Dunollie Castle, located just north of Oban on Scotland’s west coast, is well situated on a hill that looks out across the town and harbour towards the island of Kerrera. There has been a fortification on the promontory since the Early Middle Ages but it was sacked three times in a space of fifteen years. It was rebuilt around 714 by Selbach mac Ferchair, King of Dalriada and 20th-century research shows it was probably inhabited for around 200 years.
At sometime in the 12th century, Dunollie became part of the Kingdom of the Isles – ruled over by the fearsome warlord Somerled. After his death, it fell to the Clan MacDougall, Lords of Lorne. Initially allied with Haakon IV of Norway, the clan switched allegiance in the mid-13th century to the kings of Scotland.
In the 14th century, John MacDougall sided with the Comyns and the Balliols against Robert the Bruce and defeated him at the Battle of Dalrigh – just six months after Bruce had killed John Comyn in Greyfriars Church, Dumfries. In 1308 Bruce took his revenge and won the Battle of the Pass of Brander – this saw the MacDougalls stripped of their lands. Both Dunollie and the nearby Dunstaffnage were given to Clan Campbell – Dunollie was regained a few years later.
Dunollie was lost again in 1644 when it was captured by the Marquis of Argyll, but it was returned to them in 1661. In 1746, following the second Jacobite rebellion, the MacDougalls abandoned the castle and built Dunollie House downhill. The castle is still owned by the MacDougalls today and is open to the public – the views over Oban Bay are beautiful at the height of summer.
Filling The Void 