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On the rocky headland that rises sheer from the waters of the Minch stand the ruins of ancient Duntulm Castle whose most recent occupants were the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles
Below the castle in Duntulm Bay or "Port Dhuntuilm" can be seen the keel marks of the galleons. "Barra na Birlinn" where the boats were pulled up for winter safety is still in use but now by only one or two local crofters boats.
Duntulm was originally a Pictish fortress forming one of a chain of duns or forts stretching along the north coast of the island each one being visible to its neighbour and able to put up a smoke or flame signal as soon as an approaching enemy was sighted. On the invasion of the Isles by the Norsemen Duntulm became the residence of a powerful Viking leader and it is assumed the name David's Fort (or Dun Dhaibhidh.) The Norsemen however, lost their grip of Skye after the Battle of Largs in 1263 but it was not until almost 300 years later that Donald Gorm, Master of the Macdonalds of Sleat took up residence there and carried out great improvements to the fort. It was another Donald Gorm (Mor), who provoked the War of the One-Eyed Woman and rivalled with his cousin, Uisdean MacGilleasbuig Cleirich (Hugh Macdonald of Sleat) who had tried to kill Donald Gorm Og in a plot but unfortunately (for him) mixed up the assassination-order to Martin of Trotternish and the invitation to a "housewarming party" to Donald Gorm. Thus he was seized in his castle in North Uist and imprisoned in the keep of Duntulm, fed on salt meat but given no water. His thirst-mad cries can still be heared at Duntulm Castle at night.
Trotternish in those times often changed hands. It was a tug-of-war between the clan MacLeod and the clan Donald - especially Clan Donald of Sleat. Once there was an agreement that the Clans should race for the area on sea. They landed at Bornisketaig Point, the Macdonald captain cutting his hand of and so touching the land first, thus acquiring it for his father, then Chief of MacDonald. In 1482 after the Battle of Badh na Fola (Bloody Bay) (1480) Angus Og MacDonald seized Trotternish and Duntulm as well from Alasdair Crotach MacLeod. After this it was never again MacLeod's property. In the 16th century the clan Donald finally seized the whole territory by their victory at the Battle of Trouterness (Trotternish) and from that time until they moved on to Monkstadt in 1730 Duntulm was the seat of the Chief.
No cost was spared in making the dun a castle fit for a Chief and in its hey-day Duntulm is reputed to have had every grandeur. King James V. who paid a brief visit there in 1540 commented on its position, strength and charm. The Chief had his own sailors and garrison as well as his own private pipers, bards, doctors, armourers, harpers and jester. To show the trouble being taken to make everything grand one recalls that soil from 7 kingdoms was imported to lay the foundation of the castle garden. What a wonderful experience for the sailors of Duntulm to have to go to foreign climes in search of soil and one can imagine the galleons returning to the little bay in the shelter of Tulm Island and the crew leaping ashore to tell their families of the wonders of the lands they had been to.
MacDonald participation in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion led inevitably to the decline of the family's fortunes. The fate of Duntulm was sealed when the family's estates were forfeited to the Crown. But why the MacDonalds vacated Duntulm has never been satisfactorily settled. One view is that the family were driven out by the persistent ghostly visitations of their ancestor, Donald Gorm More MacDonald.
Local lore tells that a tragedy befell the family when the young son and heir of Donald Gorm Og was nursed one day at the harper's window, facing out to the Minch. The child took a vigorious jerk from the arms of his nursemaid and fell to his death on the cruel rocks below. As a means of punishment the nurse is said to have been thrown down behind. In another version she is said to have been bound and put into a boat set adrift. Her cries still haunt the place although there is even another rumour that she was in fact secretly hidden and later taken to her family, a dummy having been fixed in the boat.
It is said that the last great festivity to be held in the castle took place in 1715 before the clan left to fight at Sherrifmuir. The oldest tenant in Duntulm came forward during the ball to drink a toast to the young baby who was only a few weeks old. The music stopped and the guests raised their glasses to the young heir but as he uttered the toast the old man fell to the ground unconscious, later to recover and to relate to only his closest friend what he had seen. He had a vision of the baby falling out of the window and being carried dead into the castle.
The more credible explanation of the departure of Clan Donald lies in the fact that the castle was left so long unoccupied as the Chief was so much away in the south and its condition began to deteriorate. One of the legends of Duntulm concerns Teug Mor MacQueen who lived in the Braes near Portree. He was a close friend of Donald Gorm and being a good archer he was always at hand when trouble was near. On this particular day MacKenzie of Kintail (Eilean Donan Castle) crossed over to Skye to raid for cattle. News came to Duntulm that Kintail was at Flodigarry and that a large drove of cattle had been harried. On their way through Kilmaluag with their spoil, Teug hid behind a rock and using the Chief's bow and arrows he killed the reevers one by one. One of the herdsmen who was swift of foot hurried off and hid himself until Teug disappeared with the drove of cattle back to Flodigarry. He then went on his way but just as he was crossing a burn near Totescore he was again caught up with by Teug Mor. The Kintail man pled for mercy since he alone was left and Teug eventually let him go. To this day the burn is called "Lon Singilte" or the Stream of the Single Man.
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