Clan Cormac

Copyright © 2021 Robert James Carmack.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

844-669-3957

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0375-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-0376-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904126

Archway Publishing rev. date: 3/24/2021

CONTENTS

Introduction

Author comment

1 Ireland 908 AD

Saint Cormac

2 Waterford, Ireland 949

Donnal MacCormac, son of Aidan, grandson of Angus

3 Waterford, Ireland 990

Bran MacCormac, son of Rodnan, grandson of Angus

4 Waterford Ireland 1012

Alfred MacCormac, son of Bran, grandson of Rodnan

5 Constantinople 1080

Niall MacCormac, son of Branden, grandson of Lochlainn, a descendant of Aidan

6 Constantinople 1202

Brendan MacCormac, son of Altair, a descendant of Aidan

7 The Silk Road 1218

William MacCormac, son of Brendan, a descendant of Aidan

8 The Silk Road 1272

Rory MacCormac, son of Bryon, grandson of William, a descendant of Aidan

9 France 1280

Bryan, Ronald, Roger, Edward MacCormac, sons of Liam, grandson of Bronnard, descendants of Niall

10 Acre near Jerusalem 1299

Bryan MacCormac, son of Liam, a descendant of Niall

11 Paris France 1307

Roger, Ronald, and Bryan MacCormac, sons of Liam, descendants of Niall

12 Swiss Territories 1307

Ronald MacCormac, son of Liam, a descendant of Niall

13 Scotland 1307

Edward MacCormac, son of Liam, a descendant of Niall

14 Ireland 1349

Rogan MacCormac, son of Edward, grandson of Liam, a descendant of Niall

15 London, England 1400

Jonathon Edward MacCormac, a descendant of Ronan

16 Cork, Ireland 1406

Winifred MacCormac, daughter of Alain, grand-daughter of William, a descendant of Aidrian

17 Venice Italy 1474

Michael MacCormac, a descendant of Bran, a descendant of Rodnan

18 Venice 1475

Filippi, son of Michael, a descendant of Rodnan

19 Cadiz, Spain 1492

Quin and Adan MacCormac, sons of Francisco, descendants of Bryan, descendants of Niall

20 Portugal 1519

Miguel Juan MacCormac, son of Fransisco, a descendant of Bryan, a descendant of Niall

21 Spain 1530

Roberto and Hernando MacCormac, sons of Luis MacCormac, descendants of Ronan

22 County of Wexford in the southeast of Ireland 1645

Dinish MacCormac, son of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

23 Chesapeake Bay, Virginia 1655

John MacCormac, son of Dinish, grandson of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

24 Virginia Wilderness 1664

John Carmack, son of Dinish, grandson of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

25 Ireland 1667

Dinish MacCormac, son of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

26 Island of Barbados 1667

Dinish MacCormac, son of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

27 Fort Henry – The Virginia Territory 1668

John Carmack, son of Dinish, grandson of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan MacCormac

28 Charles Town, South Carolina 1675

Dinish MacCormac, son of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

29 Charles Town 1690

Dinish MacCormac, son of Willem, a descendant of Rodnan

30 Charlotte 1690

Madeline Carmack, Daughter of John, granddaughter of Dinish, a descendant of Rodnan MacCormac

