Dunaverty Castle (11)
In late 1306, Dunaverty briefly played host to Robert Bruce.  After stabbing John Comyn at Dumfries in February 1306, Bruce realised that as far as his royal aspirations were concerned - it was now or never.  He hurried north from Dumfries (up the A74 no doubt) and 6 weeks later, was crowned at Scone.  From there, things quickly turned to custard!  As soon as spring was properly sprung, Edward of England set an army in motion northwards to 'hammer the Scots'.  Bruce was defeated by the Earl of Pembroke at Methven in June, following which he sent his wife and daughter to the supposed safety of the north, in the protection of his brother Neil, but they were all eventually captured.  The women were imprisoned and the men executed.

The north, south and east no longer being safe, King Robert was forced to flee west.  Some sources state that he spent 3 days here at Dunaverty, owned at that time by Aonghus Óg Mac Domhnaill, the Lord of the Isles.  The relationship between these two men must have been interesting to say the least.  Bruce was nominally King of Scots and Angus Og nominally his subject, but Bruce was entirely in the hands of Angus, whose lordship of the isles was semi-autonomous.  Whatever took place between the two men seems to have been mutually agreeable, as they were to work together from then on.

In September 1306, when the English arrived at Dunaverty, the Scottish king was nowhere to be found.  It is believed that Angus Og took him to Rathlin Island off the coast of Antrim for a while, after which he headed north and spent the rest of the winter of 1306/07 with Amie MacRaurie of Garmoran, Angus Og's daughter in law.
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