Eilean Donan, The Fake Castle?

What follows is the views of some individuals, but not necessarily the views of the owners of the WebLog!

Eilean Donan Castle

This has to be the most photographed castle in Scotland, if not the whole of the United Kingdom. No doubt it would appear high on a list of most photographed castles in the world. More people have probably seen this castle without even knowing what it is called or where it is.

Some may even be forgiven for thinking it is somewhere it’s not. The reason for some of this confusion probably stems from the films that the castle has appeared in. First of all we have Highlander (1986), where the castle was part of the main character’s hometown of Glenfinnan on the banks of Loch Shiel. Secondly there is Loch Ness (1985) which implied that the castle was on the banks of that loch with the monster in a cave underneath.

So first of all I think we need to clear up any confusion.

Where is Eilean Donan Castle?

The castle is on a small island, Eilean Donan, at the point where three lochs (Duich, Alsh and Long) meet, near Dornie in the Lochalsh district of the Scottish Highlands. The Ordnance Survey map reference is NG 881 258. To reach the castle, follow the A87, which runs from Invergarry, near Loch Oich in the Great Glen, west towards Kyle of Lochalsh. (This road continues onto Skye via the controversial bridge.)

Loch Ness is in the Great Glen itself, north east of Invergarry – therefore east of the castle. Glenfinnan and Loch Shiel are on the Road to the Isles (A830), which runs west from Fort William to Mallaig where a ferry can be caught for Skye – this road is south of the A87.

So now we have a better idea where Eilean Donan Castle is it’s time for the history of the island and castle.

History of Eilean Donan

In the sixth century, Bishop Donan, later Saint Donan, came from Ireland to Scotland. Either he, or his followers, formed a small cell on the island. There is no longer any evidence of the cell, but a number of churches in the area are dedicated to the saint. In Gaelic the word eilean means island. Therefore, Eilean Donan means Island of Donan.

With its position where the three sea lochs meet, the island was seen as offering a good place for defending the area. Remains of an Iron Age fort could still be seen on the island in the 1920s, but these have also disappeared. The first castle appears to date form the 13th/14th centuries and, going by the foundations that are still visible, this took up most of the island – about 3,000 square metres in total. A tower, or keep, occupied the highest point of the island.

Then, around the 15th century, the area covered by the castle was greatly reduced – to fewer than 530 square metres! The reason for this is unclear, but is possibly related to the size of the garrison required. The tower at this point had four levels and included a walkway around the roof.

In the 16th century an extension to the east wall was added with a bastion included that had a firing platform for new cannons. This also created a new entrance to the castle with a long passage to the main courtyard. This was the layout of the castle that was surveyed in 1714 although, at that time, it had fallen into disrepair.

Within another five years the castle would be destroyed!

The Castle Destroyed

In 1689 King James VII (Scotland) and II (England) was deposed. His supporters, known as Jacobites, made several attempts to return him or his son to the throne. In 1719 Spanish soldiers, who supported the Jacobite cause, garrisoned Eilean Donan Castle and set up a powder magazine in a building to the rear. In May that year three government frigates were ordered to sail into Loch Duich, past the castle. Two of these, the 48 gun Worcester and the 44 gun Enterprise, bombarded the castle. Afterwards the captain of the Enterprise went ashore to accept the surrender of the Spaniards and blow up what remained – including over 340 barrels of gunpowder!

So now, Eilean Donan Castle was a ruin – and would remain so for almost 200 years!

The Castle Rebuilt

In 1911 Major John MacRae-Gilstrap bought the remains of the castle and, along with Farquar MacRae, rebuilt the castle between 1912 and 1932. This was largely to the ground plan of what remained of the castle that was destroyed in 1719, but a story about the castle being rebuilt to a vision seen by Farquar in a dream also circulated at the time! The plans from the survey in 1714 were found before the reconstruction was completed so had little bearing on the end result. However they supposedly showed the vision to be accurate.

Whatever the truth in the above, the fact remains that the dream of MacRae-Gilstrap was fulfilled – Eilean Donan Castle stood proud on the island once more! With the addition of a bridge from the mainland to the island it is now possible, for a small fee, to walk over to and explore the island and castle.

The Fake Castle

Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most photographed castles anywhere. That is beyond dispute. It appears on the front cover of many books or calendars about Scotland. It also appears on postcards of the area, as you would expect, and also on packaging of many products of Scotland. In addition to the two films mentioned at the start, the castle has appeared in at least another six.

Does it deserve this exposure? Is it, as it has been described, the most romantic castle in Scotland? It is a nice castle and it does have a history dating back over 700 years. It is also in a great location. All of this cannot be denied. However, in my opinion, the castle that stands on the island today is a fake.

Well, perhaps the word fake is a bit strong. The castle cannot be described as original though – another fact that cannot be denied. There are differences between what stands there now and what stood there before 1719. The layout and shape are very close to the third version of the castle described above. However, the walls of the present structure include passages, closets and stairs built into them that did not exist before. Also, more windows have also been included in the new building. Of course, the castle today has not been built for defence in the same way as the old versions so the thickness of the walls and addition of windows is not a problem.

So, not a fake perhaps, but not original either. It’s a copy of an original design, but not an exact copy. Its like a kit car – it looks like what it’s meant to be, but it is not what it looks like! So, in conclusion and again in my opinion, Eilean Donan Castle does not deserve to be a symbol for Scotland and something else should replace it on the cover of books and magazines – Edinburgh Castle or Buachaille Etive Mor perhaps? That would depend on the subject, but these are Scottish and have an ongoing history longer than 80 years!