Eilean Donan Castle

History

Eilean Donan Castle is situated in the Highlands of Scotland on an island at the confluence of three different lochs, making it one of the most picturesque castles in the world.

Eilean Donan means "Island of Donnán," the island's name probably comes from Saint Donnán of Eigg, a 6th century Irish priest who is said to have started a Christian cell here. He was martyred on the island of Eigg in 617.

A large curtain wall castle that enclosed much of the island was built in the early to mid-13th century, during the reign of Alexander II, to protect the lands of Kintail from Norse raids. Its builder is not known for certain, though some traditions credit Farquhar II, Earl of Ross. According to Mackenzie clan tradition, after the Treaty of Perth in 1266, in which Norway gave up the Hebrides to Scotland, William, Earl of Ross, sought to expand his influence into the islands and demanded that Kenneth Mackenzie, who held the castle, hand it over. Kenneth refused, and the earl led an assault on the castle, which the Mackenzies and their allies repelled. The earl died in 1274. The story rests on clan tradition, and no contemporary source dates the attack exactly.

It has been suggested that Robert the Bruce took shelter in the castle in the winter of 1306, soon after seizing the throne. In 1331, Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, sent a crown officer to Eilean Donan Castle to announce his intention to visit. In preparation for the visit, 50 local "mysdoaris" (mis-doers) were gathered and executed, and their heads displayed on spikes on the castle walls, which pleased the Earl of Moray.

In 1350, a later William, Earl of Ross, tried to gain control of the castle by signing a charter at Eilean Donan, indicating he still held seniority over the Mackenzies. However, King David II granted Kintail to Murdo Mackenzie in 1362. By now, the MacRae clan had established themselves in the area and were known as the "Mackenzies' coat of mail," loyal defenders of the Mackenzie clan chiefs. By the mid-14th century, the Norwegians' threat of invasion from the sea had long passed, and the castle was reduced in size.

In 1509, John Mackenzie of Kintail obtained a crown charter for the lands of Kintail, including Eilean Donan Castle. From this time forward, the castle was often occupied by the MacRaes on behalf of the Mackenzie chiefs. In 1511, the MacRaes became Constables of the castle.

In 1539, Donald Gorm MacDonald of Sleat, who had raided MacLeod lands on Skye and Mackenzie territory at Kinlochewe, learned that Eilean Donan was lightly garrisoned and attacked it by surprise with a force of Highland galleys. According to clan histories, the castle was held by only a tiny garrison, the newly appointed constable, Iain Dubh Matheson, and a warden, who were both killed by arrows. Duncan MacGillechriosd of Clan MacRae, who arrived at the start of the assault, killed several attackers at a side gate. With his last arrow, he hit Donald Gorm, who was fatally wounded and died soon afterward. The MacDonalds withdrew, and the attack failed.

In 1715, as the Jacobite uprising got underway, Eilean Donan Castle was garrisoned by Government troops but was retaken by the Jacobites, who, according to legend, danced on the roof of the castle the night before setting off to the Battle of Sheriffmuir, and a painting that hangs in the castle depicts the event. At Sheriffmuir, 58 MacRaes would lose their lives among the Jacobite dead in the indecisive battle. The rising collapsed soon after.

In 1719, The Jacobite cause was renewed when they found new support from Spain, opposing England and France. An advance party of 300 Spanish soldiers arrived at Loch Duich in April 1719, and about 46 of them occupied Eilean Donan Castle to support the Jacobites. The Royal Navy sent ships to the area, and early on the morning of May 10th, 1719, three ships, the HMS Worcester, HMS Flamborough, and HMS Enterprise, anchored off Eilean Donan intending to negotiate by sending a small boat to the island under a flag of truce. When the Spanish Troops in the castle fired at the boat, it returned, and the three large frigates opened fire on the castle for over an hour. The bombardment carried on until the next day. That evening, under the cover of intense cannon fire, a detachment went ashore and captured the castle with little resistance. The Worcester's ship logs record that in the castle were "an Irishman, a captain, a Spanish lieutenant, a serjeant, one Scottish rebel and 39 Spanish soldiers, also 343 barrels of powder and 52 barrels of musquet shot". The British removed much of the gunpowder, leaving 16 barrels, which were used to blast the castle asunder.

