Achanduin Castle

Throughout the thirteenth century the Diocese of Argyll and the see of Lismore were in virtual poverty. Archaeological evidence suggests that there was little occupation at the castle from c.1400 to relatively modern times. It appears to have been used as a farmstead from the 17th to the 19th centuries. In 1451 John Maol (John Alani de Lorn nominato Mak Dowil) was granted Dunolly and other lands from John Stewart, Lord of Lorn. Around this time it is believed the MacDougalls left Lismore for the mainland to build Dunollie Castle. By 1452 The Bishop of Argyll seems to have had possession of Achanduin Castle and for a short time occupied it. It is suggested that the castle may have been given…

The remains of the castle are seated on the summit of a limestone ridge on the north-western shore of Lismore. The south-west and south-east walls are collapsed though the north-east and a large part of the north-west wall still stand, to a maximum height of 6.7 metres. These curtain walls vary in thickness from 1.4 m to 2.4 m and enclose an area of about 22.0 m metres square. The enclosed area would have contained at least two ranges of buildings on either side of a small courtyard, the south-east range being the more substantial. During excavations of the site in 1970 and 1971, two doorways were found leading from the courtyard into the north-west range.