36 Ireland and the Scottish Isles. 



marked improvement in the relations between the Picts and 

 the Scots, and led to their ultimate union into one Scottish 

 kingdom. The monastery of lona became celebrated over 

 Western Europe, and for centuries afterwards shone as a bright 

 beacon of Christianity in this far-off isle of the sea. In the 

 burial-ground known as the Relig Oran there are buried 48 

 Scottish kings, 4 Irish kings, 8 Norwegian kings, and Egfrid, 

 a king of Northumbria, also many great Highland chiefs and 

 lords of the isles, so that very few spots on earth contain more 

 I emains of illustrious dead than does lona. It was the parent 

 of many monasteries not alone in Scotland and the Isles, but 

 in Ireland and the North of England. Columba returned to 

 Ireland at the close of his life to attend a great national 

 convention held at Drumceatt, near to where Limavady now 

 stands. 



The Macdonnells became connected with Antrim, and 

 formed an Irish family, the head of which is the Earl of Antrim. 

 John Mor Macdonnell, son of Eion of Islay, and grandson by 

 his mother of King Robert II., came to Antrim for a wife. 

 He came over to seek the hand of Margery Bysett, a handsome 

 woman, and heiress to all the lands included in the Glens of 

 Antrim. The Bysetts were a noble Scotch family, who about 

 the year 1 242 were outlawed from Scotland for the supposed 

 murder of the Earl of Athol, which charge was never proved. 

 Leaving Scotland with all their means, they acquired the 

 territory included in the Glens. Margery's father had married 

 a daughter of The O'Neill, and, having no other child, the 

 property fell to her. John Macdonnell was married in 1399 to 

 Margery Bysett at Glenarm, where her family had a castle. 

 They resided afterwards in Cantire, and occasionally at Glenarm. 

 From the period of their marriage a greater number of the 

 islanders settled in the Glens, which continued a favourite 

 resort and hiding-place when any trouble arose in Scotland. 

 The intercourse between Antrim and the Isles, particularly 

 Islay and Cantire, from this time became very close. There 

 was constant going to and from the Isles, and occasional forays 



