The castle has a beautiful location as it stands surrounded by blue sky and green mountains. It is owned and maintained by Clan Macdonald and it has been in the family since the 1200’s witnessing an astonishing 29 generations of Clan MacDonald.
The only time that a MacDonald was not in residence here was during the potato famine of 1847. Due to financial hardship the then Clan Chief had to leave the castle to get a job in London in order to raise funds for his family. During this period the castle was left unoccupied for 80 years until 1929.
It has an excellent fortified location, surrounded with mountains and water which meant it could be well defended in times of war. Also its location away from the mainland meant that any opposing army would have a vast distance to travel to try and take the castle, which with a large army would be a large strain on resources.
Today you can visit the castle and it is in excellent condition, it is still in private ownership of the Clan which is not in keeping with many other castles which are now in the hands of the national trust.
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