31 Glasgow, Scotland 1695

Conall MacCormac, son of Connor, a descendant of Ronan

32 Scotland 1697

Robert MacCormac, a descendant of Edward, a descendant of Niall

33 New York Harbor

Mid-June 1775

Patrick, Ryan, and Daniel MacCormac, descendants of Aidrian

34 Delaware River near Trenton New Jersey

December 1776

Patrick and Daniel MacCormac, descendants of Aidrian

35 Boonesborough, Kentucky 1775

Ryan MacCormac, a descendant of Aidrian

36 Portsmouth, England March 1787

Patrick MacCormac, a descendant of Aidan

37 African Sub-Continent 1805

Aedan MacCormac, a descendant of Aidrian

38 Kabul, Afghanistan 1842

Edward Cormick, a descendant of Alain, a descendant of Aidrian MacCormac

39 Dublin, Ireland September 1845

James MacCormac, a descendant of Ronan

40 South Africa 1866

Edward MacCormac, son of James, a descendant of Ronan

41 Paris, France 1847

Robert MacCormac, son of James, a descendant of Ronan

42 Sydney Cove, Australia February 1851

Jack MacCormac, a descendant of Patrick, a descendant of Aidan

43 1854 Crimean Peninsula

Colin MacCormac, son of Cyril, a descendant of Patrick, a descendant of Aidan

44 The Pacific Ocean near the Hawaiian Islands 1855

Alfred MacCormac, a descendant of Aidrian

45 Blair County Pennsylvania 1864

John Austin Carmack, a descendant of Madeline Carmack, a descendant of Rodnan MacCormac

46 Oklahoma Land Rush 1893

Adam MacCormac, son of Edward, a descendant of Ronan

47 Yukon Territory 1896

George Washington Carmack, a descendant of Madeline Carmack, a descendant of Rodnan MacCormac

48 Etat Independent du Congo 1896

John MacCormac, Son of Frederick, a descendant of Ronan MacCormac

49 Somme River, France 1916

Albert MacCormac, Son of Frederick, a descendant of Ronan MacCormac

50 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1918

Edward MacCormac, Son of Frederick, a descendant of Ronan

51 Pacific Theater WWII, 1941

Adam MacCormac, son of Edward, grandson of Adam, a descendant of Ronan

52 Santa Barbara, California 1956

John MacCormac, son of Adam, a descendant of Ronan

Postscript

Author Biography

Notes, comments, and further reading

Quotes used

INTRODUCTION

Humankind has forever stood upon the face of the planet and stared off into the heavens questioning his significance. Any person who has stood at the edge of the Grand Canyon or the precipice of Niagara Falls or any shore of any ocean across the globe has pondered this question. One can enter any desert around the planet and walk for a thousand miles seeing only desolation, or stand before mountain ranges so vast and so tall that the tops are capped permanently in snow or forever shrouded by clouds. We find rivers so swift and so long and oceans so deep and so vast that we wonder if we could ever possibly travel them from end to end. We ponder what extraordinary curiosities we might find if only we could summon the courage to take the first step of an unknowable venture.

In all this vast, wondrous terrain, we look at ourselves as tiny pieces that dwindle in importance and ask what difference we can make? What can one person do that might have any impact on the magnificence around us?

We are here on this earth for only a short while and thus unable to understand what role we play in the lives of other people and the planet.

A person may bring one child into existence or perhaps many children but, no one can know how those lives may play out into the future. Even if one has no children, that singular life can still have an inestimable effect upon others.

Those who first attempted to cultivate crops in antiquity stand side by side with farmers throughout the ages providing the sustenance that drives both themselves and others onward to places and deeds that would otherwise be unattainable.

The person who gives care and aid to the sick or ailing may not understand that someone they assisted might have gone on to future greatness only because of that same care that the giver dismissed as insignificant at the time.

The teacher who encourages a child to think and dream and forever seek a future unseen by others becomes larger than their own existence.

Throughout the ages, the soldiers who willingly or not spilled their blood or gave their life on land near their home or some faraway battlefield may never realize that others were spared due to that same ultimate sacrifice.

So humans go about their toil of living, unsure of what their legacy will be. One can only look back at history to find that our destinies are intertwined in intricate and inexplicable ways.

This is the story of one innocent orphaned child, grown into manhood, who could never have foreseen how his existence would cascade down through the ages, forever intersecting and interweaving amongst the intricate web of humanity.

AUTHOR COMMENT

This story was inspired after receiving a family genealogy report from a distant relative that traced our family history back before the civil war. It included an account of my great-great-grandfather, who was wounded and later died as a result of it during the civil war. I thought that it might make for an interesting subject to follow my family’s journey.

Many books have been written over the years following both real and fictional families, such as East of Eden or The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, James Clavell’s Shogun, and Tai Pan or The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough. There were two that particularly stood out in my mind, James Michener’s epic and sprawling Centennial and one that set the imaginations of millions across the nation afire, Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley.

