You may well have heard of the Isle of Skye, a large island off the West Coast of Scotland famed for its unique landscape, jagged dark peaks and Gaelic culture.

The tumbling waterfalls of the Fairy Pools, dramatic ridge line of the Quiraing and towering rock pinnacle of the Old Man of Storr may well be on your travel bucket list. But if you delve into Skye’s history you’ll find a much darker side to island life in centuries past. Haunted castles, eerie battle sites and church ruins tell a much richer story of how Skye’s clans were connected to the land, not just by their day to day lives, but by blood and loyalty. At a time when the clans fought for control over the islands, the waterways were the key to dominance of the region.

In the 15th and 16th centuries Scottish clan chiefs showed their power by the size of their fleet of birlinns (war galleys) and they used the channels and sea lochs of the West Coast to raid each other’s lands continuously. One of the most fearsome and bloody clan rivalries was that between the MacDonalds and the MacLeods, centered around the Isle of Skye. For hundreds of years the two powerful clans fought over control of the island and many innocent lives were lost in the tribalistic bloodshed. 

Today the Isle of Skye is a peaceful haven of dramatic landscapes, fresh sea air and local charm. But its history is dark and extraordinary. Read on for some of the key events that happened during the long period of feuding between the island’s ferocious clans.

The Isle of Eigg Massacre 

In the 16th century the Isle of Eigg, a small island to the south of the Isle of Skye, was MacDonald territory and had a population of almost four times that which resides there today. 

Feuding between the rival MacDonald and MacLeod clans reached a fever pitch in 1577 when a raiding party of MacLeods landed their birlinns on the shores of the Isle Eigg. The residents had got wind that the Macleods were on their way, perhaps someone had seen the ships approaching. In a desperate attempt to evade the raiders all 395 residents of the island sought safety in the Cave of Frances, hidden among the cliffs at the southern end of the island. The Macleods eventually found the mouth of the cave and lit a fire at its entrance. As a result the entire population of the island, with no way to escape, died of suffocation in the dark, dank cave.

Today the Isle of Eigg is a quiet and peaceful community owned island, however, as a constant reminder of this tragedy The Cave of Frances (Uamh Fhraing in Scots Gaelic), is now more commonly known as the Massacre Cave. The cave can be visited today by a short but rough hike on the southern shores of the island.

The Massacre at Trumpan Church

Of course the massacre on Eigg did not go unnoticed and retribution soon followed. 

On a quiet Sunday in May 1578 the local community of Macleod clanspeople gathered in Cille Conain (now known as Trumpan Church) at the north end of the Isle of Skye for Sunday service. While the congregation worshipped, eight birlinns full of MacDonalds from the Isle of Uist landed near the church. The MacDonalds approached the church in silence and sealed the entrances with the congregation inside then set the turf roof on fire, a grim fate for the worshippers inside.

Some accounts suggest that one young girl squeezed herself through a window and escaped. She managed to raise the alarm, and as Macleods from the wider area made their way to the scene, the fleeing MacDonald’s struggled to escape and reboard their ships. The tide had started to go out and the birlinns were now stuck on the shore unable to relaunch. 

In the ensuing battle every member of the invading MacDonald party was killed. The bodies of the MacDonalds were burned in a turf dyke and the conflict became known as the Battle of the Spoiling Dyke. 

The ruins of Trumpan Church still stand today in Northern Skye, providing a constant reminder of the horrible fate of the local congregation almost 450 years ago.

The War of the One Eyed Woman

In the late 1500s, as an attempt to end the bitter feuding and provide a more peaceful future for the two clans, Rory Mor of Clan MacLeod offered his sister Margaret’s hand in marriage to Donald Gorm, Clan Chief of the MacDonalds and a ‘handfasting’ was agreed. Handfasting was a common arrangement in Scotland at the time and meant that the couple would live together for a year first as a way of making sure the bride could produce children before they committed to a full marriage. 

After the year of handfasting was finished not only had poor Margaret Macleod failed to conceive but she had also somehow lost the sight in one eyes. To cause shame on Margaret and the Macleods, Donald Gorm tied Margaret onto a one eyed horse backwards. The horse was then led in a grim procession by one eyed man, followed by a one eyed dog  back to Rory Mor.

Of course Margaret’s brother took this as an extreme insult and the feuding was reignited once again. The fighting that ensued between the two clans became known as the War of the One Eyed Women. 

During the war Donald Gorm invaded Macleod lands in the north of Skye and took control of Duntulm Castle, the ruins of which can still be visited today. In 1601 the War of the One Eyed Woman culminated in the Battle of Coire Na Creiche on the slopes of the Black Cuillin. Legend has it that the battle was so violent the waters of the Allt Coir a ‘Mhadaidh (now widely known as the ‘Fairy Pools’) ran red with the blood of those slane.

Thankfully the Privy Council eventually intervened and the fearsome feuding between the MacDonalds and MacLeods virtually came to an end after the Battle of Coire na Creiche. Many of the sites from the feuding times can be visited today including the ruins of Trumpan Church and Duntulm Castle, the Massacre Cave on the Isle of Eigg and various battle sites across the Isle of Skye.

Explore the rich history of the Isle of Skye on our Skye and the Highlands Escape

Author: Kirsty Duncan