10 COLONSAY 



vividly impressed the imagination of succeeding generations 

 of islanders was Colla Ciotach (Mac Gilleasbuig) M'Donald. 

 Although we do not know the date of his arrival in Colonsay, 

 he was long connected with the island. According to local 

 tradition, he came from Ireland. The date of his birth was 

 about 1570. His grandfather, Coll, was brother to James 

 M 'Donald of Dun Naomhaig, and of the Glens in Ireland, 

 the first Earl of Antrim being a cousin. It is said that 

 Coll was twice married, and local tradition hands down an 

 incident in connection with the burial of one of his wives. 

 M'Donald of Keppoch had been married to a woman much 

 younger than himself. For a slighting retort which she 

 made when he was in a playful mood, " Se sin miolaran an 

 t-seana choin ris a chuilein," he sent her away, and she after- 

 wards lived with Coll in Colonsay as his wife. M'Donald, 

 later on, found his way to the island. Coll, on hearing of his 

 arrival, went to apprise his wife, who had been but recently 

 confined. Wishing to find out if she still had any regard 

 for her former husband, he told her that M'Donald had been 

 drowned off the Point of Ardnamurchan. On hearing this, 

 she turned away her face and expired. A dispute subse- 

 quently arose between Coll and Keppoch as to where the 

 body should be taken for burial, Kilchattan or Oransay; 

 and to settle the matter they resorted to a duel of spears 

 at the western entrance of the mansion-house, afterwards 

 known as Bealach an t-Sleagh (Gateway of the Spear). 



Two of Coll Ciotach's sons, Alastair and Angus, are referred 

 to in local tradition ; but not the third, Gilleasbuig. Alastair, 

 Montrose's celebrated general, was born in the Abbey barn 

 (Sabhall Ban), Kiloran, used as the family residence after the 

 old Abbey had fallen into a dilapidated condition. It was 

 an indication of the warlike career before him, that the 

 swords jumped out of their scabbards and the muskets fired 

 of their own accord on the night of his birth. His nurse, 

 who possessed second sight, predicted that the child would 



