Eilean Donan Eilean Donan ( ) is a small tidal island in Loch Duich in the western Highlands of Scotland ; since the castle ' s restoration in the early 20th Century , a footbridge has connected the island to the mainland . A picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs , film and television dominates the island , which lies about from the village of Dornie . Eilean Donan is part of the Kintail National Scenic Area , one of 40 in Scotland . In 2001 , the island had a recorded population of just one person , but there were no " usual residents " at the time of the 2011 census . Eilean Donan , which means simply " island of Donnán " , is named after Donnán of Eigg , a Celtic saint martyred in 617 . Donnán is said to have established a church on the island , though no trace of this remains . The castle was founded in the thirteenth century , and became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies the Clan Macrae . In the early eighteenth century the Mackenzies ' involvement in the Jacobite rebellions led in 1719 to the castle ' s destruction by government ships . Lieutenant - Colonel John Macrae - Gilstrap ' s twentieth - century reconstruction of the ruins produced the present buildings . History . It is possible that an early Christian monastic cell was founded on the island in the 6th or 7th century , dedicated to Donnán of Eigg , an Irish saint who was martyred on Eigg in April 617 . No remains of any Christian buildings survive , though fragments of vitrified stone , subjected to very high temperatures , have been discovered indicating the presence of an Iron Age or early medieval fortification . Origins of the castle . In the earlier thirteenth century , during the reign of Alexander II ( ruled 1214 – 1249 ) , a large curtain - wall castle ( wall of enceinte ) was constructed that enclosed much of the island . At this time the area was at the boundary of the Norse - Celtic Lordship of the Isles and the Earldom of Ross : Eilean Donan provided a strong defensive position against Norse expeditions . A founding legend relates that the son of a chief of the Mathesons acquired the power of communicating with the birds . As a result , and after many adventures overseas , he gained wealth , power , and the respect of Alexander II , who asked him to build the castle to defend his realm . At a later date the island became a stronghold of the Mackenzies of Kintail , originally vassals of Uilleam , Earl of Ross . At this early stage , the castle is said to have been garrisoned by Macraes and Maclennans , both clans that were later closely associated with the Mackenzies . Traditional Mackenzie clan histories relate that Earl William sought advantage from the Treaty of Perth of 1266 , by which King Magnus VI of Norway ceded the Hebrides to Scotland , and demanded that his kinsman Kenneth Mackenzie return the castle to allow his expansion into the islands ; Mackenzie refused , and Earl William led an assault against Eilean Donan that the Mackenzies and their allies repulsed . The Mackenzie clan histories also claim ( with little , if any , supporting contemporary evidence , that Robert the Bruce sheltered at Eilean Donan during the winter of 1306 to 1307 ; the castle escaped any other involvement in the Wars of Scottish Independence . In 1331 Thomas Randolph , Earl of Moray , sent an officer to Eilean Donan to warn the occupants of his forthcoming visit . In preparation 50 wrongdoers were rounded up and executed , their heads being displayed on the castle walls to Moray ' s approval . By the middle of the 14th century the Mackenzies are said to have been on the losing side in the ongoing feuding with the Earls of Ross ; Earl Uilleam III granted Kintail to Raghnall mac Ruaidhri , Lord of Garmoran in 1342 . With the assistance of Leod Macgilleandrais , the Earl allegedly apprehended Kenneth Mackenzie , 3rd of Kintail , and had him executed in 1346 at Inverness . Through this period Eilean Donan is said to have been held by Duncan Macaulay for the Mackenzies , against the Earl and his allies . Kenneth ' s young son Murdo Mackenzie supposedly evaded the Earl ' s attempts to eliminate him , and on the return of David II from exile Murdo Mackenzie was allegedly confirmed in the lands of Kintail and Eilean Donan by a charter of 1362 ( of which , however , no trace survives to the present day ) . At some point in the earlier 14th century it is thought that the Clan Macrae began to settle in Kintail as a body , having migrated from the Beauly Firth , and there gained the trust of the Mackenzie lairds through possible kinship and an advantageous marriage . The Macraes began to act as Mackenzie ' s bodyguards , acquiring the soubriquet " Mackenzie ' s shirt of mail " . Clan feuding . James I , determined to pacify the Highlands , journeyed to