I find Paul and Katie are both right.

The Highland Clearances were started about 1762. I believe the Lowland
Clearances started before that. The Highland Chiefs and the English were merciless
in their clearance of small land holders by the thousands.
The Chiefs' men and the English burned the crofts people lived in and threw
them out regardless of the weather and without regard to age or health. It was
a matter of move or die of exposure. The English and the Highland Chiefs
decided it was more profitable to raise sheep than have crofters living on the land
plus it got rid of a lot of trouble makers who liked to fight the English. So
Scotland became a land of more sheep than people. A great many of these
Highlanders came directly to America, Canada, the Caribbean Islands and elsewhere
without going through Northern Ireland.
Also many supporters of the Stuart Kings were regularly expelled directly to
the colonies. See Flora MacDonald and her supporters. Poor Flora always seem
to be on the losing side. Expelled from Scotland to NC for hiding Bonnie Prince
Charlie, she then supported the English during the Revolutionary War and went
to Nova Scotia and finally England.

1739-MacDonald of Sleat and MacLeod of Dunvegan sell selected clan members as
indentured servants to land owners in the Carolinas
1746-Following the Battle of Culloden surviving Highlanders are sent to the
Caribbean as slaves.
Here's a link to more. http://site.yahoo.com/np/highclear.html

The Scots-Irish starting bailing out of Northern Ireland for America with the
founding of Jamestown settling from ME to GA. And who could blame them.

Clay Gullatt Mount Airy
a descendant of  MacRae

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