The Island of Dun Chonnuill (Photo: Marc Calhoun www. marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

Location: Dun Chonnell Castle (also Dun Chonaill, Dun Chonnuill, or Dunchonnell) is situated on two peaks on the island of Dun Chonnuill.  The island of Dun Chonnuill lies at the NE end of the high-clifted four island Garvellachs chain which lies in a line west of Lunga about midway between Jura and Mull. The site is of great strategic importance to commanding the two main sea routes giving access to Lorn and the Sound of Mull from the southern Hebrides. The view from Dun Chonnell Castle on the highest summit encompasses almost all of the southern approach to the Firth of Lorn from the Ross of Mull to the Gulf of Corryvreckan:

• to the W sits the Isle of Colonsay;
• to the E only 3 mi. (5 km) away is the N end of the Sound of Luing;
• to the N is the Isle of Mull
• to the NE are the sea passage of Loch Linnhe to the island of Lismore, and the sea passage of the Firth of Lorne between Mull and the mainland with clear views over the Sound of Kerrera;
• to the S are Scarba and the Slate Islands;
• to the SW is adjacent Garbh Eileach, the largest island in the Garvellachs island chain.

The view from the castle ruin on the highest summit of Dun Chonnuill island (Photo: Marc Calhoun www. marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

Origin: The name Garvellachs comes from garbh aileach, meaning “rough rock.” The Garvellachs are known as “The Holy Islands.” On the southernmost island, Eileach na Naoimh, are the remains of the extensive early Christian monastery of Hinb where Saint Columba may have buried his mother.  At the northern end of the island chain is of Dun Chonnuill island upon which is sits Dun Chonnell Castle. It is said to have been built by Conal, King of Dalriada d. ca. 574 who would have been a contemporary of Saint Columba. It seems to have always been kept as a royal castle because of its strategic importance and assigned to the protective custody of loyal followers of the kings.

As the SW outpost of the MacDougall’s ring of power Dunchonnell was a vital sentry post in the chain of beacon fires which transmitted warnings of approaching danger.  From its strategic location observers would keep watch over the sea approaches and use fire beacon signals to pass and re-transmitted warnings of approaching enemies along a chain of sight lines along the chain of castles. It is said that beacon warnings could be transmitted 100 miles (160 km) in two hours with the degree of danger conveyed by the number of fires lit at the beacon.

Dun Chonnell was one of the early island strongholds which the MacDougalls held for the King of Norway from the time when they governed the islands for Norway as Kings in the Hebrides following the death of Somerled in 1164.  After Scotland purchased the Hebrides Islands from Norway by the Treaty of Perth in 1266 the MacDougall Lords of Lorn became Custodians of this royal castle for the Kings of Scots.  After the defeat of the MacDougalls at the Pass of Brander in 1308 the castle became part of the realm of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles, and they passed it under their control to their then vassals and supporters, the MacLeans, who became the hereditary Custodians of this royal castle fortification.

Path to the summit of Dun Chonnuill (Photo: Marc Calhoun www.marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

Dun Chonnell Castle is first named in records in 1343 when Robert the Bruce’s son, David II King of Scots, granted custody of the royal castles of Cairnburgh, lselborgh and Dun Chonaill to John (MacDonald) of Islay, 1st Lord of the Isles. In the 1343 charter David I confirmed John of Islay as Custodian of the Royal Castles of Cairn na Burg Mor, Cairn na burg Beg, and Dun Chonaill together with the lands and small islands pertaining to them.

Eleven years later in September 1354, the MacDougall Chief, Johannes de Larin Dominus Ergadie “John of Lorne, Lord of Argyle” as he was styled in the document, made an indenture with the MacDonald Chief, John Lord of the Isles, to post facto recognize the MacDonald possession of those former MacDougall islands which had already been confirmed by charter in 1344 to John, Lord of the Isles, by David II King of Scots. This 1354 indenture effectively recognized Bruce’s seizure of these MacDougall properties in 1310 and his grant of them to the victorious MacDonalds.  In 1354 the MacDougall Chief formally relinquished MacDougall claims to the Isles for Mull, the north part of Jura, Tiree, and the former MacDougall Treshnish Isles fortress of Cairnburgh and Garvellachs Isles fortress of Dunchonnell in favor of the MacDonalds. In turn the MacDougall Chief received the right to build certain ships and received MacDonald recognition of King David II’s restoration to the MacDougalls of some of their forfeited Lorn lands still held by the crown. This MacDougall recognition resolved the issue of the MacDonalds being in possession of lands forfeited by the MacDougalls after their defeat at the Pass of Brander in 1308.

In 1390 Donald (MacDonald), Lord of the Isles, granted to his vassal and supporter, Lachlan MacLean of Duart, various lands and castles, including half of the constabulary of the castles of Dun Chonaill together with lands in and near the Garvellachs. About this time the Chronicler John of Fordun included “the great castle of DunquhonIe” in a list of castles in the Western Isles. The 1390 document is also the only mention of the castle of Dunkerd which has not been identified; but it is possible that the name Dunkerd may have been applied to the detached portion of the fortifications occupying the knoll on the NE end of the island of Dun Chonaill. The name Dunkerd could derive from Dun nan Ceard meaning “fort of the smiths.” In 1549 Dean Monro wrote of Dun Chonnell as “ane Ile callit Dunchonill sa namet from Conill Kernoch ane strength, and alsmekle to say in English as ane round Castel.” Dun Chonnell remained in the possession of its hereditary MacLean Custodians until about the second quarter of the 17th C. when it passed to the Campbell Earls of Argyll. In this period the castle has no record of military activity.

