Finlaggan: Seat of the Lords of the Isles

Finlaggan lies in Loch Finlaggan in northern Islay. During the later Middle Ages, it served as the ceremonial, administrative and judicial centre of the MacDonald Lords of the Isles. The complex occupied Eilean Mòr and Eilean na Comhairle. Eilean Mòr contained a great hall, chapel, kitchens and other residential and service buildings. The smaller Eilean na Comhairle is associated with the Council of the Isles, which advised the lord and dealt with government and legal matters. Finlaggan was also associated with the inauguration of new Lords of the Isles.

Excavations have revealed a much longer history. Mesolithic stone tools and evidence of Bronze Age occupation were found at the site, while Eilean na Comhairle developed from an Iron Age crannog and dun into a medieval castle and later council buildings. The Lordship of the Isles was forfeited to the Scottish Crown under James IV in 1493, ending Finlaggan’s role as the centre of the lordship around 1500. The surviving foundations and ruined walls represent the chapel, great hall, settlement buildings and probable council house. The settlement, burial ground and assembly site are protected as a scheduled monument.