'Forgotten' royal castle uncovered on Scottish island

Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown castle at Finlaggan on Islay, dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.

The fortress, spread across two small islands in a loch, predates the rise of the MacDonald clan chiefs, later known as the Lords of the Isles, who used Finlaggan as a power base controlling the Hebrides, Argyll, and parts of the northwest Highlands.

Excavations revealed a rectangular stone tower with living quarters, courtyards, kitchens, a great hall, and a chapel with a burial ground. The discovery adds to what is known about power in western Scotland before the Lords of the Isles.