Dun Sgathaich (Sky-ah), also known as Dunscaith and Dun Sgathach, has strong ties to the heroes of Celtic legend. The castle itself is named for the warrior queen Sgathaich and it is to Dun Sgathaich that Cuchulainn, the hound of Ulster, came to learn the arts of war.
Dun Sgathaich is known as the Fortress of Shadows. Probably in connection with the Isle of Skye as it was known as the Land of Shadows.
A fortification of some type has probably occupied this site from
an early date. The present walls and drawbridge date from the 16th and
17th centuries.
Originally held by the MacAskills, Dun Sgathaich belonged to the MacLeods in the 14th c. and later to the MacDonalds in the 15th century.
James I captured the castle in 1431 and it was later forfeited to the Crown in the 1490s when the Lord of the Isles was broken by James IV. The MacDonalds abandoned the castle in the early 17th century.