Inspiration was also found in the various television programs tracing family histories back through the generations. It remains fascinating to see someone’s ancestry traced back through time to faraway places, historical events, and famous figures.

Through all of these various inputs came the decision to form a story of my family but with more fictional than real ancestral characters. So while this story does include an accounting of my two times great grandfather’s life, alas, the rest is wholly summoned from my imagination.

I have taken my fictional family ancestors and placed them into actual historical events while interacting with real historical figures that I have attempted to describe with some sense of accuracy.

By inserting my characters, I in no way want to diminish those who were present at these moments, only to bring light to what is today often overlooked events and people from both our near and distant past.

Robert James Carmack January 2019

"THERE WAS NEVER YET AN

UNINTERESTING LIFE. SUCH A THING

IS AN IMPOSSIBILITY. INSIDE THE

DULLEST EXTERIOR, THERE IS A

DRAMA, A COMEDY, AND A TRAGEDY."

MARK TWAIN

1

IRELAND 908 AD

SAINT CORMAC

I n the year 908AD, Ireland found itself separated into a handful of kingdoms, each of which is loosely comprised of many smaller ones. These smaller kingdoms number nearly one hundred and fifty and, on average, are composed of roughly three thousand people. The various kings and tribal clan leaders are frequently at war with their neighbors. Alliances and pacts are made, then broken, and then reconstructed regularly.

Cormac mac Cuilennian was an Irish Bishop named King of Munster, thus becoming the first religious and temporal leader of Ireland. He was known as a scholarly man, reading and writing in English, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. He was a devoutly pious man, sworn to a life of celibacy and revered by all who encountered him.

He led his army of several thousand men onto the battlefield at Bellaghmoon against King Flan of Meath. During the battle, he was thrown from his horse, and his neck was broken. His enemies lopped off his head from his body and paraded it around the battlefield atop a ten-foot pike, and the battle was lost.

As the wounded were tended to and the dead carted off for burial in the aftermath of the conflict, a small child wandered amid the carnage. The boy, not yet at the age of three, stopped at each body he came upon. Kneeling, he brushed dirt, mud, and blood from the faces of the dead men studying each for a moment before moving on to the next.

Hours later, the boy sat atop the still-warm body of a mighty brown horse just recently dead from wounds it had suffered during the battle. The boy surveyed the scene before him with an uncomprehending stare and watched as the sun darkened over him.

A nobleman wearing a blood-spattered cloak about his body slid off of his mount and, with one hand, plucked the child up in the air. Holding him at arm’s length, he turned him to and fro for a good look. The child, as it had all day, made no cry as it stared into the man’s black eyes. The boy was passed to an older woman for keeping until another two days had passed, and the nobleman returned.

The man now wore a fine outfit of bright shiny light chainmail. A large plume of bright red feathers adorned his helmet, and a matching red sash was draped across his chest. He asked the older woman about the child and was only mildly surprised to find out that no parents could be found neither alive nor dead. The woman shared that the boy seemed normal, perhaps a bit underfed and not very talkative but healthy enough. Since the boy had no known name and could not or would not communicate any information about the matter, the nobleman decided to give the lad a new name.

He knelt on one knee, his left hand grasping the hilt of his broadsword, and his right hand made the sign of the cross as he lifted his face in silent prayer. He stood up and stated, I shall name him in honor of our beloved King. Henceforth this lad shall be known as Angus Cormac, and he shall live under my protection.

Young Angus grew up stout and true with a thick trunk and massive arms; soon he would find work in a small forge working iron. At fifteen, he married a young lassie, and they soon welcomed a son, Aidan MacCormac, the Mac indicating son of Cormac. In all, the couple would bring six male and two female offspring into the world. One of the boys and both of the girls would be taken in infancy by illness and disease.

The five remaining sons named Aidan, Aidrian, Niall, Ronan, and Rodnan would each leave home to find their separate ways out in the world. Each would leave a legacy that would last long after their earthly departure.

