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MacNab
Motto: Timor omnis abesto (Let fear be far from all)
The name MacNab results from the contraction of the Gaelic Mac-an-aba (son of the abbot), when the ‘a’ of ‘an’ is elided and the ‘n’ accredited to the ‘aba’. Clan MacNab derive from the hereditary Celtic Abbot of Glen Dochart who lived during the reign of David I, hence their name. During the 7th century, St. Fillan founded a monastery in Glen Dochart, the upper part of the valley being named Strathfillan after him.
A genealogy of the clan compiled in 1467, lists Gillafaelen (servant of St. Fillan) as one of the early chiefs. The MacNabs and MacIntoshes signed a Bond of Manrent in 1606 declaring a connection between the two, although the actual connection is unclear.
First of the name on record was Mathew M’Nab, who did not appear in connection with the traditional clan area, rather he was a tenant of the Earl of Douglas at Brekauchbeg in 1376.
As followers of the MacDougalls during the War of Independence, the MacNabs lost much of their lands when Bruce finally became King. In the later wars between King and Parliament, the clan followed the Royalist cause. During the Rising of 1745, the MacNabs supported the Hanoverian cause. From those once extensive lands there remains only the MacNab burial island at Killin.
Choose from one of the MacNab tartans listed below:
