COLONSAY AND ORONSAY, TRADITIONAL HOMELAND OF CLAN MACFIE
The island of Colonsay lies in the Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland. Fifteen miles to the north lies the island of Mull; the eastern and southern horizons are bounded by the islands of Jura and Islay; and to the south west, just visible from a high point on a clear day, is the coast of Donegal in Ireland. For further information regarding Colonsay and Oronsay see http://www.colonsay.org.uk and http://www.colonsay.info/
| A short video impression of Colonsay,Taken on a day trip from Islay to Colonsay. A walk past Loch Fada to Carnan Eoin (the highest hill on Colonsay) and then back by Kiloran Bay and Beinn nan Gudairean. At the end of the video you can choose some other Colonsay clips from youtube. |
Kiloran
Bay, Colonsay
Clan Macfie
Clan Macfie is one of the oldest Scottish Clans with a history going back before records were kept. The ancient name for our Clan is Macdubhsith. While literally meaning “dark man of peace”, sithe is also the term used for supernatural beings that populated the islands and the highlands and the term dubh or dark also had mystical and supernatural connotations. The ancestral homeland for the Macfies is the islands of Colonsay and Oronsay in the Western Isles of Scotland.
In 1623, Malcolm, the last Chief of the Clan Macfie, was captured by the infamous Colla Ciotach MacDonald. He was tied to a Standing Stone, known as Carraig Mhic a’ Phi at Balaruminmore, on our ancestral island of Colonsay, and summarily shot. The Clan Macfie was dispossessed of its lands and dispersed as a “broken” Clan.
That is, until 27th May 1981, when the Clan was reactivated and again formally recognised as an “active” Clan by the Lord Lyon. Macfies all over the world celebrate that date as Clan Macfie Day - a new ‘birthday’ for the Clan Macfie.