16 March 2019, Starts: 11:00

In search of Somerled: Excavation at Dunyvaig Castle, 2018

Talk by Professor Steve Mithen, University of Reading

Spectrum Centre, Farraline Park, Inverness. Organised by Clan Donald Society of the Highlands and Islands. Members: £4, Visitors £6

Please book on  contact@clandonald.org or 01381 620121.

Dunyvaig Castle, Dùn Naomhaig, occupies the tip of the promontory on the east side of Lagavulin Bay, Isle of Islay. It is an iconic archaeological monument for the western Atlantic seaboard, and pivotal to understanding its medieval and early modern history, notably the 12th century rise of Somerled, the Lords of the Isles, and the feuding between the MacDonalds and the Campbells in the 16th and 17th centuries. Islay Heritage led the first ever excavation at Dunyvaig in the summer of 2018, hopefully providing the start of a major 10 year research, teaching and community archaeology project. This lecture will provide a review of Dunyvaig and describe the aims and outcomes of the 2018 excavation.