A Lovely summary surname history of McQuillan, including full-colour coat of arms, can be found in Edward MacLysaght’s unrivalled book, Irish Families: Their Names, Arms and Origins (published by Irish Academic Press, Dublin).
The McQuillans are of Norman-Welsh descent: they settled soon after the invasion of a territory called the Route, County Antrim, and were known as Lords of the Route with their chief residence at Dunluce Castle, County Antrim until, their defeat in battle in 1563 and again in 1583 by Sorley Boy McDonnell.
They were described as Princes of Dalriada, the kingdom that stretched from east Ulster to Highland Scotland and they ranked, in the 14th century, as hereditary High Constables of Ulster. Their predominant position was consolidated by Sincin Mor MacQuillan, who ruled as Chief from 1390 to 1449. Rory Og MacQuillan, who ruled as Chief in 1541 declared that no captain of his race ever died in his bed.
Throughout the 15th century they feuded with their local rivals of the O’Neills of County Tyrone, O’Donnells of County Donegal and O’Kanes of County Derry. Throughout these long-running feuds of raids and counter-raids all Ulster chiefs employed Scottish mercenary soldiers, known as galloglass.
The Annals of The Kingdom of Ireland by the Four Masters (a chronicle of Irish history from ‘the earliest period to the year 1616’) describes, for the year 1557, in great detail the role of the galloglass in the camp of the O’Neills who were on a raiding expedition into O’Donnell territory in Donegal. It states that ‘sixty grim and redoubtable gallowglasses, with sharp, keen axes, terrible and ready for action, and sixty stern and terrific Scots, with massive, broad, and heavy-striking swords in their hands, ready to strike and parry, were watching and guarding the son of O’Neill.’
By the mid-16th century Scottish McDonalds, known as the McDonnells of the Glens, had carved out an extensive territory in County Antrim at the expense of the McQuillans.
The last of the family of note in Ireland were Edward McQuillan (1503-1605), whose remaining estate was confiscated in the Plantation of Ulster, and Rory Og MacQuillan (died 1634), who was last of the name to be known as the “Lord of the Route”.
Subsequently members of the McQuillan sept are chiefly met with in France and Spain, in the Irish Brigades. One Captain Rory MacQuillan, was an officer in O’Neill’s infantry in King James II’s army which fought at a number of battles in Ireland, between 1689 and 1691: Siege of Derry(1689) and Battles of Boyne (1690), Aughrim (1691) and Limerick (1691).
The Williamite War in Ireland, 1689-1691, was, in effect, the struggle for the English throne between the deposed James II, the last Catholic monarch of the three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland who had the support of Louis XIV of France, and William of Orange with the backing of the English Parliament.