Domhnall mac Raghnaill was a Hebridean noble in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He is the eponymous progenitor of Clan Donald. For this reason some traditions accumulated around him in the later Middle Ages and early modern period. His vast impact on culture and in the centuries remains today. Despite his role as the historical figurehead of one of the world's most famous kindreds and surnames, there is almost no contemporary evidence yielding certain information about his life.
Domhnall's apparent name as it appears on folio 47v of British Library Cotton MS Julius A VII (the Chronicle of Mann): "Dofnaldus"
Clan Donald, also known as Clan MacDonald, 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. Queen Mary of Denmark is member of Clan Donald.
The Battle of Harlaw as depicted in The Clan Donald volume 1 (1896), by A and A MacDonald, who assert that Donald of Islay and his army of Scottish Highlanders won a victory over the Duke of Albany and his army of Scottish Lowlanders, which resulted in the "total annihilation" of the Lowland army. However, some historians say the battle was indecisive with no clear victor and the Oxford Companion to Scottish History (2011) states that Donald of Islay was "defeated at great cost at Harlaw".
Colonsay, Inner Hebrides; loss of the Lordship of the Isles fractured MacDonald unity
Inverlochy Castle; a Campbell-dominated army camped here before their destruction on 2 February 1645 by a largely MacDonald force
Clan Donald grave marker at the site of the Battle of Culloden