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Just saw a BBC Scotland programme in which it was claimed that the gallowglass (gaelic galloglach), while doing his fighting etc in Ireland (often for gain or exile reasons), in fact originated in the Scottish Hebrides. Apparently galloglach means foreign warrior. check out this
I read pretty much the same thing in McManus's History of Ireland. The Irish needed a way to match up against the better armed English troops - hence the Gallowglass came to Ireland and they gave the English some trouble.
Yep - they apparently were a mix of Scots Islemen, Viking settlers and Highlanders who retained a lot more Viking military "heritage" - hence their typical use of axes.