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Eilean Donan Castle sits at the mouth of Loch Duich, near Dornie in Wester Ross. The site has been occupied since ancient times; the remains of an Iron Age vitrified fort were visible before 20th-century restoration. A castle of enclosure was built on the site during the reign of Alexander II (1214-1249). By the late 13th century the castle was held by the MacKenzies. A keep or tower was added to the castle in the 14th century. As protectors of the MacKenzies, the MacRaes first became Constables of the Castle in 1511. During the Jacobite Rising of 1715, the castle was garrisoned with English troops but was later taken by the Jacobites. In 1719 it was attacked by government warships and the castle ruins were left abandoned. In 1911 the castle was bought by John MacRae-Gilstrap who carried out a programme of reconstruction over the following 20 years. Today, it is the one of the commercial media's most favourite images of the Highlands. This photograph shows the castle from the west, during its reconstruction. It was taken by M.E.M. Donaldson.

Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson was born in 1876 and came to the Highlands around 1908. She travelled extensively around the North and West Highlands, writing and taking photographs. One of her favourite locations was the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and it was there she settled, at Sanna, in 1927.

Between 1912 and 1949 Miss Donaldson produced many books on the social history and customs of the North and West Highlands. 'Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands' and 'Further Wanderings - Mainly in Argyll' are two of her best known works and both are illustrated with her own photographs. She died in a nursing home in Edinburgh in 1958, and was buried in Oban.

This image can be purchased.
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Find out more about the photographer - Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson