Everything about Caisteal Maol totally explained
Caisteal Maol is a ruined
castle located near the harbour of the village of
Kyleakin,
Isle of Skye,
Scotland. It is also known as
Castle Moil,
Castle Moal,
Castle Moil,
Dun Akyn,
Dun Haakon and
Castle Dunakin.
History
The castle, an ancient seat of the
Mackinnon clan, was a fortress commanding the narrow
sound between Skye and the mainland, through which all ships had to pass or else attempt the stormy passage of the
Minch. The present building dates back to the 15th century, but is traditionally reputed to be of much earlier origin.
According to that tradition,
Alpín mac Echdach's great-grandson Findanus, the 4th
MacKinnon chief, brought Dunakin into the clan around the year 900 by marrying a Norse princess nicknamed 'Saucy Mary'. Findanus and his bride ran a heavy chain across the sound and levied a toll on all shipping vessels. The Princess lies buried on
Beinn na Cailleach on Skye, her face reputedly turned towards
Norway.
Whatever the veracity of the castle's traditional history, there's good reason for supposing the existence of a connection of some kind with Norway.
King Haakon IV is thought to have assembled his fleet of longships there before the
Battle of Largs in 1263 (hence the name
Kyleakin - Haakon's kyle). Haakon's defeat there effectively ended Norse domination of the islands. Mediaeval and early modern documents also refer to the castle itself as Dunakin (Dun-Haakon), which is again strongly suggestive of a Norse connection.
The castle is nearly completely ruined. In 1949 and 1989 parts of the ruins broke away in storms. The remaining ruins have been secured to prevent further deterioration . No excavation of the ruins has been carried out, or is planned.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Caisteal Maol'.
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