The Castles of Clan Donnachaidh

So, let’s begin this blog at the seat of the historic Donnachaidh clan for so many years, Dunalastair castle. On the southern side of the Scottish Highlands one of Scotland's hidden beauties peaks from the Perthshire woodlands like a spectre of the past. The original Dunalastair castle was home to Clan Donnachaidh's most renowned chief Alexander Robertson of Struan. Alexander, born in 1670, was witness to all three of the Jacobite rebellions and had a strong hatred of the English Government throughout.

Alexander's hatred of the Government is the reason that when you try googling the location of this castle to go and visit this wonderous fortress you see “unnamed street” as its location. Dunalastair castle was built to the west of the Wade highway built by the English government to reduce the strength and control of the Scottish Highland clans, but unfortunately for the English, the Donnachaidh's were nowhere to be seen. The castle has been built where few could find it and if they did the clansmen were known for throwing visitors into the river!

Unfortunately, the castle's tenure came to an end in 1745 when the English forces arrived and destroyed the castle. Despite the destruction, this was not the end of the story for the hidden castle as the lands were later sold to the MacDonald clan who rebuilt the castle into the gothic mansion house which still stands today. Dunalastair castle was later bought by a Scottish hero, Hugh Tennent, the owner of Tennent’s lager in 1891! Sadly, Hugh died at a young age and the main positive of the castle in the medieval times became an issue in the modern. With the castle being in such a difficult location to access the new owners abandoned it, however the main structure can still be visited today!

After hearing about the clan's most recent seat, let’s go back all the way to the beginning of the clan to their first ever recorded castle. The first Chief of Clan Donnachaidh, Donnchaidh Reamhar, the "Stout Duncan" was the owner of this castle on an artificial island built on the northwest corner of Loch Tummel.

The Stout Duncan made a name for himself and the clan he represented the area during the Scottish Wars of Independence. The Stout Duncan (“Stout” meaning he may have had a few too many pies) was loyal to Robert through every stage of rebellion. He even stayed loyal to Bruce after he committed the ultimate crime of killing his opponent upon the high altar at the Franciscan priory. After Bruce brutally murdered his opponent for the crown, he quickly made his way to the Stone of Destiny in Scone palace. After being crowned king, he needed to hide and regroup but the king was running low on support within the country so he turned to the one man he knew would keep him and his family safe. The Stout Duncan took Bruce and his family in and kept them safe around the castle lands! Unfortunately for all you Donnachaidh's out there the castle submerged into the loch in 1950 after a new hydroelectric dam was put in place.

Now to a castle not quite so closely linked to the Donnachaich clan, Castle Menzies. This castle is the ancestral seat of Menzies clan for over 500 years. Sitting on the edge of the Highlands, south of the Donnachaidh land, this clan were stuck in the middle of two societies at war. The war began in 1715 when the Earl of Mar raised the flag of rebellion in the Highlands restarting the Highlands versus the Lowlands war. Alexander Robertson of Struan joined Mar in Perth with 300 clansmen and was sent under orders to take Menzies Castle.

The Robertson men, once described as the strongest in the Jacobite army, outsmarted the clan. They waited for all the soldiers to go to the pub at night and then took over the castle! If you know the history of the 1715 rebellion you will know that the Robertsons will not hold onto this castle for long. As once the Scottish army reached England they were quickly defeated and sent back to their lands or exiled!