History of the Clan MacLean from its first settlement at Duard Castle, in the Isle of Mull, to the present period

Legends of Mull. 341
■which it is alleged that Allan MacDonald, eighth of Moydart and Clanranald,
in paying a visit with his lady to MacLean of Duard, " fell in love with a
■daughter of the said MacLean, and carried her off directly in some of his
long boats, or birlinns, to Castleterrim, leaving his own lady at MacLean's
house at Duard, where she did not remain long before MacDonald of Keppoch
seeing her, and taking a fancy to her in her misfortunes, took her away to his
liouse. Allan of Moydart, in the meantime, kept MacLean's daughter with
him at Castleterrim, and had two sons by her, and the mother seeing that the
former son which Allan had by MacLeod's daughter should be the heir, she
fell upon a stratagem to put him out of the way, and make room for her owti
•children to come in his place. It was Allan of Moydart's custom to pass with
her a part of summer at a place called Keppoch, in Arisaig, which was but a
few hours' rowing from Castleterrim. Near this place the sea forms a lake,
called in the country dialect Loch na Keal, much frequented by vast numbers
of seals. Allan's three sons often diverted themselves with shooting these
animals upon the rocks, and the mother of the two younger brothers findino'
this apt opportunity for completing her design, gave her two sons their lesson
so well, that, one day as their elder brother was taking aim at one of the seals,
they shot him dead upon the spot ; so that those two sons were then the only
offspring of Allan. . . . Some time after the murder of Moydart's eldest and
only lawful son, MacLean's daughter died, as did also MacLeod's daughter, who
was in Keppoch's possession, and w^as properly Allan's lawful wife. Upon
this, Allan, being then free of all engagements, married a daughter of Mac-
Donald of Glengary, by whom he had a son, John," who " not being power-
ful enough to contend with his two brothers about the right of succession, as
they were head-strong men, and he but a youth and without support, and his
father, Allan, in his dotage, was obliged, after some vain attempts, to take
what fortune was allotted to him, and was the first of Kinloch-Moydart."
The above Allan of Moydart was chief of Clanranald from 1584 to 1.593, when
he died. He was prominent as early as the year 1548. This would fix the
time of his visit to Duard castle during the chieftainship of Hector Mor.
But that chieftain's daughters have already' been accounted for ; so, if the
story is true, the woman must have been the daughter of one of the gentlemen
of the clan.