McCollough/McNeir

[ThistleDown]

MacNeir is a form of MacNair (also Macnayer, Macnuir, Macnuyer). There were Macnairs in Wester Ross who are thought to derive their name from a Mac-Iain-uidhir, 'son of dun John'. There are Macnairs in Perthshire, from M'an-oighre, 'son of the heir' (but others suggest 'son of the smith' and/or 'the stranger's son'), some in Lennox (also sometimes called Weir, who are locally thought of as a sept of Macfarlane; the Cowal (Argyllshire) Macnairs are connected with the Macnaughtons as tenants; and the Perthshire MacNairs are probably a sept of the MacNabs.

McCollough. You say: McCollough seems to come from SW Scotland (Galloway), And relates to clans Munro and Ross. Yes, there are many records of MacCulloughs in Galloway, and there were MacCulloughs in Aberdeenshire and Angus by the 15C and perhaps earlier. Three or four extended families of Ross-shire Maccullochs were dependents/followers of the Earls of Ross and at least one was dependent on the Munros of Evanton. The others may have been dependent on the Mackenzies.

I realise this tells you a lot, but doesn't really help you along your way, alunger. It may even confuse you more.

What is necessary is that you pick/choose from all of this ancestry generational bulk and choose your singular path.

I suggest you settle on following your surname path, first, (is that Maccoullogh?) and try not to get side-tracked onto the 'married to' byway. In this thread you
seem to be trying to find a Lowland or Highland connection to your ggg grandfather, who was a Maccullough (McCollough).

Would you like us to help you more?