The Castles of Clan MacNeil

We are going to begin this blog just off the island of Barra and the North Sea, at you guessed it... Kisimul Castle, the historic seat of Clan MacNeil for centuries. Legend has it that Kisimul Castle has been home to the MacNeils since the 11th century when the Vikings landed on the island of Barra. Kisimul translates to “Castle Island” in Norse tongue, and it was not just the name that retained their Viking heritage, but also the people, most notably Ruari the Turbulent, the last of the Vikings. Viking, pirate, and leader of the MacNeil’s, Ruari can only be described as a hero to the residents of Barra. Ruari resided in Kisimul Castle in 1560 and gained his "turbulent" name because he caused so much trouble for the Scottish government. From castle island he raided merchant ships up and down the west coast, even hunting in the Irish Sea. No nationality was safe from the pirate laird, but his speciality was ships from south of the border. For this, the Queen wanted his head. Ruari was caught and brought to Edinburgh for execution, then famously stating to the King that he "would be deemed good service to harass the subjects of the woman who killed his sovereign's mother!". This crazy last-ditch attempt to survive worked and James VI let him go. The MacNeils were back in the castle until 1795 when the fortress was hit by a devastating fire that led to its sale some years later. The heritage of Kisimul Castle was slowly disappearing until 1937 when Robert Lister MacNeil, a descendant of the 22nd chief and the then chief ofClan MacNeil, bought the castle and spent his life restoring it to its former glory. In 2001, the castle was leased by the chief of Clan MacNeil to Historic Scotland for 1000 years for the annual sum of £1 and a bottle of whisky. What a great deal! See, we told you this castle’s history was captivating.

Although perhaps not as famously connected to the MacNeil Clan as Kisimul, Sween Castle off the west coast of Argyll, Scotland was once held by the Clan MacNeil. Castle Sween is one of the oldest stone castles ever built in Scotland with archaeologists dating it back to the 12th century. It is not just the age of this castle that is great, but also the history. Suibhne Ruadh (Suibhne the red), brother of the High King of Ireland built this castle on the picturesque eastern shore of Loch Sween and created Clan MacSween with it. One treacherous decision changed the history of the MacSweens and the castle when they chose to side with the English in return for a promise of lands during the Wars of Independence. Bruce was enraged by this decision and arrived at Sween Castle after his victory to begin a long bloody siege on the castle. Bruce destroyed the clansmen and the MacNeill’s were appointed to be hereditary constables of Castle Sween with Hector Torquil MacNeill becoming the 1st of Taynish. The castle was in the control of the MacNeils for a few generations until it became a pawn in the larger feud between the MacDonalds, the Lords of the Isles and the mainland government. The pinnacle of this came in 1647 when the MacDonalds arrived at Castle Sween to prove a point, they arrived and destroyed this pre-possessing castle that they once owned.

Now to one of my personal favourite castles and one of the most fascinating I have come across, DonegalCastle. DonegalCastle was once the principal residence of the O’Donnell clan, one of the leading Gaelic clans who trace their ancestry back toNiall of the Nine Hostages, the same as the MacNeil Clan. Red Hugh O’Donnell himself built it as his personal fortress in the fifteenth century. Despite this Hugh was forced to leave for Spain in the wake of the Battle of Kinsale which was a decisive victory for the English and the end of the nine-year war. Hugh was determined to make sure his castle would never ever fall into English hands – by setting it on fire. But he was to be disappointed. English captain Sir Basil Brooke became the castle’s new lord in 1616. It wasn’t until 1898 when the Earl of Arran had it transferred to the Office of Public Works, that restoration was able to begin in the first decade of the 20th century. You can actually visit this castle today as it is open to the public - we can’t wait to go!

There you have it, the incredible castles of Clan MacNeil! Which one was your favourite? Let us know your thoughts and if you want to learn more about Clan MacNeil head over to our clan page!