Inverness in 1427 and invited the principal chiefs to meet him there . Allegedly among them was the young Alexander Mackenzie , 6th Earl of Kintail . James then arrested him , along with the other chiefs , on their arrival . Mackenzie clan histories relate that , although several chiefs were executed or imprisoned , Alexander , due to his youth , was instead sent to Perth to attend school . Alexander ' s uncles attempted to seize control of Kintail , but the constable Duncan Macaulay continued to hold Eilean Donan on his behalf . Fionnla Dubh mac Gillechriosd , considered by clan historians to be the founder of the Clan Macrae in Kintail , was dispatched to fetch the young laird back . During his lairdship Alexander appears to have supported the monarchy against the MacDonald Lords of the Isles and was allegedly rewarded by another charter of Kintail in 1463 . Alexander died in about 1488 at a great age , and was succeeded by Kenneth Mackenzie , 7th of Kintail , victor of the Battle of Blar Na Pairce against the MacDonalds . Kenneth died a few years later and was succeeded first by his eldest son , then on his death in 1497 by his second son , John of Killin , who was still a minor . His uncle , Hector Roy Mackenzie , attempted to usurp the Mackenzie lands and installed his own constable in Eilean Donan ; Malcolm Mac Ian Charrich Macrae . Hector ' s lawless activities caused the Mackenzies to be branded rebels , and in 1503 the Earl of Huntly offered to deliver Eilean Donan to the king , and to hold it on his behalf . James IV supplied a ship to support the enterprise . Eventually John compelled his uncle to relinquish his claim , and Hector agreed to hand over Eilean Donan . The constable refused however , and John ' s supporters laid siege . Malcolm Mac Ian Charrich was eventually persuaded by Hector to relinquish the castle , after which he was dismissed as constable and Christopher Macrae ( Gillechriosd Mac Fionnlagh Mhic Rath ) was appointed in his place in around 1511 . John of Killin obtained a further charter of Kintail and Eilean Donan in 1509 . In 1539 Donald Gorm Macdonald of Sleat ravaged the lands of MacLeod of Dunvegan on Skye , and then attacked the Mackenzie lands of Kinlochewe , where Miles ( Maolmure ) , brother of Christopher Macrae , was killed . After a series of retaliatory raids , Donald Gorm learned that Eilean Donan was weakly garrisoned and launched a surprise attack . In fact only two people were in the castle : the recently appointed constable Iain Dubh Matheson and the warden . Duncan MacGillechriosd of the Clan Macrae , son of the former constable , arrived at the start of the attack and killed several MacDonalds at the postern gate . Arrows launched by the attackers killed Matheson and the warden , but MacGillechriosd managed to hit Donald Gorm with his last arrow , fatally wounding Gorm , and the Macdonalds retreated . Duncan MacGillechriosd expected to be appointed as the new constable but was considered too headstrong : the local clergyman John MacMhurchaidh Dhuibh ( John Murchison ) was appointed as a compromise between rival Macrae and Maclennan interests . Furious at this treatment , MacGillechriosd left Kintail and joined the service of Lord Lovat , though he eventually returned to settle at Inverinate . Meanwhile an aggrieved Maclennan apparently shot MacMhurchaidh shot in the buttocks with an arrow . MacGillechriosd ' s son Christopher Macrae became constable of Eilean Donan in turn , and held the castle during yet another clan feud , this time between the Mackenzies and the MacDonalds of Glengarry . Feuding broke out in 1580 and continued for almost 25 years . In around 1602 Eilean Donan was the base for a sea skirmish at the narrows of Kyle Rhea led by Christopher ' s son Duncan . During the action the MacDonalds were driven on to the Cailleach Rock at the eastern tip of Skye , and Angus the son of MacDonald of Glengarry was killed . Christopher was succeeded as constable by the Rev . Murdoch Murchison , minister of Kintail . 17th century . The Rev . Farquhar Macrae , son of Christopher Macrae , was born at the castle in 1580 . After attending Edinburgh University and taking holy orders , in 1618 he was appointed constable of the castle and minister of Kintail on the death of Murdoch Murchison . Colin Mackenzie of Kintail was created Earl of Seaforth in 1623 . He lived mainly at Chanonry of Ross in Fortrose , but made regular visits to Eilean Donan where the constable was required to entertain him and his retinue of between 300 and 500 retainers , as well as the neighbouring lairds . In 1635 George Mackenzie , 2nd Earl of Seaforth , appointed Farquhar as tutor to his six - year - old son Kenneth , who was subsequently raised at Eilean Donan . In the civil wars of the mid 17th century the Earl of Seaforth sided