News & Stories

Norse influences continue to be prominent in the Western Islands of Scotland. Family names can be traced back to their Norse-Gael origins. Place names and legends are deeply connected to the Vikings. This is also true for Kyleakin (Caol Àcain), a village on the Kyle Akin strait, named after the renowned King Haakon IV. Near the village, on a promontory overlooking the strait, lie the ruins of Caisteal Maol, known in the late Middle Ages as 'Dunakin'. This castle was construct