Image Details
It is difficult to photograph this castle without the 'not again' feeling. However, it is in an impossibly idyllic setting at the meeting place of three lochs, Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long. Add to that the backdrop of the Isle of Skye and the Cuillin mountain ridge and one can understand why it commands the attention of photographers time and time again.
Taken on a fine day in early April I went someway up the hill for this shot and, although I took this many years ago, I well remember the difficulty of excluding various unwanted intrusions into this view. At one point I wished I were just 6" taller to make life a little simpler!
Eilean Donan was rebuilt from its ruinous state in 1932 to the plan of the original building dating from the thirteenth century. There was no bridge linking the original castle to the mainland in those days for obvious defensive reasons. At the time of writing this I plan, at a later date, to add an article to this section of the website detailing the origins and subsequent history of this castle.
North-west Highland Place Names
The landscape of the North-west Highlands and the Gaelic language are intimately connected. Other languages have contributed to the richness of our place names, notably Norse, but the North-west Highlands have for centuries been a Gaelic landscape. In listing the meanings of place names I have relied on authoritative sources wherever possible. For further information about sources please refer to North-west Highland Place Names in the main menu.
Cuillin; This is the anglicised spelling of the Scottish Gaelic An Cuilthionn or An Cuiltheann. From my researches into the meaning of the Gaelic names An Cuilthionn and An Cuiltheann it appears that etymologists are unable to provide a definitive answer. Some suggest the range owes its name to the legendary heroic figure, Cú Chulainn while others propose cuilionn, the Gaelic for holly. However, given the island's Viking heritage and the aspect that the Cuillin ridge presents from afar, the contention that the name comes from the Norse kjollen or keel-shaped, appears to be the most likely explanation.
Eilean Donan; is a small island in Loch Duich on which the castle of that name stands. Eilean Donan (which means simply ‘island of Donnán’) is named after Donnán of Eigg, a Celtic saint martyred in the Dark Ages.
Loch Alsh; In Gaelic it is Loch Aillse reputedly meaning ‘foaming lake’ or ‘loch of spume’. However, Professor Watson traces its roots back to Ptolemy who called it Volsas or Volsas Bay. The Professor states that the modern Gaelic favours an origin from Volsas, and that Dr A MacBain would connect it with a root vol, to roll, as a wave.
Loch Duich; In Gaelic it is Loch Dubhthaich and is named after St.Dubhthaich, an eleventh century bishop of Ross. [The West Highlands of Scotland by W. H. Murray, The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland]
Loch Long; Long is Gaelic for ship so Loch Long translates as ‘ship loch’.
Skye; Skye's history includes the influence of Gaelic, Norse and English speaking peoples and the relationships between their names for the island are not straightforward. The Gaelic name for the "Isle of Skye" is An t-Eilean Sgitheanach (or Sgiathanach, a more recent and less common spelling). The meaning of this name is not clear. Various explanations have been proposed, such as the ‘winged isle’ or ‘the notched isle’ but no definitive solution has been found to date.
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