow day.

Judy, Gary McMillan and Mark McMillan

Judy McMillin and Judy McMillan

Mark McMillan and Jane McMillin


Gary McMillan was across the street as a participant in the Highland Games. He was there all day and we didn't learn until Sunday that he came in 3rd in one event. I think I would have enjoyed participating regardless of the end results. Sounds like fun.

Things got a bit exciting though around noon. The wind kept gaining in speed all morning and was now strong enough to destroy our tent. Suddenly, we found ourselves sitting in the open. As people strolled by they would ask where our tent was and we would reply with "We're a poor clan and can't afford a tent" or "Our tent was repossessed" or "Some scoundrel absconded with it while we were visiting the Porta-Let" etc. They figured it out pretty quickly though when they spotted the pile of crumpled canvas and metal.


Just a few of the 100+ tents


The crowd continue to grow and before long there were hundreds of people making their way around the field. Many of them were in traditional Scottish dress proudly wearing their clan tartans. Only two from our little group dressed for the occasion, Mark McMillan and David McMullen.


Mark McMillan


David McMullen

Even so, as small a group as we were, we marched in the parade of tartans which also included a number of pipe and drum corps. We all ended up on the parade grounds where one lonely bagpipe began playing Amazing Grace. It sounded great, but at the end of the first stanza the rest of the pipes and drums kicked in and it sounded absolutely wonderful.

All of the Pipe & Drum Corps on the field

Pipes 'a playing and Drums 'a thumping


The Clan MacMillan contigent in the March of Tartans


Pipe & Drum Major



Judy and I had already made plans to attend the Ceilida (pronounced Kay-Lee) so we left the tent to others to man.

We met at the ruins of ancient Salado College where the Ceilida took place. We learned that since people in the old days had to create their own entertainment they would gather for a Ceilida and each person would entertain the group by whatever means they could. Whether it be playing a musical instrument, or singing a song, dancing a jig, or telling a story, or reading a poem, everyone contributed to the entertainment of the others. Pretty neat concept when you think about it.


Crumbling fireplace at Salado College


Old wall and a really nice backdrop to performances



The setting was perfect for such an event. Very laid back and informal. It was great.

By the end of the Ceilida we were ready for dinner and decided on The Stagecoach Inn. We knew it had some history behind it but we didn't realize how much until we sat at our table. The Inn began serving customers in 1861. According to the information we read almost anyone who figured prominently in Texas history either dined there, slept there or hid out there. Yes, even some outlaws spent some time there.

Judy on the porch at Stagecoach Inn



We were tired and were asleep at our hotel by 8:00 PM.


Sunday we were up early to help man our little spot of grass among all the tents, but much to our surprise Gary McMillan drove up with a new tent. The store was good enough to replace the destroyed one. This one worked well, especially after some reinforcing.

We had a few MacMillan's (various spellings) drop by throughout the day. It was fun talking to them. After all, they are "cousins." We also showed them our growing collection of charts, maps and data reflecting the MacMillan history.

According to Mark, there is some information that a MacMillan was a member of the Knights Templar. We had a knight's helmet for those who wished to try it on. I did and it's not very comfortable at all.




We hung around until just after noon and left to return to Houston. I can't see well at night so we didn't want to take a chance that it would get dark on us while driving home.

All in all, we had a good time, listened to some great pipe and drum bands and met a lot of very nice people.

Yes, it was another great adventure.

Friday, November 2, 2007

DNA Match Followup

This is a followup to my previous publication - DNA Match... Lyn writes:

What I believe to be true based on all of that is this:
McMullen`s Maolan, Mac Maolain, are the genetic ancestors of the Germano-Celt tribe Seubi, traditionally Switzerland, Rhine valley Germany and Northern Italy, They were mercenaries hired by the Gallician Portugese circa 100 BC, driven out by roman legions circa 52 BC, some migrated from Gallicia along with Laigin and Milesian tribes to Ireland. They surface as the Gaileanga, mercenaries who become part of the Ui Briuin Ai, Connachta Sil Muiredach and lagered with the tribal federation of Ui Maine. Maolan was a descendant of Clan Leochain. Chief of Clan Leachain was O’Darchaide (anglized Darcy), and of the same stock are the Diarmada, O’Faolan, O’ Cannons and O`Mullen’s of Ballymoe Co. Galway. They Mullen’s are nobles with an independent title of Lord of Gaileanga and Luighne, and over a period starting about 900 AD to 1100, begin to evolve as devotees of St John (Maol ain). They lived in parishes adjacent the O’Cannon and O’Faolan with names like Dunmore, Killian and Kilbegnet. In 1000 AD Brian Boru high king of Ireland introduces surnames, so that the son of Maolain, became Mac Maolain. This history which I am currently writing (at about 60 pages right now) is plastered throughout numerous Irish annals, those of the history of Ireland in maps, those of Ui Briuin, those of Clonmacnoise, those of Breifne, etc. During the period the nobles were moving toward the church, they lost leadership of the mercenary Gaileanga and quite possibly some of the sons of Mac Maolain who were not that religious. Those sons appear to have hired on as professional soldiers in a group created by the Dal gCais O’Brain (Boru) circa 1100. They would end up in Coleraine and North Antrim with the name O’Cathain (Cain/Keane/Kane). My beliefs in this regard come from as I have mentioned the fact that my last match MacMillan Clan is circa 1197, and any other MacMillan after that is 3000 years away. In between though I connect on genetic matching, not only to you, but to many Irish and Cain at approximately the same time frame 800 AD. I believe MacMillan Gp1 are the descendants of our Irish Mac Maolains, and also that in North Ireland are the remnants of the earlier Gaileanga who later became part of Mac Lachlan and the Ui Neill in Coleraine and Armoy. Who else is hallucinating in this fashion ? The current recognized chief of the Clan O’Cathain, who states on their DNA site that testing is rewriting their oral history which was exclusively tied to the Northern Ui Neill. His own DNA takes him to Clare and Galway and a run on Cain in general will land you predominantly in Galway. This genetic bent for church and military continues as you can see in the MacMillan line and I was a professional soldier myself. For example Leroy, I imagine that if you were to log onto Ysearch and do the GD calculation for your markers against surnames MacMillan/McMillan, you will find that Cain’s test closer to you than any MacMillan as may other Irish names. The Irish/Scot Clan MacDonald who we are wrapped together during our time in the Highlands also proudly claim Ireland as their origins and list Cain as an associated sept circa 1200. That probably happened because the MacDonnell and MacGregor Gaels came into Ireland circa 1250 as mercenaries to help Irish fighting Normans (lost unfortunately) and would have linked up with the Coleraine based O’Cathain.


Interesting Huh!!!