Clann Dubhghaill: thoughts on the MacDougalls in the later middle ages’, a talk by Dr Martin MacGregor

Dr Martin MacGregor is a senior lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow, specialising in the history of the Highlands or Gaelic-speaking Scotland between 1300 and 1900. His PhD was on Clann Griogair or the MacGregors in the later Middle Ages (roughly the 14th to 16th centuries),and he maintains a strong research interest in clans and clan society.

Dr Macgregor’s talk will the nature of clanship in the later Middle Ages by using Clan MacDougall as a case study: Clans are one of the iconic markers of Scottish identity, yet surprisingly little academic research has been done on either clan society, or on the history of individual clans, in the later middle ages. This talk will offer some thoughts on the rise, fall and survival of Clann Dubhghaill or the MacDougalls in this era. It will make discuss some important surviving documents, pay attention to the MacDougalls as patrons of Gaelic culture, and draw comparisons with other clans.