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Building or ruin · Medieval · Argyll and Bute

Finlaggan, Eilean Mor

Open access · Moderate walking

Photo: Otter / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

In the first half of the 7th century a monastic community was established on Eilean Mor, the largest of the three islands in Loch Finlaggan — either dedicated to or possibly founded by St Findlugan…

A monastic community was founded on Eilean Mor in the first half of the 7th century, dedicated to or possibly founded by St Findlugan, an Irish monk contemporary with St Columba. Centuries later, from the 13th to the 15th, the same island and its neighbour Eilean na Comhairle became the administrative heart of the Lordship of the Isles.

What follows is drawn from published sources, with each claim labelled by how firmly it is established.

The name

Finlaggan's Scottish Gaelic name is Port an Eilein ('Port of the Island'); the castle on Eilean Mor is likewise known as Port an Eilein or Eilean Mor Castle. The site and its chapel are associated with St Findlugan, the Irish monk after whom the place is named.

History

In the first half of the 7th century a monastic community was established on Eilean Mor, the largest of the three islands in Loch Finlaggan — either dedicated to or possibly founded by St Findlugan, an Irish monk and contemporary of St Columba.

An early, likely timber, fortification was raised on Eilean Mor in 1138 by Somerled, Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne — the first 'Lord of the Isles' — possibly on the remains of an earlier Iron Age fort. The masonry castle whose ruins survive today was built in the 13th century.

From the 13th to 15th centuries, Eilean Mor and the neighbouring Eilean na Comhairle ('Isle of the Council') were the administrative centre of the Lordship of the Isles and seat of Clan Donald, used by the Lords of the Isles as their principal court and meeting place of the clan chiefs.

Iain Mor MacDonald, 3rd of Dunnyveg, and his son Iain Cathanach MacDonald were taken prisoner at Finlaggan Castle through the deception of MacIain of Ardnamurchan, and were later tried and hanged on the Burgh Muir at Edinburgh.

In 1493 the Lordship of the Isles fell to James IV of Scotland, who thereafter administered the territory through a tenant-in-chief; in 1541 Finlaggan was held from the Crown by Donald MacGilleasbuig. The castle appears to have been demolished in the 15th-16th centuries.

People

  • St Findlugan

    Irish monk, contemporary of St Columba, after whom the site is named and to whom the chapel is dedicated; venerated as a saint

  • Somerled, Lord of Argyll, Kintyre and Lorne

    First 'Lord of the Isles'; raised an early (likely timber) fortification on Eilean Mor in 1138

  • The Lords of the Isles / Clan Donald

    Used Finlaggan as their seat, principal court and council place during the 13th-15th centuries

  • Portrait — James IV of Scotland
    Portrait: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

    James IV of Scotland

    Crown to whom the Lordship of the Isles fell in 1493

Cultural influences

  • Lordship of the Isles — Finlaggan was the political and administrative heart of a maritime Gaelic lordship that governed the western seaboard until it fell to the Scottish Crown in 1493.

  • Early Gaelic Christianity — the 7th-century monastic foundation linked to St Findlugan, a contemporary of St Columba, ties the island into the early Christian network of the Irish Sea and western Scotland.

Connections

  • Eilean na Comhairle ('Isle of the Council')

    Neighbouring island in Loch Finlaggan that, with Eilean Mor, formed the administrative centre of the Lordship of the Isles

  • Clan Donald

    Clan whose seat Finlaggan was

  • National Museum of Scotland
    Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Maccoinnich~commonswiki assumed ( / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

    National Museum of Scotland

    Partner (with the University of St Andrews and the Finlaggan Trust) in the 2019 virtual-reality reconstruction of the 15th-century settlement

  • Port Askaig, Islay

    Ferry terminal about 4 km east of the site

Discovery & excavation

Finlaggan has been the subject of recent archaeological investigation and was the site of a 1995 episode of Channel 4's 'Time Team'. The Finlaggan Trust maintains the site and has converted a derelict cottage into a museum holding finds from the excavations, from a quilted woollen aketon (worn under armour) to a cross associated with the Lords. The medieval chapel dedicated to St Findlugan on Eilean Mor has had its stone walls stabilised, and several 16th-century graves are displayed under glass panels. In May 2019 researchers at the University of St Andrews, with the Finlaggan Trust and the National Museum of Scotland, announced a virtual-reality reconstruction of the early-15th-century settlement.

Finds now held at: Finlaggan visitor centre / museum (Finlaggan Trust).

In culture

  • Finlaggan featured in a 1995 episode of Channel 4's archaeological television programme 'Time Team'.

  • A virtual-reality reconstruction of the settlement as it stood in the early 15th century, announced in 2019 and built from archaeological data, is shown at the visitor centre.

What to look for

  • The ruined masonry castle on Eilean Mor — a 13th-century fortified house, also called Port an Eilein or Eilean Mor Castle, once the stronghold of the Lords of the Isles.

  • The stabilised stone walls of the medieval chapel dedicated to St Findlugan.

  • Several 16th-century graves on Eilean Mor, displayed and protected under large glass panels.

  • The setting in Loch Finlaggan, with the neighbouring Eilean na Comhairle, the 'Isle of the Council', the second island of the lordship's administrative heart.

  • The visitor centre and museum, with finds from the excavations including a quilted woollen aketon and a cross associated with the Lords.

Plan your visit

Location
55.8353°N · 6.1727°W
Nearest settlement
Port Askaig
Access
Open access
Terrain
Moderate walking
Start point
Finlaggan Visitor Centre car park — Park at the Finlaggan Trust visitor centre and follow the boardwalk down to Eilean Mor (the council island).

Nearby places

Questions people ask

What is Finlaggan?
It is a group of islands in Loch Finlaggan, Islay, that served as the seat of the Lords of the Isles and Clan Donald from the 13th to 15th centuries.
Which islands make up the site?
Eilean Mor, the largest island, holds the castle and chapel ruins; the neighbouring Eilean na Comhairle, the "Isle of the Council", was the administrative meeting place.
Who maintains Finlaggan today?
The Finlaggan Trust maintains the site and runs a visitor centre and museum, holding finds from the archaeological excavations.
What can visitors see there?
The stabilised chapel walls, glass-covered 16th-century graves, the ruined masonry castle, and museum finds including a quilted aketon and a cross associated with the Lords.

Sources

  1. Canmore site record 37708 (accessed 2026-06-13)
  2. Trove (HES) record (accessed 2026-06-13)
  3. Wikipedia: Finlaggan (accessed 2026-06-13)
  4. Wikidata Q5450440 (accessed 2026-06-13)
  5. Finlaggan Trust (accessed 2026-06-13)

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