Eilean Donan Castle was left in ruins for nearly 200 years. In 1911, Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the island and, with the architect George Mackie Watson and local clerk of works Farquhar MacRae, began rebuilding the castle as a family home, following the surviving medieval foundations. The castle's own timeline dates the start of the work to 1912, though some accounts say 1919. The restoration was based on a dream in which the clerk, Farquhar MacRae, saw the restored castle. It was completed in 1932 with the distinctive arched stone footbridge built to link the island to the mainland. The castle has been open to the public since 1955, and since 1983 the MacRae family's Conchra Charitable Trust has run it, though the MacRaes still use the castle for holidays and entertaining members of the Clan MacRae. Above the entrance, a carved panel dated 1912 bears the arms of MacRae-Gilstrap, and a Gaelic inscription below it reads, “As long as a MacRae is within, a Fraser shall not be without,” a traditional expression of friendship between Clan MacRae and Clan Fraser. The Clan MacRae War Memorial, with its field guns, also stands on the island.

Castle Highlights

Eilean Donan Castle is a top destination in Scotland, given its beautiful setting on an island where the three Lochs of Alsh, Duich, and Long converge. It is the most photographed castle in Scotland, a must-see for castle lovers and anyone traveling through the Highlands to the Isle of Skye.

The castle's exterior is the highlight to see. Try and see it not only from the island or across the bridge near the visitor centre but from other points across the Lochs to take it in from multiple angles. A side road from the town of Dornie leads up the hill behind the visitor centre, which has a scenic overlook of the castle. Another good spot is just over the Loch Long Bridge from the Dornie Community Hall.

Visits begin at the extensive visitor centre on the mainland, where you will find the ticket desk, the shop, the toilets, and a food area. All of the amenities are in this visitor centre area, and none are on the island. From there, you walk across the stone bridge to the island, where there is only the castle and a small stretch of ground to explore. The castle is open for self-guided tours, and audio guides are available. No photography is allowed inside the castle. The Billeting Room was divided into a kitchen and storage cellar in medieval times and later probably served as a billet for off-duty soldiers, giving it its current name. The room contains the architect's drawings used to rebuild the castle, a set of dueling pistols, and several cannonballs fired into the castle in 1719.

Inside, the castle has many steps, steep narrow spiral staircases, and different floor levels, so it is not wheelchair accessible, but a free virtual tour of the areas the public cannot normally enter is available on request at the visitor centre. Dogs are welcome on the island but not inside the castle.

The best part of the castle's interior is the Banqueting Hall on the first floor of the keep. The main doorway is part of the medieval castle that survived the 1719 demolition. The Hall contains a carved stone fireplace depicting a hunting scene and some heraldry, with the MacRae-Gilstrap coat of arms at its center. The second floor of the keep contains bedrooms still furnished, mainly as they would have been when the castle was restored in the 1930s.

Above the main entrance are the kitchen and, behind that, the scullery, which have both been decorated to show how they would have looked in the 1930s. The scullery is an annex to the kitchen where preserved goods would have been stored. Eilean Donan Castle also has a working portcullis that visitors occasionally see being lowered or raised.

During my visit, I stayed over a weekend and booked a room at the Eilean Donan Apartments just over the Loch Long Bridge, which has views of the castle. The castle is also stunning at night after dark when the floodlights are on. The car park is still accessible after the castle closes, making it easy to get great night pictures.

The castle may look familiar, as it has been used in several movies, including Highlander (1986), Rob Roy (1995), Loch Ness (1996), James Bond - The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), as well as the television series Hamish Macbeth (1995).

Eilean Donan Castle is also haunted.