Duels

From the lone sheiling of the misty island
Mountains divide us and the waste of seas
Yet still the blood is strong, the heart is Highland,
And we in dreams behold the Hebrides!
Fair these broad meads; these hoary woods are grand;
But we are exiles from our Fathers Land.

There is much history to be learned of your heritage, it is all at your finger tips, in books and old records. The history of the "Kingdom Of The Gael" starts in Hibernia or Ireland (Eire) as she is called by some today. Around modern day Antrim (northern Ireland) there was a kingdom, called Dal Riata. Our oral traditions and written history state that this invasion was led by the three sons of Erc, the King of the Irish Dal Riata. These sons were named Fergus, Angus, and Lorne Mac Erc. Under the rulership of Fergus Mor Mac Erc, they consecrated a new branch of the Dal Riata kingdom in the western isles of Scotland, absorbing the stone-fortress of Dunadd as their home point. It is said that even to this day one can observe a wild boar carved in the stone there, a testament to the embryonic Scottish culture at that time. The wild boar, a common symbol in Scottish heraldry, also marks the site where a series of monarchs and leaders stood for coronation.

In traditional Celtic style, similar to that of the MacDonalds of the Isles, these new lands were divided among the families of the clan. This action was the start of the Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. These divisions of various landholdings and islands in the Hebrides would become a major seat of rulership and transformation of the heretofore Pictish settlements.

Records indicate that Angus Mac Erc claimed the Isles of Jura and Islay as tribal territory, while Lorne absorbed what is now known as Lorne, the seat of the MacDougalls, descendants of the MacDonald dynasty. Over the course of about forty years the Scots of Dalriada became the keepers of the entire western shores and islands. According to Scottish scholar and historian Fitzroy MacLean, these original possessions stretched as far north as Applecross and eastwards to Drumalban. The whole kingdom was given the title Argyll (Ard Gaidheal).

During this time it is said that the Stone of Destiny was taken to Scotland by the Gaels that migrated to Argyll, and it became the Coronation Stone of the early Dalriadan kings at Dunstaffnage. Then, in the ninth century, the stone is believed to have been transported to Scone, the capital of the Southern Picts. It is here that the Picts and the Scots became unified in 844 under the direction of Kenneth MacAlpine.

Jeff Johnston

Painting Pictures of Our Heritage

The Artist

The Artist

Jeffrey Johnston is a Scottish American artist whose realist paintings of heraldry, Scottish portraits and myth have awakened within the hearts of thousands an appreciation, love, and devotion for our Celtic peoples, culture and land.

Every picture he paints is a unique window into Scotland's rich and diverse heritage.

Highland Mercenaries

The Campbell

Diarmid Campbell

Scottish Gallery

Scottish Gallery Collection

Click on the name of the collection you would like to view

Clan Crests

Portraits

Please return here often as more Crests and Portraits will be added to the Collection

PLEASE NOTE: All artwork is the sole property of the artist and can not be used without his express permission.

If you would like more information on the Crests and Portraits, or have a special request, please contact Jeff at vanjohnstone@webtv.net.

Pricing Information

Portraits

Self-Portrait	Blackwatch Coming Home	Return of Whistler's Mother

Ghost of Lauon	Portrait of a Netherlander