with Charles I . In 1650 , after the king ' s execution , the Parliament of Scotland ordered a garrison to Eilean Donan . The local people did not welcome the garrison . When a party of 30 soldiers came out from the castle to request provisions from the local people , a band of 10 men who opposed their demands met the occupiers . An argument broke out , which led to the garrison men being driven off with several casualties . Shortly thereafter the garrison departed . The following year the Earl ' s brother , Simon Mackenzie of Lochslin , gathered troops for the royalist cause around Eilean Donan . For reasons unrecorded , he fell out with Farquhar Macrae and demanded his removal from the castle . Farquhar initially resisted , and despite interventions by the young Kenneth , had to be marched out by Lochslin and George Mackenzie ( later Earl of Cromartie ) . He was finally persuaded to leave without violence , stating that he was too old to dwell in the cold castle . Farquhar was thus the last constable to dwell in Eilean Donan until its reconstruction , although he retained the ministry of Kintail until his death in 1662 , at the age of 82 . After this time , the castle was briefly occupied by the Earl of Balcarres and his wife , who were in the Highlands in support of the Earl of Glencairn ' s royalist uprising , although Balcarres later disagreed with Glencairn and departed . In June 1654 General Monck , Oliver Cromwell ' s military governor in Scotland , marched through Kintail while suppressing the uprising . His troops destroyed much property , and stole 360 of Farquhar Macrae ' s cattle , though only one man was killed . Jacobite rising and destruction of the castle . In 1689 King James VII of the House of Stuart was declared to have forfeit the throne , and the crown was offered to William of Orange , in the so - called " Glorious Revolution " . The revolution also established Presbyterianism in Scotland , although the Highlands generally remained Episcopalian and loyal to the Stuarts . A series of Jacobite Rising s followed , leading to an increased military presence in Scotland as government forces attempted to penetrate and subdue the Highlands . In 1714 while surveying fortifications for the government , the military engineer Lewis Petit made the only surviving drawing of Eilean Donan . The sketch - elevation and carefully drawn plan show a dilapidated castle , largely roofless but for a small building by the entrance . A major Jacobite uprising took place in 1715 . Led by the Earl of Mar , it was an attempt to restore the exiled James Stuart , the " Old Pretender " , to the throne . William Mackenzie , 5th Earl of Seaforth , joined the Jacobite army , leading out men of the Clan Mackenzie and Clan Macrae . The Macraes mustered at Eilean Donan , and are said to have danced on the roof of the castle before setting out to the Battle of Sheriffmuir where 58 Macraes were among the Jacobite dead . The battle was indecisive and the rising collapsed soon after . Following the failure of the rising of 1715 , the Jacobites found new support from Spain , now opposing both Britain and France in the War of the Quadruple Alliance . The Duke of Ormonde led the main invasion fleet from Spain , while an advance party of 300 Spanish soldiers under George Keith , 10th Earl Marischal , arrived in Loch Duich in April 1719 , and occupied Eilean Donan Castle . The expected uprising of Highlanders did not occur , and the main Spanish invasion force never arrived . At the beginning of May , the Royal Navy sent ships to the area . Early in the morning on Sunday 10 May , , , and anchored off Eilean Donan and sent a boat ashore under a flag of truce to negotiate . When the Spanish soldiers in the castle fired at the boat , it was recalled and all three ships opened fire on the castle for an hour or more . The next day the bombardment continued while a landing party was prepared . In the evening under the cover of an intense cannonade , a detachment went ashore in the ships ' boats and captured the castle against little resistance . According to " Worcester " s log , in the castle were " an Irishman , a captain , a Spanish lieutenant , a serjeant , one Scotch rebel and 39 Spanish soldiers , 343 barrels of powder and 52 barrels of musquet shot . " The naval force spent the next two days and 27 barrels of gunpowder demolishing the castle . " Flamborough " then took the Spanish prisoners to Edinburgh . The remaining Spanish troops were defeated on 10 June at the Battle of Glen Shiel . Restoration and reuse . Between 1919 and 1932 the castle was rebuilt by Lt . Col . John MacRae - Gilstrap . The restoration included the construction of an arched bridge to give easier access to the island . Macrae - Gilstrap also established of a war memorial dedicated to the men of