| Dunollie Castle is situated on the Ganavan sands road approximately a mile to the north of Oban. It sits overlooking the small strait between the mainland and the island of Kerrera, which is also owned by the MacDougall estate. The small grassy island is Maiden Island which in itself has an interesting legend attributed to it. The castle was the seat of the clan MacDougall, Lords of Lorn, who were a significant force in Scottish history - at one point they owned a third of Scotland. (That's a whole lot of real estate by any standard!). The MacDougalls were previous resident in Dunstaffanage Castle which was taken from their care, declared a royal castle by Robert the Bruce and the Campbells made keepers. There have been fortifications on the Dunollie site since the 7th century, originally by the kings of Dalriada. (One of a few old names for Scotland.) A keep and courtyard fortress was built in the 13th century with the current four storey keep being added on the castle enclosure in the 15th century. In 1746 the castle was abandoned and the family moved to newly built Dunollie House, behind the castle. Dunollie Castle is still owned by the MacDougalls. |
Cam
Via iPhone (please excuse any bizarre autocorrections)
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