Scotland Magazine

MULL’S GUARD

Tradition has it that Clan Maclean originates from Gillean of the Battle Axe, a descendant of Irish migration from North Ulster. He and his son Malise fought against King Haakon IV of Norway’s invasion at the Battle of Largs in 1263. Thereafter, their followers established themselves in the Inner Hebrides.

The foundations of the great clifftop fortress of Duart, sentinel of the Sound of Mull, were most likely built by the MacDougall Lords of Lorne, who lost their island lands to the MacDonalds. Guarding that stretch of salt water between the Scottish mainland, Loch Linnhe, Loch Etive and the neck of the Firth of Lorne, the placement was a critical defence against the threat of Norse/Viking invasion. In that turbulent era, warning beacons were signalled from Mingary Castle on

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