In Memoriam: Lord Seamus Mac Neachtain
On Sunday, word was received in the Kingdom that Lord Seamus Mac Neachtain, of the Shire of Owlsherst, has passed away. An imposing figure on the field, he was as well known for his generosity, kindness, and leadership as he was for his martial prowess.
Lord Seamus was currently serving the Kingdom as the Captain of HRH Margarita’s guard, and was the only unbelted fighter that advanced to the final 8 combatants in the most recent East Kingdom Crown Tournament. He was widely-respected as the Armored Combat Commander for the Southern Army, leading the South to the prestigious Blue Tyger Legion at Pennsic 47, and he was a three-time member of the unbelted East Kingdom Armored Combat melee team. A squire to Count Ruslan, he was a member of House Gleipnirvirki, fighting as part of the Hrafnox unit.
Active in the SCA for nearly eighteen years, he received his Award of Arms in September 2010 from Edward and Marguerite. For his prowess at Combat, he was the sixth person to be awarded the Order of the Silver Tyger, bestowed upon him by Brennan II and Caoilfhionn II at their Bardic Championship in 2016. Just twenty months later he was inducted into the Order of the Tygers Combatant by Ivan and Matilde at Hundred Minutes War in 2017. For his service to the Kingdom as the commander of the Southern Army Armored Division, he received the Order of the Silver Wheel from Wilhelm and Vienna at Shire Wars this past October.
Sir Hassan Ibn Abd Al-Malik remembers Lord Seamus as follows. “Seamus was larger than life in everything he did. His laugh and energy was infectious and he hugged everyone he met. If you did not “know” Seamus you without a doubt heard him. Seamus came from the salt of the earth and lived to work with his hands. He could always be found repairing armor, fixing odds and ends for the camp, or doing wood work. It’s hard to give you the basics of a man who was so insatiably passionate about everything he did. That is something that I will always hold dear about my brother: his unwillingness to yield. He saw, adapted, and overcame whatever life threw at him. He had been, and forever will be, my better.”A loving father and husband, he is survived by his wife, Lady Elizabeth Mac Neachtain, and their five children, as well as many friends and comrades in arms.
A GoFundMe has been set up to benefit Lord Seamus’ children. Memorial information will be added as it becomes available.