Eilean Donan Castle, Ross-shire, Scotland
Eilean Donan is at the confluence of Loch Alsh and Loch Duich; just to the left of this photo's vantage point, Loch Long branches to the north. Loch Duich is a freshwater Loch that continues inland toward Glen Shiel, while Loch Alsh opens to the sound that separates the Isle of Skye from the mainland, and thence to the sea. Saint Donan, an Irish monk, planted a monastic settlement on the tiny islet during the Dark Ages of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries, and from there set about spreading Christianity among the heathen Highland Gaels. The beginnings of the castle date from the 10th or 11th century, when it was built to provide protection from Viking marauders. By the Middle Ages, Loch Alsh was a favored invasion route from the sea into the holdings of Clan MacKenzie. The MacKenzies strengthened the castle at the choke point as a guard against invasion by other clans, especially the powerful MacDonalds of Skye.
Many MacRaes had settled on MacKenzie lands in Kintail and, lacking a Chief of their own, more or less acknowledged the MacKenzie as Chief also of Clan MacRae. For several centuries, the Inverinate branch of Clan MacRae provided the Constable of Eilean Donan Castle and much of its garrison. So closely were they allied that Clan MacRae became known as "MacKenzie's Coat of Mail."
In legend, Clan MacRae danced on the roof of the castle before their men marched off to the Battle of Sheriffmuir in the 1715 Uprising. The Castle was destroyed by the English navy in 1719 during the next in a series of abortive Highland risings in support of the Stuart claimants to the thrones of Scotland and England, the so-called "Jacobite Rebellions." The castle sat in ruins for two hundred years until it was purchased by Lieutenant Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap. With the colonel's money (or at any rate his wife's) and a plan that came to Farquar MacRae in a dream, the castle was rebuilt, the construction being completed in 1932.
The castle is today in the hands of a private foundation controlled by the colonel's descendants. It is open to visitors, and its banqueting hall and other facilities are available for weddings and such. Situated on the A87 highway, the land route to the Isle of Skye, Eilean Donan is thought to be the most photographed castle in Scotland. It has been featured in several movies, including 1986's The Highlander and 2007's Elizabeth: The Golden Age, where Eilean Donan masqueraded as Fotheringay Castle. Eilean Donan is the only place in the United Kingdom listed in Unforgettable Places to See Before You Die.
