Where do we come from – The Irwin Diaspora
Clan Irwin Properties & Traditions
Clan Irwin Association members come from a wide variety of roots in Scotland and Ireland. Hailing from the Borders, Royal Deeside, the Orkney Islands, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, we have been part of the great Scottish diaspora. From mostly humble beginnings, our emigrant forefathers settled in Canada, The United States, Australia, New Zealand and many other countries. They have left their indelible mark on the world we inhabit that continues unabated!
Drum Castle
Drum Castle on the Royal Deeside was granted to the Irvines by Robert the Bruce in 1323. Near Drumoak in Aberdeenshire, for centuries the castle was the seat of the chief of Clan Irvine. The place-name Drum is derived from Gaelic “druim”, ‘ridge’. The site is located approximately 6+1⁄2 miles (10.5 kilometers) northeast of Banchory and 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of Peterculter.
Bonshaw Tower
Bonshaw Tower in the border’s region has been home to Irving’s for nearly than 900 years. Bonshaw Tower is an oblong tower house, probably dating from the mid-16th century, one mile south of Kirtlebridge, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, above the Kirtle Water. It is adjacent to a 19th-century mansion. The tower was one of a number of structures built along the Scottish border in the 1500s as protection against incursions by the English.