Dog Stone and Dunollie Castle

Interesting walk today through woods and along the shore. though the weather was rather grey there were wonderful views and history too.

In the foreground is Clach-nan-con or the Dog Stone. It stands by the shore road on the way out of Oban going towards Ganavan. Celtic folk lore says that the Giant Finn or Fingal used to tie his legendary dog Bran to the stone. The wide groove at the base has been formed where the dog's rope wore away the stone.

Dunollie Castle in the background was the seat of Clan MacDougall, Lords of Lorn. There have been fortifications on the Dunollie site since the 7th century. In 1745 the castle was abandoned and the MacDougalls moved to the newly built Dunollie House just behind. Part of the house will open this Spring as an exhibition and archive centre for the many MacDougall artifacts and documents, mainly collected together by Miss Hope MacDougall. And it will be the scene of gatherings and homecoming events in the future.

A late edit, only thought of this the day after!

Stone Voices

On a still day
you can hear the rumble
of stone voices
carrying down the aeons,
a testament to time.

A castle on a crag
so many stones,
wrought and natural,
vying to tell
the history of their kind.

A rock that used to be
lapped round by waves
until the shift
of plates, imperceptibly
changed the shoreline.

Now it's charged
with folk lore and charm
its voice rings out,
sonorous, a stone voice
in its prime.

© sue 2011