Archaeologists uncover “forgotten” castle on a Scottish Isle dating back more than 700 years

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Archaeologists have uncovered a “forgotten” castle on the Hebridean isle of Islay that may once have housed kings who ruled large parts of western Scotland. The fortress, built across two small islands in Loch Finlaggan, is believed to date back more than 700 years and was associated with the MacDonald clan chiefs who became the Lords of the Isles. ‌

The Lords of the Isles transformed Finlaggan into a power base from which they controlled the Hebrides, Argyll , and parts of the north-west Highlands. ‌

Their influence extended across mainland Argyll, the Glens of Antrim, and at its height, MacDonald territory stretched up the Great Glen to Ross-shire, beyond to Buchan and the Mearns, and south to Greenan in Ayrshire . ‌

These rulers operated almost independently of th