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Scot wins clan title after long court fight

He can call himself a clan chief now, but many clansmen won't hear it, a historian says.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published September 14, 2006

EDINBURGH, Scotland - In days of yore, clan chiefs ruled rugged swaths of Scotland as their fiefdoms, collecting taxes, calling men to arms, and deciding land disputes.

These days, clan chiefs get little more than a coat of arms, a motto, and a personal tartan for kilts - although the title does carry considerable prestige.

But that didn't stop Ranald MacDonald from waging a bitter two-decade court battle to be named chief of Clan MacDonald of Keppoch - a title that has been dormant since 1848 when the 21st chief died without a male heir.

Persistence paid off for the 75-year-old: The Highland clan installed him as its leader on Wednesday.

"The record has been set straight," the retired hearing aid specialist said. "That is the point."

There are 247 clans in Scotland - half of which don't have a chief. Clan disputes are notoriously fierce and have often ended in bloodshed in years past.

MacDonald's claim was contested by clansmen who say that his ancestor, Alexander MacDonald, was born out of wedlock in 1832 and corrupted the bloodline.

Rory MacDonald, a historian of the Keppoch clan that is a branch of the larger Clan Donald, said many clansmen will refuse to recognize MacDonald as their leader.

"You cannot become clan chief without the acceptance of your clan. We will not recognize this," he said.

MacDonald's case rested on the concept of sloinneadh (pronounced SLO-ny-ug), a Scottish Gaelic word referring to the genealogy of the male line handed down orally.

[Last modified September 14, 2006, 01:16:43]