A poisonous bird, a mysterious servant, and a forgotten headline from 1910. Who was Isabella MacGillivray, and whose household was she serving when her name made the papers?

The MacGillivray family, known as *Na Dròbhairean* (The Drovers), moved from Mull to Iona in the 1860s, settling at Cnoc Oran. Their story, including Duncan MacGillivray’s legendary instinct for a direct path across the island, is a powerful reflection of Highland heritage. Based on Mairi MacArthur’s *Tracks & Paths – Iona’s Namescape*, this blog explores family, tradition, and the lasting imprint of those who “took their own road.”