Castle Sween, also known as Caisteal Suibhne, and Caistéal Suibhne, is located on the eastern shore of
Loch Sween, in
Knapdale,
south of the forestry village of
Achnamara on the west coast of
Argyll,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Castle Sween is thought to be one of the earliest stone castles built in Scotland, having been built in the late 11th century.
The castle's towers were later additions to wooden structures which have since vanished.
History
Castle Sween is the oldest stone castle in Scotland, built in the late 11th century by Suibhne, son of Hugh Anrahan, brother of the king of Ulster and High King of Ireland, from whom it takes its name
Suibhne.
[ Ewart; Triscott; Holmes et al. (1996) p. 518; MacPhee, Kathleen, ''Somerled, Hammer of the Norse'' (2004), p. 67.]
As late as the thirteenth century, the
MacSweens possessed the surrounding lands of
Knapdale. However, by the second half of the century, these territories passed into the hands of the Stewart/Menteith family.
In 1310,
Edward II, King of England, granted
John MacSween, and his brothers, the MacSweens' ancestral lands of Knapdale, provided that they oust
John Menteith. It is possible that MacSween, and his claim to his family's lost Scottish homeland, may be the subject of the Gaelic poem ''Dál chabhlaigh ar Chaistéal Suibhne''. If so, this poem may well refer to an expedition by MacSween to retake Castle Sween in about 1310.
In 1323, after the death of John Menteith, the Lordship of Arran and Knapdale passed to his son and grandson. In 1376, half of Knapdale, which included the castle, passed into the possession of
John MacDonald I, Lord of the Isles, by a grant from his father-in-law,
Robert II, King of Scotland.
During the MacDonalds' century and a half of holding the castle, the castellans were first
MacNeils and later
MacMillans.
The
16th century
The 16th century began with the Julian calendar, Julian year 1501 (represented by the Roman numerals MDI) and ended with either the Julian or the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian year 1600 (MDC), depending on the reckoning used (the Gregorian calend ...
manuscript known as ''
The Book of the Dean of Lismore'' includes the lament of
Aithbhreac Inghean Coirceadal (f. 1460), which remains a highly important poem in
Scottish Gaelic literature. Aithbhreac, after being widowed, composed a lament addressed to the
rosary of her late husband, a
Tacksman of
Clan MacNeil and former constable of Castle Sween.
In 1490, Castle Sween was granted to
Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, by
James IV, King of Scotland.
[http://www.ccsna.org/castles/sween.html Retrieved on June 19, 2007]
In 1647, during the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...
, Castle Sween was attacked and burnt by
Alasdair MacColla and his Irish Confederate followers.
In 1933, the castle was put in the care of the
Historic Building and Monuments Directorate (HBMD).
Currently Castle Sween is under the protection of
Historic Scotland.
Conservation
A 2018 report from
Historic Environment Scotland noted that Castle Sween is at "very high risk" of
coastal erosion
Coastal erosion is the loss or displacement of land, or the long-term removal of sediment and rocks along the coastline due to the action of Wind wave, waves, Ocean current, currents, tides, wind-driven water, waterborne ice, or other impacts ...
due to
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
.
In popular culture
Castle Sween was featured in the 2021
Starz TV series ''
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham'' (from ''
Outlander'') episode 7 "Clans and Tartans".
Citations
References
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External links
Castle Sween Visitor Page – Historic Environment Scotland*
{{Portal bar, Scotland
Castles in Argyll and Bute
Clan MacNeil
Historic Environment Scotland properties in Argyll and Bute
Knapdale
Listed castles in Scotland
Scheduled monuments in Argyll and Bute