From the resonant prose of the Privy Council Registers it is clear that Highland galleys were a thorn in the flesh of the Lowland government. But they were also much more than that. For nearly a millenium, the West Highland Galley was the vehicle for island life. A Gaelic adaptation of a Norse design, the ships guaranteed the independence of the islands for hundreds of years. This book is a long overdue assessment of these important and enigmatic craft. For the first time, Denis Rixson brings out the importance of the galley in the economy of the Highlands as a means of transporting mercenaries to Ireland. With the Union of the Crowns, this source of employment and money dried up and the collapse of the Highland economy followed. The author shows how this surplus manpower became a major factor in the collapse of Scotland into civil war and anarchy from the 1630s on. Although extensively researched, this is a fascinating and accessible book for general readers as well as historians.