The Secrets of Conor McGregor’s Clan MacGregor Revealed
Channel: Celtic History Decoded
Date: 2021-07-10

The Secrets of Conor McGregor’s Clan MacGregor Revealed

“I’m born and bred to do this… My family name was bred on the battlefield – swinging pick-axes on the back of a horse. That’s where the McGregor name comes from – we come from the Scottish Highlands. We’re warriors, that’s all I know” (10:21).  

Conor McGregor (8 July, 2021)
Speaking to ESPN ahead of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier 

UFC fighter Conor McGregor has consistently referenced his clan MacGregor during his career, a clan that has a long and turbulent history. From being outlawed for over 150 years to fighting alongside William Wallace during the First Scottish War of Independence, Conor McGregor is from a fascinating clan. 

Clan MacGregor is thought to be descended from Celtic royalty, reflected in the motto of the clan: “Royal is our race.” Some McGregors trace their line back to Griogar, third son of King Alpin, who was crowned king of the lands around Loch Lomond in 787 AD. Other origin stories suggest that the MacGregors go back to King Kenneth MacAlpin, the first King of Scots from the 9th century AD. The first chief of the MacGregor clan that we can be sure of was Gregor of the Golden Bridles, who died in Glenorchy around 1390.

The MacGregors fought alongside William Wallace during the First Scottish War of Independence, including at the Battle of Falkirk. A few decades later, the MacGregor clan fought alongside Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn of 1314. Despite this however, Robert the Bruce granted the rival clan Campbell MacGregor lands throughout his reign. The MacGregors were also were also one of the first Scottish clans to start playing the bagpipes in the 17th century.

For large parts of the 17th and 18th centuries, the MacGregor name was banned by James VI, the King of Scotland from 1567, who went on to become the King of England and Ireland as well from 1603. The move to ban the name MacGregor from King James came after the MacGregor’s attacked the rival clan of the Colquhoun’s at Glen Fruin near Loch Lomond on the 7th of February 1603, who they had disputed with for years.  

In late February 1603, following a complaint from a woman from clan Colquhoun, King James signed a royal warrant denouncing the MacGregor’s actions as “barbarous and horrible” and called for the MacGregor name to be “altogether abolished.” Women bearing the name MacGregor were stripped and whipped in the streets, and members of the clan were banned from carrying a sharp knife. MacGregor’s could be killed with no legal recourse, and the murderers were often rewarded. Ministers were banned from baptising a child with the name McGregor. Anyone bearing the name MacGregor was to renounce their name or be punished by death. Some took the name Grant, Stewart or Ramsay instead.   

In 1661, Charles II legalised the MacGregor name once again. A few decades later however, in 1693, William of Orange banned the name again after the MacGregors supported the House of Stuart’s claim to the royal throne. During this time, Rob Roy MacGregor, one of Scotland’s most famous figures emerged.  Rob Roy was born in 1671, and had to take his mother’s maiden name Campbell for many years of his life. Rob Roy was a well-educated Scottish outlaw who went on to became a folk hero. 
In 1784, the MacGregor name was finally legalised again. 

Sources:

Pedro Olavarria, Fightland (UFC) HE WARRIOR HERITAGE OF CONOR MCGREGOR https://www.ufc.com/news/look-mcgregors-heritage 

Scotsman. When the name MacGregor was banned for 150 years https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/when-name-macgregor-was-banned-150-years-605743 

Scotsman. Clan Crests explained: MacGregor https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/clan-crests-explained-macgregor-1446994 

Visit Scotland. CLAN GREGOR (MACGREGOR) https://www.visitscotland.com/info/see-do/clan-gregor-macgregor-p1475131 

Battle of Glen Fruin (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Glen_Fruin 

Conor McGregor - Braveheart Ancestors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vev2XKA9Uls 

Stephen A. interviews Conor McGregor on expectations for the Dustin Poirier trilogy fight | ESPN MMA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UclZf-8yEYM 

Creative Commons:

Andrius Petrucenia https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UFC_189_World_Tour_Aldo_vs._McGregor_London_2015_(18776759002).jpg Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

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