- The tower shown at left stands on the site of a fortification built by some of the first Scotti, i.e., the early Irish settlers from Ulster on the coast of Argyle (meaning in Gaelic "the coast of the Gaels"). Eventually the entire region of northern Britain (i.e., Scotland) was named after these immigrants. Annals from the the tumultuous days of the Kingdom of Dalriada record that the castle was attacked and burned in the year 686. The intensive settlement of Argyle by Irish speakers had religious as well as linguistic and political consequences: the island of Iona became the headquarters for an Irish missionary movement that converted much of northern Britain to Christianity.
To see an enlargement of Dunollie Castle, click here.
