Dunvegan Castle

A flag from the 4th century.

The Fairy Flag, Am Bratach Sìth, is a silk banner, probably from Syria or Rhodes and made in the 4th century AD. Legend says that when it was unfurled in battle, the clan snatched victory from defeat.

Given by the fairies.

When an expert from the V&A explained the flag's likely history, Sir Reginald MacLeod listened politely and replied that he knew it had been given to his ancestor by the fairies. The expert bowed to his superior knowledge.

Hold Fast.

The clan motto comes from Malcolm, the 3rd Chief, who met a wild bull on his way home from Glenelg. As he wrestled it, his men shouted 'Hold Fast, MacLeod', and he killed it with his dirk.

Never a good garden, they said.

In 1773 the chief's mother wanted to move, declaring there was not, and never could be, a good garden at Dunvegan. Today the gardens are an RHS Partner Garden, and they won the RHS Partner Garden Scotland award in 2022.

A garden that fed the people.

During the Potato Famine of 1847 to 1851 the castle gardens were turned over to growing food for the chief's family and his people.

Rory Mor's horn.

Among the heirlooms is the ceremonial drinking horn of Sir Rory Mor, the 15th Chief, mounted in silver.

From our guide to Skye

The seat of the mighty Clan MacLeod since way back in the 13th century, and still slung imposingly across a rocky coastal outcrop, this very much intact fortress is one of Skye’s big historical draws, with decorated interiors, princely gardens and no shortage of stirring stories to tell.

War of the One-Eyed Woman

The Isle of Skye has a history as dramatic as its landscape. During the 16th century it was the scene of a fierce feud between the MacDonalds and the MacLeods, two clans who shared the island but almost never saw eye to eye. In a rare attempt to create lasting peace, Rory MacLeod

Dunvegan Castle is the oldest inhabited castle in Scotland, still lived in by the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod after 800 years.