"YOU’VE GOT TO DO YOUR OWN

GROWING, NO MATTER HOW TALL

YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS."

IRISH PROVERB

2

WATERFORD, IRELAND 949

DONNAL MACCORMAC, SON OF

AIDAN, GRANDSON OF ANGUS

A idan MacCormac, the eldest son of Angus, had a restless spirit that somehow led him to Waterford’s port city along Ireland’s southern coast. The city was a Viking settlement controlled by Norse invaders, and Aidan settled down with a fine young wife, and they soon had four sons of their own.

The eldest son of Aidan was Donnal, who was nearly as tall as his father, although not yet quite as stout at fifteen. With his father’s blessing, he joined the crew of a Viking long-ship sailing for Iceland.

Three years later, in Breidafjord, Iceland, the now strapping Donnal left one of the many inns that purveyed women and ale near the port. Satisfied and smiling, he took a deep breath of the salty sea air and began walking between the roughly hewn logs that made up the various structures until a brawny fellow stepped out to block his path. Three others flanked the man, and their leader taunted Donnal as an Irish dog unworthy of Viking women and ordered him to bow down before true Norse Gods.

Donnal assessed the situation quickly and, without hesitation, charged into the leader and knocked him to the ground. His sudden attack had thrown them into disarray, and he briefly held the advantage. Their numbers took a toll, and the tide turned in their favor. As his energy drained, more of their blows hit home as he valiantly withstood their assault. Donnal rose to his feet, staggered, and landed a blow that dropped one of his attackers. He spun to fend off an attack he only sensed coming from behind.

In a roar, this attacker passed by and bludgeoned the group leader to the ground with his fists. He lifted another off of the ground, used his head as a battering ram to the man’s face, and then slammed him back to the ground amid a warlike bellow. The other attackers fell back from their onslaught, grabbed their fallen fellows, and stumbled away.

With blood streaming from a gash over his eye and running through his wild red beard, the red-headed stranger grinned wildly as he turned to look at Donnal. The man slapped his hand down mightily on Donnal’s shoulder and shouted, Well done.

Donnal guessed the man to be perhaps ten years his elder, and he replied as the man began walking away, Donnal MacCormac, sir.

The man turned, Erik Thorvaldson, was his reply.

Donnal flashed a smile, for he had heard tales of this young Viking warrior called Erik the Red. Erik’s father had been born in Norway but had murdered a man there and subsequently was banished. Now Erik had killed two men and was himself to be expelled from Iceland for three years. Erik had heard of the discovery of islands to the west of Iceland and was planning to sail to them. Donnal decided then and there to join him if he could.

The following day Donnal made his way into a tented structure set atop a wooden floor. Men stood in line before a large table with a behemoth of a man seated behind it. When his turn came, Donnal approached and stated his desire to be a part of the expedition crew. The man staring back behind a red beard with streaks of white flowing through it seemed unimpressed. Donnal stated that he knew Erik, and while it was a slight embellishment on his part, he felt it was warranted.

The words were no sooner out of his mouth when the gigantic man shoved the solid oaken table aside as if it were a child’s toy. The man may have looked large when seated but, as he rose to his feet, Donnal was taken aback. He had seen many large fellows in his days but none so massive as this man who now took a step towards him.

The giant reached out his right hand to the side without taking his eyes off of Donnal and snatched up an oaken shaft nearly four inches in circumference and, with a flick of his wrist, lifted it into the air. Twisting his hand, he caught the staff near its center and twirled it around. At its base was a large block of hardened black volcanic rock. The mammoth beast swung it in a mighty arc and slammed it to the floor inches from Donnal’s unflinching feet. The fearsome man looked down at Donnal, inspecting him much as a small child might an unusual insect.

Just then, the flaps of the tent parted, and Erik sauntered in, looked around, and then up at this giant man before stating with a laugh, Ragnall, I see you’ve met my friend MacCormac. Don’t kill him just yet.

In such fashion, Donnal became part of Erik’s crew as they sailed west from the Snaefellnes Peninsula in 982. They found land, sailed south around the southern tip of its mass, and then up the southwest coast. For two more years,