Dun Ringill (

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

: ''Dùn'', 'fort', ''Ringill'', 'point of the ravine') is an Iron Age hill fort on the

Strathaird Strathaird is a peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland, situated between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig on the south coast. W. H. Murray said that "Skye is sixty miles long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to sta ...

peninsula on the island of

Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye (; gd, An t-Eilean Sgitheanach or ; sco, Isle o Skye), is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. Further fortified in the Middle Ages, tradition holds that it was for several centuries the seat of

Clan MacKinnon Clan MacKinnon ( gd, Clann MhicFhionghain ) is a Highland Scottish clan from the islands of Mull and Skye, in the Inner Hebrides. Popular tradition gives the clan a Dalriadic Gaelic origin. The 19th-century historian W. F. Skene named the clan ...

. It is located east of Kirkibost on the west shore of

Loch Slapin ''Loch'' () is the Scottish Gaelic, Scots and Irish word for a lake or sea inlet. It is cognate with the Manx lough, Cornish logh, and one of the Welsh words for lake, llwch. In English English and Hiberno-English, the anglicised spelling lou ...

History

The original structure of Dun Ringill is consistent with an Iron Age Broch dating to approximately the first years of the

common era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

. The main and subordinate structures were occupied and modified throughout its history until the 19th century. Tradition relates that the structure was occupied by the MacKinnons as their clan seat well before the 16th century. It is mentioned in historical texts in the 16th century, after which the MacKinnons moved their seat to Dunakin.''The Medieval Castles of Skye and Lochalsh'' pp. 39-43. Miket, R., and Roberts, D. ''Birlin Limited'', 2007, .

Description

Dun Ringill today is a stacked stone

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

overlooking Loch Slapin. The present structure is approximately in height and on each side, with a ditch following the outer wall. Its most notable feature is the central landward facing doorway approximately high that leads into the center of the structure. The interior of the structure contained two rectangular buildings measuring . The original layout was similar to that of a broch, a form of complex

Atlantic roundhouse In archaeology, an Atlantic roundhouse is an Iron Age stone building found in the northern and western parts of mainland Scotland, the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Circular houses were the predominant architectural style of the British landsc ...

. A stone wall foundation encloses area adjacent to the structure. Similarly to other castles and fortified houses, the wall probably formed a defensive perimeter and livestock enclosure. The remains of the wall itself are hidden by vegetation. A site survey has shown that there are remains of other buildings in the immediate vicinity; and although their age is uncertain, it is likely their construction and occupation was throughout the history of Dun Ringill up until the 19th century. Dun Ringill fence line

To the north and west is a hilly coastal plain. Loch Slapin lies to the east and south of the structure. On either side of the structure are earth and stone ramps that descend down to the ocean. These ramps likely allowed easy access to the water and shipping. Since roads in this part of Skye did not exist until recent times, sea travel was the predominant mode of transportation.

In popular culture

The rock band Jethro Tull performed a song entitled "

Dun Ringill Dun Ringill (Gaelic: ''Dùn'', 'fort', ''Ringill'', 'point of the ravine') is an Iron Age hill fort on the Strathaird peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland. Further fortified in the Middle Ages, tradition holds that it was for several centu ...

" on their 1979 ''

Stormwatch Stormwatch may refer to: * ''Stormwatch'' (album), a 1979 album by Jethro Tull * Stormwatch (comics) Stormwatch is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by WildStorm, which later became an imprint of DC Comics. C ...

'' album. The lyrics call for a meeting down by Dun Ringill during the wee hours of a stormy night, when "we'll watch the old gods play." The song was written by Tull leader

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician, singer and songwriter best known for his work as the lead vocalist, flautist, acoustic guitarist and leader of the British rock band Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist ...

, who lived at

Kilmarie House Kilmarie or Kilmaree ( gd, Cill Ma Ruibhe), (Gaelic: ''cill'' =' church or cell'; ''marie'' from St. Maolrubha) is a village in the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Its most notable feature is the village church and graveyard. The graveyard has a signi ...

, within walking distance of Dun Ringill, at the time."Dun Ringill, Kilmarie"
Retrieved 25 March 2009.

Notes

References

* ''Scotland Blue Guide'', A&C Black, London, 12th Edition, 2001, . * ''Scotland an Oxford Archaeological Guide'', Oxford University Press, 1998, * ''The Medieval Castles of Skye and Lochalsh'' pp. 39–43. Miket, R., and Roberts, D. ''Birlin Limited'', 2007, .

External links

* {{Broch 1st-millennium BC architecture in Scotland Archaeological sites in the Northern Inner Hebrides Brochs in the Isle of Skye Castles in the Isle of Skye Clan Mackinnon Former populated places in Scotland Hill forts in Scotland Scheduled monuments in Scotland