Scottish clan
Clan Donald |
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Crest: On a crest coronet Or, a hand in armor fessways couped at the elbow proper holding a cross crosslet fitchy Gules. |
Motto | Per mare per terras ('by sea and by land')[2] |
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War cry | Fraoch eilean ('the heathery isle') |
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Region | Highland and Islands |
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District | Inner Hebrides Ross |
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Plant badge | Common heath[3] |
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Godfrey James Macdonald of that Ilk |
The 8th Baron Macdonald, Chief of the Name and Arms of Macdonald, High Chief of Clan Donald and 34th hereditary Chief of Clan Donald. |
Historic seat | Finlaggan Castle |
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Septs of Clan Donald
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Darroch, MacBeth, MacColl, MacCorran, MacEachan, MacEachern, MacGillanders, MacGorrie, MacMhuirich, MacMurdoch, MacQueen, MacRory, MacRuairi, MacRury, MacSween, MacSweeny, Queen, Rosrieson, Rory
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Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald or Clan Mc Donald (Scottish Gaelic: Clann Dòmhnaill; Mac Dòmhnaill [ˈkʰl̪ˠãũn̪ˠ ˈt̪õː.ɪʎ]), is a Highland Scottish clan and one of the largest Scottish clans. The Lord Lyon King of Arms, the Scottish official with responsibility for regulating heraldry in that country, issuing new grants of coats of arms, and serving as the judge of the Court of the Lord Lyon, recognises under Scottish law the High Chief of Clan Donald. Historically the chiefs of the Clan Donald held the title of Lord of the Isles until 1493 and two of those chiefs also held the title of Earl of Ross until 1476.
There are also numerous branches to the Clan Donald and several of these have chiefs recognised by the Lord Lyon King of Arms; these are: Clan Macdonald of Sleat, Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, Clan MacDonell of Glengarry, Clan MacDonald of Keppoch, Clan MacDonald of Glencoe, and Clan MacAlister. There are also notable historic branches of Clan Donald without chiefs so-recognised, these are: the Clan MacDonald of Dunnyveg, Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh, and the MacDonalds of Ardnamurchan. The MacDonnells of Antrim are a cadet branch of the MacDonalds of Dunnyveg but do not belong to the Scottish associations and have a chief officially recognised in Ireland.