The Red River Glen was once known in Gaelic as Glenduisk,  translating as “The Glen of Blackwater”. Around about 1110 a mighty battle was fought, in the Glenduisk between Mekan, King of Norway (son of Magnus Barefoot) and the resident Gaels.

It is said that the vicious Viking invaders were driven into the river Ruail and slaughtered, until the waters ‘ran red with blood’. From then on it has been suggested that the glen became known as ‘Glen-da-Ruail’ Glen of Red Blood.

The anglicised name became Glendaruel.

Mac an Tàilleir says the name was in actual fact  “Gleann Dà Ruadhail.  thought to mean glen of the ‘two red places’, more recent research suggests pre-Christian commemorating the god Dà Ruadha, a deity connected with Dà Dearga. This gives a meaning of glen of the God Dà Ruadha.”