Brief History of the "McClain" clan

McClain surname descends from the McLean Clan in Scotland. They probably were "Scotch-Irish" meaning they came to America from Ireland. Briefly, the English and Irish were at war for decades. In the early 1600's King James I tried to settle the problem once and for all. The concept was called, "The Plantation of Ireland." What it entailed was enticing lowland Scots to Northern Ireland by offering land at low rents. The goal was to plant as many Scots as possible to prevent the native Irish from reclaiming their land. Part of the lease agreements was that the Scots would defend the land as necessary. The Scottish economy was poor. Land leases were expensive and scarce. It didn't take much to entice them to Ireland from their homeland.The term "Scotch-Irish" is actually an American invention. When the Ulster-Scots came to America, they used the term to differentiate themselves from the Catholic-Irish population. The Irish scoff at the term. Most who call themselves "Scotch-Irish" lived in Ireland for centuries. Many have never set foot in Scotland. It would be as if an American living here for centuries still referred to themselves as German. Because the Scots held fast to their heritage, they did see themselves as separate and apart from native Irish. Most of them came to this country speaking Gaelic with a Scottish brogue that was unintelligible to outsiders.This religious and cultural split is still apparent in Northern Ireland today.