Exploring Scotland 1 Castle at a Time, Part 25, Eilean Donan Castle
Eilean Donan Castle sits on a small island connected to land by a bridge. At around 600 a monastery, or actually just a small group of huts that housed the monks, occupied the island. St Donan was responsible for their being there and thus the island and the castle attained its name. Evidence of a small iron age fort still occupied the land when the current castle was constructed. (When I took this picture, I almost cried. This is the exact angle and composition for the cover of my book, Highland Moonlight. Had I traveled to Scotland 3 years ago they could have used my picture for the cover.) In the year, 1200 Kenneth MacKensie built a massive castle that nearly enclosed the entire area of the island. It had a four story tower house with walls over 4 feet thick, a keep and a curtain wall that bordered the island. From this fortress he fought the Norse invasions that plagued the area. Some time around 1400 parts of the castle we...