Publication Account
Date 1985
Event ID 1018739
Category Descriptive Accounts
Type Publication Account
Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1018739
This tower-house occupies a conspicuous position on the summit of a rocky ridge to the north of Obani the lands of Dunollie have one of the longest recorded histories in the west, for in 698 a fdrtress here was captured and destroyed by the Irish enemies of the kings of Dalriada, but the date of the building of the castle as the seat of the MacDougalls has been a matter of debate. It is, however, most likely that it takes its place within the series of broadly 15th century towers, with the courtyard wall of similar and later date. The tower has four main storeys, with a cellar beneath two simple rooms reached by stairs in the south angle. An unusual feature of the cellar is the impression left by the wicker-work used to support the roof during construction, a technique more common in Ireland than in Scotland. A stair leads from the entrance passage to the first floor, a similar right-angled stair from the first- to the second-floor hall, and a turnpike stair from there to the upper levels.
In 1715 the chief of the clan MacDougall was forfeited, but the lands were later restored to his son and the more modem residence, Dunollie House (NM 853315), was built in 1746.
Information from ‘Exploring Scotland’s Heritage: Argyll and the Western Isles’, (1985).
