Eilean Donan Castle, Highlands Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Eilean Donan Scottish Gaelic: Eilean Donnain is a small tidal island situated at the confluence of three sea lochs Loch Duich, Loch Long and Loch Alsh in the western Highlands of Scotland, about 1 kilometre 5⁄8 mi from the village of Dornie. It is connected to the mainland by a footbridge that was installed early in the 20th century and is dominated by a picturesque castle that frequently appears in photographs, film and television. The island`s original castle was built in the thirteenth century; it became a stronghold of the Clan Mackenzie and their allies, the Clan MacRae. However, in response to the Mackenzies` involvement in the Jacobite rebellions early in the 18th century, government ships destroyed the castle in 1719. The present-day castle is Lieutenant-Colonel John Macrae-Gilstrap`s 20th-century reconstruction of the old castle.