!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN,
Section V, Edinburgh, The Associated Clan MacLeod Societies, 1976, pp.
11, 12-13.
Roderick, well known in his day as Ruairidh Nimhneach or Roderick the
Venomous, a man of soaring ambition, crooked counsels and bloodthirsty
deeds.
In addition Ruairidh Nimhneach was married and had a family of his
own.
With such an ambitious brood, Ruairidh Nimhneach determined to
destroy any trace of MacKenzie blood in Gairloch and at the same time
secure Gairloch and Raasay for his own sons. Accordingly, in 1568, he
invited the lawful heirs of the Gairloch MacLeods (his own half-brother''s
children), the children of John of the Axe, who had married Janet
MacKenzie as well as the children of Alexander II of Raasay to a feast on
the island of Isay, off the coast of Waternish. He professed to each that
he had very important matters to communicate to him. The invitation
was readily accepted, except by a son of Alexander of Raasay, who was
being fostered away from home by a devoted clansman, Malcolm MacNeill.
No sooner were the festivities over than Ruairidh the Venomous called
his guests individually into the adjoining room, where each one was
dispatched with dirks by a band of villains posted for the purpose. All
the sons of John MacLeod of the Axe, by his first wife, Janet MacKenzie,
all the sons of Alexander MacLeod VI of Gairloch, as well as the sons of
Alexander II of Raasay except the heir, luckily fostered by Malcolm
MacNeill, were foully murdered. This deed infuriated the powerful Clan
MacKenzie and, guided by the twin forces of greed for territory and
desire for vengeance, they destroyed the power of the Clann Mhic
Gillechaluim of Gairloch, drove them out of the area and forced their
leading men to seek refuge in the Isle of Skye. Ruairidh Nimhneach, the
arch-schemer, was finally killed by an arrow from the great Macrae
archer, Domhnall Odhar mac Iain Liath. John Tolmach MacLeod found
refuge in Skye. Ruairidh Beag, son of Donald Dubh, was killed by a
MacKenzie whose name in Gaelic was Murchadh Riabhnach na Cuiree. At
that time, the MacLeods still held their last stronghold, the crannog
called Eilean Ghrudigh, which was the residence of Rory Beag. In 1610, a
severe skirmish took place between the remnants of the MacLeods of
Gairloch and the MacKenzies at Lochan an Fheidh, where the MacLeods
were defeated and their leader John MacAllan mhic Rory, grandson of
Ruairdh Nimhneach, was captured. The few who escaped, including John
Tolmach, were pursued out of the district. Thus the ancient race of the
Clan Gillechaluim of Gairloch disappears from the stage of history in the
beginning of the 17th century.
!SOURCE: Alick Morrison, THE MACLEODS: THE GENEALOGY OF A CLAN,
Section IV, Revised Edition, "The MacLeods of Lewis", Edinburgh,
Associated Clan MacLeod Societies, 1990, p. 5.
"...a son of evil repute, Roderick (Ruaidhri Neimhneach)." [D. Warrand
(1965) p. 86; J. T. Clark (1900) (I) p. 90.