How The MacIntyres Got Their Name

The stories surrounding the Norse-Gaelic warlord Somerled might make him seem like a mythical character, but he was a very real 12th Century figure. Through cunning ploys and military might, he became Lord of the Isles, and his sons went on to found some of the best-known clans on the west coast.

The MacDonalds, MacDougalls and MacRuaris can all trace their ancestry back to Somerled, but the MacIntyres owe their name to him in a different way.

Somerled was an impressive figure, and his achievements were legendary, but even he wasn't considered good enough to marry the daughter of Olav the King of Man. Ragnhild was smart, beautiful, and of royal blood, so her father eyed a more lucrative match than a mere island warlord.

The two men continued to work closely together, even though Olav had to constantly turn down his ally’s proposals. It was heart breaking for Somerled’s men to watch their chief, evidently in love with Ragnhild, be rejected over and over again. Then the night before a joint raid on Skye, Maurice MacNeil had an idea.

He crept into Olav's boat and carved a dozen holes through the wooden bottom, filling them with just enough tallow to keep it afloat for a few miles. The King of Man suspected nothing as the fleet cast off the next day, eager to reach the island. However, once the larger waves of the open sea began to hit, he noticed the water pooling his feet.

The boat was filling up fast and Olav was beginning to panic, envisaging a watery grave. Maurice made sure that he and Somerled were sailing alongside so that the King would shout to them for help first. Olav promised anything if they saved him, even offering his daughter's hand in marriage to Somerled.

That was what Maurice had been waiting to hear and he nimbly leapt aboard the sinking ship. The cunning character was carrying just the right number of perfectly sized wooden pegs to fill the holes he had made the night before. If Olav was suspicious, he was too relieved to show it.

Somerled went on to marry Ragnhild, rewarding Maurice handsomely with both land and a new name. He became known as The Carpenter which translates as “an t'saoir” in Gaelic and his sons would become the Mac An t'saoir or the MacIntyres.