Mingarry Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mingarry Castle (or Mingary Castle) (Caisteal Mhìogharraidh in Gaelic) is a castle situated a mile south-east of the small village of Kilchoan in Lochaber, Scotland. Nestled on ridge of rock overlooking the sea, it was considered a strategically important site in terms of communication with overseas areas and as an entranceway to the Sound of Mull.[1] The castle fell into ruin about 600 years after its construction in the 13th century; the majority of the building, however, dates from much later than this, from the 17th century onwards.[2] Mingarry is roughly hexagonal in shape with nine-foot-thick walls, thicker on the seaward side.
Originally built for the Clan MacDonald of Ardnamurchan (also known as MacIain of Ardnamurchan), the castle has had many different occupants. King James IV of Scotland used it as a stronghold for fighting off Clan Donald in the late 15th century.
In 1515 the castle was besieged by the Clan MacDonald of Lochalsh and again two years later when they finally took the castle.
In 1588 the chief of the Clan MacLean of Duart Castle resided there after capturing the chief of the Clan MacIain of Ardnamurchan. He fought off a Spanish galleon, The Florida, from the castle.
Other occupants over the years included the Clan Campbell, the Earls of Argyll (in 1612), and Alasdair Colkitto MacDonald who fought the English Parliamentarians of Oliver Cromwell in 1644.
In 2006 a Channel 4 television programme "Wreck Detectives" set out to uncover a shipwreck in the Sound of Mull, directly below the castle. The wreck was finally dated to 1644 in the time of Alasdair MacDonald. [3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Mingarry Castle", HighlandConnection. URL last accessed on 2006-04-10.
- ^ "Overview of Mingary castle", Gazetteer for Scotland. URL last accessed on 2006-04-10.
- ^ "The Wrecks - Mingarry Castle Wreck, Channel 4. URL last accessed on 2006-04-10.