the Macrae clan who died in the First World War . The memorial is adorned with lines from John McCrae ' s poem " In Flanders Fields " , and is flanked by grey field gun s from the war . Eilean Donan was opened to the public in 1955 , and has since become a popular attraction : over 314 , 000 people visited in 2009 , making it the third - most - visited castle in Scotland . In 1983 ownership of the castle was transferred to the Conchra Charitable Trust , established by the Macrae family to maintain and restore the castle , and a purpose - built visitor centre was opened on the landward side of the bridge in 1998 . The castle is regularly described as one of the most photographed monuments in Scotland , and is a recognised Scottish icon , frequently appearing on packaging and advertising for shortbread , whisky and other products . Eilean Donan has made several appearances in films , beginning with " Bonnie Prince Charlie " in 1948 and " The Master of Ballantrae " in 1953 . The castle was the setting for the 1979 short film Black Angel , filmed to accompany screenings of " " in theaters . It featured prominently in " Highlander " ( 1986 ) , and in 1999 served as Sean Connery ' s home in " Entrapment " as well as the Scottish headquarters of MI6 in " The World Is Not Enough " . In " " Eilean Donan stood in for Fotheringhay Castle in England . Architectural development . Eilean Donan Castle went through several phases of development from the earliest fortifications of the 13th century through to its destruction in 1719 , and the subsequent reconstruction in the 20th century . The first phase comprised a curtain wall enclosing much of the island , with a tower house added in the 14th century . In the 14th or 15th century the outer wall was abandoned and a smaller enclosure built around the tower house . More development within this courtyard took place in the 16th century , as well as the addition of a defences on the eastern side . The castle was almost totally destroyed in 1719 , after which almost 200 years passed before reconstruction began . Although some archaeological evidence has been recovered from the island , much material was lost during the reconstruction works making it difficult to build a clear picture of the early castle . Very little historical evidence survives . Mapmaker Timothy Pont ( c . 1565 – 1614 ) left a description : The only drawing of the castle prior to its destruction was made in 1714 by Lewis Petit ( c . 1665 – 1720 ) , a military engineer with the Board of Ordnance who came to Scotland in 1714 to survey Fort William and other defences in the area . Among the drawings he produced are a plan and elevation of Eilean Donan , which clearly show that the castle was largely derlict by this time , with only a building at the south - east corner being roofed . The early enclosure . In the 13th century a curtain wall or wall of " enceinte " was constructed around the island , enclosing most of the area above the high tide line . Scant remains of these walls can be traced on the ground , running around the northern end of the island . The eastern and southern segments of this wall are largely obscured by later development , although the enclosure is assumed to have contained an area of around . At the northern point of the wall the foundations of a large tower survive , measuring around and the remains of foundations suggest further towers at the north - east and south - west corners of the enclosure . The enclosure was accessed via a sea - gate in the north - west curtain wall , where a small beach would have allowed boats to be drawn up . Another beach to the south - west may have formed a second access . Archaeological excavations in 2008 and 2009 confirmed the presence of these walls , and also found evidence that metalworking was taking place in the northern part of the castle . A tower house or keep was built against the curtain wall at the high point of the island , probably in the 14th century . The tower measured , with walls thick . The vaulted ground floor was originally divided in two , with a stair in the north wall giving access to the first - floor hall . Above this were probably another two storeys , including a garret . The tower , according to Petit ' s later drawing , was topped by crowstep gables , and surrounded by a walkway and bartizan s ( small turrets ) at the corners . The reduced castle . At an unknown period , probably in the later 14th century or early 15th century , the outer wall was abandoned in favour of a smaller defensive enclosure , around square . The entrance to this smaller courtyard was from the east . The reasons for this change are unclear , though it is suggested that the smaller area would have been easier to defend . During the 16th century two buildings were added to the southern