EILEAN DONAN CASTLE - LOCH DUICH, DORNIE - SCOTLAND

Eilean Donan (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Donnain) is a small tidal island in Loch Duich in the western Highlands of Scotland; since the castle's restoration in the early 20th Century, a footbridge has connected the island to the mainland


Flying over Eilean Donan Castle


History: It is possible that an early Christian monastic cell was founded on the island in the 6th or 7th century, dedicated to Donnán of Eigg, an Irish saint who was martyred on Eigg in April 617.

Walking in Eilean Donan Castle


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Other flying over Eilean Donan Castle


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Origins of the castle
In the earlier thirteenth century, during the reign of Alexander II (ruled 1214–1249), a large curtain-wall castle (wall of enceinte) was constructed that enclosed much of the island. At this time the area was at the boundary of the Norse-Celtic Lordship of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross: Eilean Donan provided a strong defensive position against Norse expeditions

Clan feuding
James I, determined to pacify the Highlands, journeyed to Inverness in 1427 and invited the principal chiefs to meet him there. Allegedly among them was the young Alexander Mackenzie, 6th Earl of Kintail. James then arrested him, along with the other chiefs, on their arrival. Mackenzie clan histories relate that, although several chiefs were executed or imprisoned, Alexander, due to his youth, was instead sent to Perth to attend school.

Eilean Donan - Scotland's Fantasy Castle


Restoration and reuse
Between 1919 and 1932 the castle was rebuilt by Lt. Col. John MacRae-Gilstrap. The restoration included the construction of an arched bridge to give easier access to the island. Macrae-Gilstrap also established of a war memorial dedicated to the men of the Macrae clan who died in the First World War.

Cinematic Scotland's Brave Tour: Eilean Donan Castle


The modern castle
The present castle buildings are entirely the result of 20th-century reconstruction and, although the rebuilding followed the extant ground plan, the details of the present castle differ from its original appearance. The survey drawings by Lewis Petit were not rediscovered… Wikipedia

Photo: Elena Maria Ciorga, Google+