2 Eilean Donan Castle

You may know this castle, for it has been used as a set for numerous films and TV shows, such as "The New Avengers", "Elisabeth, the Golden Age", or "Maid of Honor".

Here is a video decribing the castle's setting and history ;

And here is the transcription of the video :

For nearly a thousand years, the fortifications on Eilean Donan have survived Viking invasions, internal warfare, Jacobite sieges and destruction, by a government warship.

Eilean Donan Castle is located on the rugged west coasts of Scotland, at the meeting point of three sea locks, by the picturesque village of Dornie.

Standing besides, the main tourist route to the Isle of Skye, it is the most photographed castle of Scotland. But its current appearance bellies its turbulent history, and the fact that it was a ruin for almost 200 years. The name “Eilean Donan” or “Donan’s Island” dates back to the 7^th century, when an alleged force stood on the spot. In 1220, a strong castle was built here by King Alexander the 2^nd to deter Viking invasion. Ownership passed to the Mackenzies of Seaforth who appointed their allies, the Macraes, as Constables. In 1539, a long-standing feud between the Mackenzies and the MacLeod of Dunvegan came to ahead, when Donald Gorm MacDonald claimed the title “Lord of the Isles” and attacked the castle, with fifty galleons of war. MacDonald was famously killed by a single arrow, fired by Duncan Macrae, valiantly protecting the castle. Ever after, clan Macrae has been referred to, as “Mackenzie’s shirt of mail”.

In 1715, when the castle was garrisoned by Spanish troops on behalf of the British government, it was successfully besieged by the Jacobite Mackenzies. But in 1719, seeking revenge, the government send warship to bombard the castle, leaving it in ruins. Eilean Donan lay in ruins, for nearly 200 hundred years, until, in 1911, it was bought by a Macrae, who started its restoration. The reconstruction including the first bridge to the Island took 21 years. Then in 1983, the castle was handed over the clan MacRae Trust, which still looks after it.

Today, this most scenic of Scottish castles houses a notable collection of Jacobite, Mackenzie and MacRae memorabilia and a charming domestic setting. It is well for visit.