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The largest of the Inner Hebridean Islands covers some 1368 square kilometres and approaching this colourful mountain - studded land it's easy to see why the Vikings called it Skye - the isle of clouds. An island of extremes, Skye has some of the most beautiful landscapes not only in Scotland but in the whole of the British Isles.
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Being a clan member afforded great protection from the MacDonald chief and this support was repaid by promises to serve the chief; this arrangement lasting until the eighteenth century and the Highlands defeat at Culloden in 1746, with the momentous battles that would shape Scotland's heritage forever. Here, the clan system broke down and the clan chiefs became landlords rather than leaders and vicious battles broke out for the acquisition of more profitable land. Skye itself was divided mainly into the MacDonald clan who still have their clan centre in Armadale, the MacLeods who have their centre at Dunvegan, the Nicolsons who have their ancestral lands at Scorrybreac near Portree, and the MacKinnons. But it was the wars between the MacDonalds and the MacLeods that are most noted for their ferocity, one being marked by a battle site at Trumpan, Waternish as one of their bloodiest.
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So rare is the beauty of this small Scottish island that many wars and atrocities have been perpetrated in an effort to possess it. At Armadale the Clan Donald Centre traces the romantic and violent history of the Lord of the Isles, whose predatory war galleys maintained an empire in these western seas. The ruined fortress of Dunscaith crowns a headland where, according to legend, the Amazon queen Sgathac ruled long ago, and where the great Ulster hero Culchulain came to her to be trained in warfare. Skye's history is not without horrors which can be heard in the laments and songs still sung today. Slave trading of the inhabitants around the Jacobite Rebellions found many local folk kidnapped and sold to the plantations in the Carolinas. This trade in white slaves had the full sanction of the MacDonald and MacLeod chiefs at the time and was quickly hushed up when it came to light in 1733. |
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The MacLeods Tables in the west of Skye are two flat-topped hills called Healaval Beag and Healaval Mor, a mixture of Gaelic and Norse and during the 19th century it was this area which saw the greatest opposition to the oppression of the crofters by landlords. These events, though perpetrated on these islands centuries ago, have left their imprint even on our language today. |
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Of course, no history of Skye would be complete without the tale of Bonny Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender. His disastrous campaign and challenge to the English throne made him the ultimate Scottish hero and has provided the Scots even today with an enormous sense of pride in their nation and heritage. | ||||
There is, on Skye, evidence of a prehistoric settlement on the island and recent excavations at the An Corran site in the North End have provided more insight to the life here. The island appears to have been inhabited originally by the Celts, probably from Ireland, and it was visited by Christian missionaries of the Irish Celtic Church - St Columba being among them. But the invasion of the Vikings a little later has left Skye with a high proportion of Norse names and the land itself became Scottish only in 1266, where it was won from the Norse Kings by Alexander III, just before the Scottish Wars of Independence. Falling under the Earldom of Ross it later came under the jurisdiction of the MacDonald chief and Lord of the Isles.
Waternish is a long stretch of land noted as being the setting for many of the vicious clan feuds between the MacLeod and the MacDonalds fighting for superiority in the islands. History has it that a raiding party of MacDonalds from Uist beached their galleys at Ardmore Point and set fire to the church at Trumpan, which was full of MacLeods at the time. Only one woman was able to escape to raise the alarm. The MacLeods from Dunvegan arrived to defend their clan-folk sending the MacDonalds fleeing to their boats. But the tide had gone out and the MacDonald galleys were beached. After the bloody massacre of their enemy, the MacLeods laid out the corpses of their enemy on the beach and knocked the sea wall over them - which is why the skirmish was named the Battle of the Spoiled Dyke.
Dunvegan Castle, the seat of the MacLeods since the 13th century, is set in magnificent gardens at the head of Loch Dunvegan. The castle is the home of the MacLeod chief even today, where it has become the focal point for clan members from around the world. On visiting the castle, time stands still as you explore the horrendous bottle dungeon, the family paintings, clan relics, Jacobite mementos and mysterious curios. One such object being the famous Fairy Flag, now a frail piece of tattered silk shot with gold and with crimson spots, unfurled in time of desperate peril. Legend has it that it was given to an early MacLeod chief by his wife, who happened to be a fairy. Another fairy site is at Fairy Bridge, a short distance from Dunvegan where the fairy wife of a MacLeod chief is said to have bade farewell to her husband before returning forever to her own people. It became the site of religious and political meetings in the 19th century. A walk through Dunvegan village will lead to a beautiful coral beach and the stunning views of Dunvegan head, the highest of Skye's sea-cliffs. Or take a boating trip to sea the seals (or possibly the Seal Maidens) on Loch Dunvegan to witness the astounding sunsets.