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Article written by Mary-Jo Tohill - ......... but really "How Scottish are you?" All my life I've been telling people I'm related to Flora Macdonald - yes, the very same that the national dance we do is named after (and yep, she inspired the Skye Boat Song for helping Jacobite Bonnie Prince Charlie flee Scotland after the Battle of Culloden). And now I may have a tiny bit of proof, thanks to the whole ancestry.com craze! My grandmother (Myra Milward Stevens nee Macdonald) was a Macdonald - note the small 'd' - and her grandfather Malcolm was from near Baleshare (Scottish Gaelic: Baile Sear) in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Baleshare lies to the south-west of the island of North Uist. It's those bunch of islands off the western coast of Scotland. Skye is one of the well-known islands of the Inner Hebrides and is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Her grandmother was a McKay from Inverness but that's a whole other story...  Flora Macdonald was from the island of South Uist, in the Outer Hebrides, in 1722. She was born in the village of Milton. After her father's death, she was brought up under the care of the chief of her clan, the Macdonalds of Clanranald. This is also my clan. My mother (Billie/Myra Jill Tohill nee Stevens) recently did a DNA test, and astonishingly her gene pool origin was very specific to these places in the Uist islands. Look - same nose and eyes as good old Flora! That means I've inherited a fair swag of these genes (and the Viking ones too - there's a big dollop of those).  Seriously though, Flora and I although not closely related are likely to have shared some of the same DNA.
I'm inspired enough to do a DNA test - there shouldn't be too many surprises; still it would be interesting to find out how Scottish I really am! There is no doubt equal proportions of English and Irish in there too. Here's how you can find out: Take a DNA test - is one way Look for a genealogical centre. Tip: I'm from the Macdonald clan. A good place to find out information is the Clan Donald Centre in Skye: https://armadalecastle.com/ https://www.isleofskye.com/attractions/visitor-centre/museum-of-the-isles There's heaps of help online - try this site: https://www.discoverresultsfast.com/web?q=free+scottish+genealogy&o=1673447&cid=20708429179&agid=160617088731&utm_source=google&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7Ii6se_WhAMV78E8Ah0kow1ZEAAYAiAAEgKQkvD_BwE&gad_source=1&qo=semQuery&ag=fw10&an=google_s&tt=rmd&ad=semA&akid=drf-20708429179-160617088731 You would need the name of your ancestors your grandparents/great grandparents etc to begin a search, or narrow it down. This could also show where and when they left Scotland, where they ended up etc. We would be really interested to hear your stories which could include:
Your contribution should include:
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