Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The History of The Western Highlands and Isles of Scotland from A.D. 80 to A.D. 1493 describes the Kingdom of Dalriada as the land of Irish occupation in the year A.D. 503. It is in that Kingdom we find a small clan, the Mac Vicar's, who according to many authors are associated with the Campbell's, Donald's, and Mac Naughton Clans. Who were the Mac Vicar's of Ireland? Were they of Scottish ancestry prior to the Irish arriving? Or were they another family who ultimately took the surname Mac Vicar?

In oral tradition there is a wonderful folk tale of an Irish fairy mother tending her field when a Golden Eagle saw her baby, regal in stature and wise beyond its days, swooped down and carried the baby off to Dalriada. The tale seems to end with this event but, our clan crest is the 'Golden Eagle' and our motto is "Dominus Providebit." When searching heraldic history we fail to find the source of our Crest and Motto but it is described in Fairban's authoritative journals. These published works are accepted by Lord Lyon as predating his coming into existence, therefore, our Crest and Motto stands as listed.

Now, back to the chicken and the egg. Which are you? In the surnames of Ireland McVicker is described as a surname of Scottish descent. Further, in Ireland there is only a small contingent of McVickers' and in early census reports there have been as few as 12 listed families. Lord Vicar, Herald of Arms, seems to have achieved some successes in Irish leadership and may provide a family clue to our true historical identity. Of course, I have a better solution that is to have all male members of the families, both Irish and Scottish, to submit DNA samples to the Mac Vicar Surname project at www.familytreedna.com, This solution will allow us to scientifically link our families.

The DNA project is a scientific approach to learning genealogical relationships. For example, the factual basis of documented relationships with other highland clans is sparse or non-existent except with the Campbell Clan. DNA evidence currently in the data base fails to find linkage with other Clan families. Without DNA supporting claims such as, Mac Vicar's are of XYZ Clan who changed their name, you cannot with scientific judgment accept their Clan claims. This leaves us with the challenge of finding our roots.

This section of our Web site is devoted to the Irish side of our extended family. Please consider contributing your family's history to this section and providing any documentation that supports the history provided. With our continued joint efforts it is hoped that we can build a family history together.