Dunollie Castle

Dunollie Castle is a modest tower-keep and courtyard built within the remains of an early medieval fort on a rocky promontory overlooking the approach to Oban harbour. The castle site is open to the public for a fee, and there is a small museum near the entrance to the wider Dunollie site.

The castle courtyard is roughly square in shape, and the tower keep is placed in the north-east corner on the diagonal, where it guards the approach to the castle. Although it was one of the principal strongholds of the powerful MacDougall clan, whose power base was centred at Dunstaffnage, it is likely that the early castle was a simple courtyard with reworked earth and timber ramparts based on the old fort defences – and which was destroyed by Robert Bruce or his allies the Macdonalds and Campbells. John Gallda MacDougall was  regranted Dunollie by David II, but elected not to refortify the castle; instead it may be that the castle was not reoccupied until after his death, when the messy succession dispute coincided with the messy transfer of power to the Stewart dynasty. During this, Dunstaffnage passed to the Stewarts of Innermeath, who were married to John’s two daughters. Dunollie ended up with the son of his illegitimate son Alan, courtesy of a 1451 Stewart grant. It is likely that Dunollie was then redeveloped as a family stronghold after this date. It does not return to the forefront of historical events until the civil war, when the Campbell Marquis of Argyll captured it, but it was returned to the family at the Restoration. By 1746 it was in ruins and a new house was built for the family.

Official Dunollie Castle website

HES Canmore database entry