Eilean Donan
(Scottish Gaelic for Island of Donan), is a small island in the western highlands of Scotland.
It is named after St.Donan, a Celtic saint martyred in the Dark Ages. The original castle was built in 1220 for Alexander II as a defence against the Vikings.
By the late 13th century it had become a stronghold of the Mackenzies of Kintail (later the Earls of Seaforth).
In 1511, the MacRaes, as protectors of the MacKenzies, became the hereditary Constables of the Castle.
In 1719, the castle was garrisoned by Spanish troops fighting for the Jacobite cause on behalf of the 5th Earl of Seaforth when three British frigates sailed into the loch and pounded the castle to rubble with canon-fire.
It remained a ruin for the next two centuries until 1912 when Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap decided to restore his ancestral home. The restoration took 20 years and included the construction of an arched bridge to give easier access to the castle. (Eilean Donan Castle)
