Duntrune Castle is located on the north side of

Loch Crinan Loch Crinan is a seawater loch on the West of Scotland, leading into the Sound of Jura The Sound of Jura () is a strait in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is one of the several Sounds of Scotland. It is to the east of the island of Jura and ...

and across from the village of Crinan in

Argyll Argyll (; archaically Argyle, in modern Gaelic, ), sometimes called Argyllshire, is a historic county and registration county of western Scotland. Argyll is of ancient origin, and corresponds to most of the part of the ancient kingdom of ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied castle on mainland Scotland. The castle is a category B

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern I ...

History

It was originally built by the MacDougall clan in the 13th century, along with several other castles in the area, including the MacDougall stronghold of

Dunollie Castle Dunollie Castle (Scottish Gaelic: Caisteal Dhùn Ollaigh) is a small ruined castle located on a hill north of the town of Oban, on the west coast of Scotland in Argyll. The site enjoys views over towards the island of Kerrera and a view of the t ...

near

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, ...

. Duntrune Castle was eventually taken by the

Clan Campbell Clan Campbell ( gd, Na Caimbeulaich ) is a Scottish Highlands, Highland Scottish clan, historically one of the largest and most powerful of the Highland clans. The Clan Campbell lands are in Argyll and within their lands lies Ben Cruachan. The ...

. In the 17th century the castle was besieged by the rival MacDonalds, under

Alasdair Mac Colla Alasdair Mac Colla Chiotaich MacDhòmhnaill (c. 1610 – 13 November 1647), also known by the English variant of his name Sir Alexander MacDonald, was a military officer best known for his participation in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, notably ...

. The Campbells sold Duntrune in 1792, to the Malcolms of Poltalloch. The castle is now owned by Robin Neill Malcolm, current clan chief of the

Clan Malcolm The Clan Malcolm, also known as the Clan MacCallum, is a Highland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. (1994). ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Counci ...

. The curtain wall of the castle dates from the 13th century, although the

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

which forms the main part of the castle is of the 17th century. The castle was renovated in 1954.

Popular culture

The gateposts of Skyfall lodge, James Bond's childhood home in the film of the same name, were modelled after those at Duntrune. A photograph of Duntrune Castle is part of the original album inner sleeve art of the

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...

album ''

Imaginos ''Imaginos'' is the eleventh studio album by the American hard rock band Blue Öyster Cult. It was released in 1988, and was their last recording with their original record label, CBS/Columbia Records. The album took nearly eight years to com ...

''.

References

{{reflist

External links

Gazetteer for Scotland
Castles in Argyll and Bute Category B listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Listed castles in Scotland Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes Clan MacDougall

History

Popular culture

See also

References

External links