periphery of the enclosure . A small house was constructed within the south - east angle of the wall , with a circular stair - tower on its northern side giving access to the walkway along the eastern curtain wall . Located just inside the gate , this is likely to have served as a house for the castle ' s constable or keeper , and is the only building shown with a roof on Petit ' s survey . At the south - west corner of the enclosure an L - plan block was put up , possibly as late as the early 17th century . The southern part is sited outside the line of the inner curtain wall , with a northern wing , which may have been a slightly later addition , inside the wall . The hornwork . In the later 16th century the castle was extended eastward to create a bastion or " hornwork " , providing a more securely defended entrance . The hornwork comprises a pair of walls enclosing a triangular courtyard , linking the east wall of the castle with an irregular hexagonal ( or heptagonal ) structure . This structure , across , contains a well at its lowest level , across and deep . This led MacGibbon and Ross to describe the structure as a water tower or cistern . However , the presence of a door on its eastern side is shown in 19th century photographs , indicating that it was built as the main entrance to the castle . The water - filled interior would have been crossed by a removable bridge , presenting an obstacle to attackers . From the bridge , access to the castle would have been up a flight of steps , into the triangular courtyard , and through the gate in the east curtain wall . It is possible that the hexagonal bastion was roofed to serve as an artillery position . Dredging of the reservoir in 1893 recovered two brass guns , referred to as " double hagbut s " , and measuring around long with a bore of around . Also recovered was a yett , an iron gate , probably installed in the east door to the bastion , but now on display inside the castle . At some point in the 17th century this elaborate access was abandoned and a more convenient entrance opened in the south wall of the hornwork . By 1714 , Lewis Petit ' s drawing clearly shows that the castle was largely derlict , with only the house at the south - east corner being roofed . Four years later it was completely demolished , and by 1912 very little of the castle was still standing . The modern castle . The present castle buildings are entirely the result of 20th - century reconstruction and , although the rebuilding followed the extant ground plan , the details of the present castle differ from its original appearance . The survey drawings by Lewis Petit were not rediscovered until the restoration was almost complete , and the restorers therefore were forced to rely on less accurate interpretations such as the work of MacGibbon and Ross , who attempted a plan of the remains in the late 19th century . Indeed the clerk of works , Farquhar Macrae , is said to have based the reconstruction on a dream in which he saw the restored Eilean Donan . Rather than a genuinely medieval castle , Eilean Donan is described as " a romantic reincarnation in the tradition of early 20th - century castle revivals . " John Gifford , analysing the building against the Petit survey , notes a " fussy elaboration of what was probably plain originally , and an omission of decoration where it once existed " , and describes the interior as " a rubbly Edwardian stage - set for life in the Middle Ages " . The castle is today entered from the south , via a modern portal complete with a portcullis . Above the door is a Gaelic inscription which in translation reads : " As long as there is a Macrae inside , there will never be a Fraser outside " , referring to a bond of kinship between the two clans , and a similar inscription which once adorned the Fraser ' s home at Beaufort Castle . Above this is carved the coat of arms of John Macrae - Gilstrap . The portal gives access to the courtyard , the level of which has been lowered exposing the bedrock around the tower house . The present buildings at the south - east of the castle reflect the form of the earlier structures , including the circular stair tower , but are larger in extent . To the south - west only the southern portion of the L - shaped block was reconstructed , as a plain three - storey house , while in place of the northern wing is an open platform giving views over the loch . A small tower occupies the north - west angle . The keep itself follows the original dimensions , though the formerly subdivided ground floor is now a single room : the tunnel - vault ed Billeting Hall . Above on the first floor is the Banqueting Hall with an oak ceiling , and decorated with coats of arms and 15th - century style fireplace . Small mural chambers within the walls are accessed from each hall .