Trumpan Church and an ebbing Tide

Standing alone at the end of road on the wind swept Waternish Peninsula on the Isle of Skye is the ruins of Trumpan Church. Back in 1758 this church was the scene of a brutal massacre.

The Macleods of Skye had earlier in the year killed many Macdonald’s on the Isle of Eigg and hence the Macdonald’s from Uist wanted revenge. So a quiet Sunday morning they pulled their boats ashore on the gravel beach below Trumpan Church and stealthily set the tatched roof od the church on fire whilst the Macleod’s were singing Gaelic psalms.

All but one of the Macleod’s was killed but she set out to Dunvegan Castle to alert her clan chief of this brutal act of revenge. The chief on hearing the news unfurled the ‘Fairy Flag’ and his clansman rallied around they set off to Trumpan Church.

On their arrival the raiding party of Macdonald’s who had been busy pillaging and plundering the village were driven back to their boats which were now high and dry because of the ebbing tide. The Macleod’s promptly slayed the Macdonald’s and their bodies were buried under a stone dyke on the shore.

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I'm currently writing a sea kayaking guidebook for the Northwest Highlands; Cape Wrath to Ardnamurchan Point including Skye & the Small Isles. This blog will keep you updated as to my progress and hopefully the blog and in turn the book will inspire you experience the Northwest Highlands by sea kayak yourself.

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