Cowal History 2021 

Nice shot of the mile post I used to leave my bike leaning against sixty years ago. Puck's Glen was between my school at Rashfield and my home at Craigend, and I thought it was “my” special place. I am now an old man living on the other side of the world, but the sight of “Dunoon Pier 6 Miles” brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for that.

Hey Derek, I know this video isn't on exactly this topic, but it seems there's a dearth of content on YT about Dál Riata. I've been doing a lot of reading on it for a personal project and I was hoping I could work out a way to get in touch with you privately about resources to learn more about the "kingdom" and the era and I've read or watched a lot of the obvious content available in the public domain (Life of Columba, the collection of essays published in the 70s by John Bannerman, Dr. Ewan Campbell's "Saints and Sea-Kings", just about any YT lectures by him and Adrian Maldonado, apologies for lacking the diacritic).

Here is the information that the video promised! West Cowal - Stillaig and Eilean Aoidhe Stillaig (‘on the peat bank’ in Gaidhlig) and Eilean Aoidhe (‘island of the strangers’) is an area with an ancient past. The hillside is scattered with bronze age burial mounds, standing stones and an early medieval chapel a thousand years old. The ‘strangers’ of the island - a ‘tombolo’ linked to the mainland by a narrow causeway between two shelving bays - are a throwback to the 9th to 13th centuries when the Norse Gaels who dominated Argyll’s coasts for centuries. West Cowal - Kilfinan The 18th century kirk and its yard are built on the grounds of a much older holy site. The church’s collection of medieval and early medieval carved stones are up to a thousand years old. Now a small but charming hamlet, Kilfinan used to be the hub of a large and vibrant community of over a thousand people before the clearances emptied the land. The charming church, neighbouring Clan McEwan heritage centre and the cosy hotel are well worth a visit. West Cowal - Otter Ferry The ‘Oitir’ (Gaidhlig for sandbar) is a gravelled spit that juts out a mile into Loch Fyne at low tide. A well-timed walk here will produce amazing views! The historic Oystercatcher Hotel a stone’s throw away makes the perfect place for a drink and a bite to eat whilst you soak up the views. Local historian Archibald Brown published his theory that the sandbar was the landing site for the Viking fleet of King Ragnald, who landed here in 918 intent on invading the early kingdom of Alba. He may (or may not!) have fought with King Constantine’s Scots army in the hills above the bay. South Cowal - Loch Eck and Uig Ford Loch Eck is an inland loch, cut off from the sea in the last ice age. It carves a long furrow down the centre of the Cowal peninsula, draining to the south by the River Eachaig. Until the 19th century, the main means of crossing this not insignificant river was the ford at Uig. When travelling overland from his seat at Inverary Castle to Roseneath or Glasgow, the Duke of Argyll made his crossing here on his way over to the ferry at Ardentinny to Coulport. The unusual name ‘Uig’ stems from the Norse word ‘Vik’, or harbour, hinting at earlier and more aggressive visitors to these parts. West Cowal - Glenan Bay This area has been conserved as a community forest. The gnarled trees echo what Argyll’s ancient woodland would have looked like before it was cleared or replaced by conifer plantations. Amongst the rocky crags of Glenan Bay, wandering the trails here feels like peering into a magical a Middle-Earth-esque landscape. One of the peninsula’s here is the site of a remote early-medieval fort. East Cowal - Ardentinny The woods here hide the origin of this village’s name - ‘the high place of the beacon’. When travellers wanted to cross Loch Long, a beacon fire would be lit to signal the ferryman at Coulport to sail across to collect them. The video shows the paths around the ‘Laird’s Grave’, an enclosure for the resting place of the 19th century laird of Glenfinart House (now ruined) in the valley below. South Cowal - Kilmun Arboretum Planted on the hillside above Kilmun in the 1930s as a test site for the Forestry Commission. it contains over 150 different species of tree from all around the world. The views here overlook Dalinlongart (‘the high place where the ships are pulled up’) at the head of the Holy Loch. South Cowal - Dunoon Castle The earliest records suggest Dunoon Castle was built by the Stewarts in the 1220s to help Scots King Alexander II annex parts of Argyll from the Norse-Gaels and the Kingdom of the Lords of Isles. It is likely that there is an older fortification on the site under the current ruins, but as yet it has not been properly excavated. From the Stewarts the castle changed hands several times, ending up in the hands of the Campbells of Argyll. On the way it played host to Mary Queen of Scots, was attached by an English fleet sailing up the Clyde in the 16th century, and was party to the Dunoon Massacre of 1646 when the Campbells treacherously captured and executed more than a 100 of their bitter rivals from neighbouring Clan Lamont. Originally a three-towered structure with a large courtyard, by the 1680s it had been allowed to decay into ruin. When the Provost of Glasgow bought the site in 1821 to build his holiday villa next door, his builders robbed much of the remaining castle masonry to build his garden wall! South Cowal - the paper Caves A heavily wooden cliffside on the western shore of Loch Eck conceals a crevasse know locally as the ‘Paper Caves’. When the 9th Earl of Argyll fell foul of the crown and was arrested, he had his title deeds and documents hidden here where they could never be found to avoid the forfeiture of his titles and lands. The Earl was guillotined in Edinburgh in 1685, but although he was disgraced, the earldom stated within his family. Local legend has it that a chest of his documents were hidden in an alcove deep in the crevasse. Inverary Castle and Dun na Cuaiche The current castle was built in the mid 18th century, prompting the Duke of Argyll to demolish the village of Inverary and build it anew just along the coast to improve his view. Dun na Cuaiche is the hill overlooking the castle and its small town. Reached from the castle grounds by Frew’s Bridge (built in the 1750s by Robert Adam - it has chambers at either end of the arch which used to function as cold storage for the castle), the track up the hill leads to a folly tower built on top of the hill in 1756. The top of the hill is bowl shaped and surrounded by a rim-like earthen rampart, hence its name ‘the fort of the cuaiche (or drinking cup)’.

Excellent...thank you. :) Our DNA Project just had a kit returned that traces to Kilfinan parish. I have the village name but it seems to have under various speeling variations, Dulnacaorach. Actually now that I think about it, perhaps it was simply a farm near the parish kirk? Anyway, what is exciting about this particular kit is that it may be a MacIver-Campbell, descending from a MacIver family in Lindsaig, and yet they match up with the bulk of Campbell DNA results. If so, it would be the first indication we've seen that the old origin story about them may just have some truth to it...We haven't yet been able to tie these west Cowal MacIvers with the east Cowal MacIvers, which is making me suspect we might be looking in the wrong direction?! Anyway, very interesting to see parts of that parish! Thanks again!

brilliants Lad, the blood sings , watching this.... can You do a video around Old Castle Lachlan and tha Tinkers Heart ?