Save Dunyvaig Castle
Save Dunyvaig Castle for present and future generations
Dunyvaig Castle is an iconic monument for the Isle of Islay, Scotland, and a testament to the history of the island.
The ruins are picturesque but unsafe, rapidly deteriorating after years of neglect, they are at risk of collapse. Once the sea wall falls, deposits containing precious remains from Islay’s and Scotland’s past will be washed away.
Climate change, bringing more frequent storms and sea level rise, adds to the risk with even stronger winds, rain and waves battering the unstable castle walls.
Clan Donald and Dunyvaig Castle
The medieval castle of Dunyvaig, perched on the headland of Lagavulin Bay, Isle of Islay, is a legacy of Clan Donald and a treasured item of Scotland’s cultural heritage. The castle was the naval fortress of the Lords of the Isles between the 14th-16th centuries when...
The 2022 excavation report of Rubha Port an t-Seilich
This was a fabulous season, reaching the base of the Mesolithic deposits and finding the first, in situ, and dated Early Mesolithic horizon in Scotland, darting to 8500 BC. The report provides full background to the project.
The 2022 fieldwork report for Olistadh
The 2022 field season at the post-medieval township of Olistadh in the Rhinns produced the first full survey of the settlement, showing it is much larger than previously thought with several phases of occupation. Two areas were explored by excavation, with one...
Conservation Assessment of Dunyvaig Castle
Islay Heritage conducted excavations at Dunyvaig Castle in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The reports are available here: http://islayheritage.org/dunyvaig/ The castle is a scheduled monument (SM4747) under care of Historic Environment Scotland, while remains in the ownership...
Olistadh: A new archaeology project for Islay
The University of Reading and Islay Heritage are pleased to announce a new field project on Islay. This will involve three seasons of fieldwork at the site of Olistadh, located on the Rhinns peninsula. The project will use Olistadh as a case study to explore rural...
New Guides to Islay’s Heritage for Walkers and Cyclists
In a collaborative project with the Museum of Islay Life, Islay Heritage is providing information boards at selected locations around the island to tell people about the remarkable historic and archaeological sites on the island. These will be discretely placed on...
Report of the Dunyvaig Excavations in 2021
Islay Heritage and the University of Reading returning to Dunyvaig Castle in September 2021 for its third and final season of excavation. Click on the Read the Report button to read a full account of what was found in his report. Marko also presents two short videos...
Searching for the Ice Age at Rubha Port an t-Seilich
Excavations at Rubha Port an t-Seilich resumed in September 2021. This site is already the earliest known settlement on Islay – a 9200 year old campsite of Mesolithic hunter-gatherers. Stone tools from the site, however, suggest there are still older deposits to be...
Land of the Illich – a new book about Islay’s Past
Steven Mithen journeys around Islay to historic sites and monuments to tell the story of its people, from the earliest Stone Age hunter-gatherers to those who lived in townships and in the grandeur of Islay House. Steven visits the tombs of Neolithic farmers, forts...
The Ballad of Dunyvaig
Sarah Lambert-Gates is an archaeologist who has working with Islay Heritage and the University of Reading at the excavations of Dunyvaig and Rubha Port an t-Seilich since 2017. She is well known not only for her excavation and digital recording skills, but also for...