Description: Dun Chonnuill is a small island on which two of its three rocky precipitous heights have been fortified to create the Castle of Dunchonnell.  The island measures about 600 yd. (550 m) in length from NE to SW by 245 yd. (220 m) in width. There is little room on the island for cultivation, however, other than for small garden plots. The almost flat topped center peak has a summit 202 ft. high (66 m) and about 285 ft. across (85 m).  The summit is comparatively sheltered and in summer has a lush growth of grass covering the remains of ten buildings which appear as earthen mounds and low stone walls covered by turf and nettles. Except on the NE and S sides the summit is surrounded by steep cliffs which descend to a rocky shelf lying immediately above the water.

The summit of Dun Chonnuill (Photo: Marc Calhoun www.marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

At each end of the island is a smaller summit separated from the central area by a narrow divide of low ground whose sea inlets provide shore landing places depending on weather conditions. There are two inlets at the NE end of the island and the more SE one of these is a narrow indentation suitably shaped to hold a galley at the foot of the only practicable path of approach to the summit. This inlet is sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds and it evidently constituted the main landing place for boats. The island is fully exposed to the elements and landing is often difficult or impossible.

The landing place seen from the sea (Photo: Marc Calhoun www.marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

The landing place seen from the step pathway to the summit above it (Photo: Marc Calhoun www.marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

The summit of the NE knoll has a drystone wall about 5 ft. wide running along the accessible S and E sides of the summit. At the SW corner a narrow and easily defended path leads up to the summit by way of convenient rock ledges. These fortifications of the knolls on each end of the island may have been created chiefly to prevent occupation by anyone intending to assault the nearly impregnable main castle fortification on the center peak.

At the other end of the island, the SW knoll is the much larger of the two knolls. It was also defended in necessary places by a drystone wall built mostly with limestone boulders quarried from the knoll. The wall is best preserved on the S side where it is 4 ft. (1.2 m) high and 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide. Midway along this S side of the wall, at the top of the only practicable path of approach, is a gap in the wall which have been the entrance to the summit of the knoll. There are no structures on the summit of this knoll.

The Canmore Database of Historic Environment Scotland at their Dun Chonnell Castle site provides a detailed archaeological description of the sites and their walls and buildings but a clear and simple description was reported in Proceedings Of The Society Of Antiquaries May 13, 1889 pages 407-409 Vol. XXIII:

…  But it is not so well known that the northern isle is occupied by an almost impregnable fortress called Dun Chonnel. This island is about a third of a mile in length, and less than a sixth in width, and consists of three distinct rocky, precipitous heights, on the central and largest of which, rising 202 feet above the sea, is the fort.

… The north-west and south-east flanks of the rock are so precipitous that they cannot be climbed directly from the bottom, and any slight chance of gaining the top by slanting along these sides, with great difficulty and risk, and only from the north-east end, is effectually checked by walls which form artificial precipices. The difficult ascent from the south west end has been barred in the same manner. Even at the north-east end, where is the entrance, access can only be effected by scrambling up a steep slope, traversed about half way up by a retaining wall about 1 4 feet high, through which there is a passage 4 feet 7 inches wide. The summit is tolerably level, and on the 6-inch Ordnance map measures 600 by 350 feet, but is probably not so much. All round the edge of the precipices are the remains of a wall which has been 4 feet thick. Under it a tunnel, resembling a drain, about 20 feet long, 3 wide, and 2 high, roofed with slabs, and choked with rubbish, passes from the inside, opening through the wall on the south-east face. A well is marked in the inside on the Ordnance map, but there are two depressions, 4 feet deep, and about the same width, choked with rubbish, either or both of which may have been wells. There are also remains of several oblong buildings with rounded corners, of dry masonry, resembling some of the buildings on Eileach an Naoimh.

On the top of the northern rock, which is much smaller than the middle one, and not half as high, there are also remains of a triangular fort, measuring 38 feet from the apex to the base, which is 50 feet long. The wall follows the contour of the precipice-edge. Connecting the bases of the two rocks is a well-built wall, 60 feet long and 9 feet high, cutting off access to both forts from the west. The entrance is between the wall and the north rock. At the foot of this rock are some more oblong buildings, one of which measures 35 by 21 feet, the ruined grass-covered wall having been apparently 4 feet thick. The only landing-places are mere indentations in the rock, impracticable in rough weather, and often difficult even in fine weather, from the heavy swell that is apt to prevail.

The Island of Dun Chonnuill viewed from the south from Garbh Eileach (Photo: Marc Calhoun www.marccalhoun.blogspot.com)

References:

1 – Technical information has been provided by the Canmore Database of Historic Environment Scotland and their Dun Chonnell Castle site may be visited at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/22374/garvellachs-dun-chonaill

2 – Journeying in MacDougall Country by Walter M. Macdougall, Past President of the Clan MacDougall Society of North America on pages 258 contains a note on this site. This excellent book is available from Lulu.com with profits going to the Dunollie Preservation Fund from its book sales at http://www.lulu.com/shop/walter-macdougall/journeying-in-macdougall-country/paperback/product-2242050.html

3 – Proceedings Of The Society Of Antiquaries May 13, 1889 pages 407-409 Vol. XXIII

4 – Photos and information were provided by https://marccalhoun.blogspot.ca/2016/11/dun-chonnuill-of-garvellachs.html