Kylekin is a small promontory that juts out of the east end of Skye and is crowned by the ruins of Castle Maol. The main wall of the ruin is an impressive eleven feet thick, but ended up defeated by the great storm of 1948. On Febuary 1st 1948, the main wall of Castle Maol cracked from top to bottom. But the castle still stands.
It was originally built by ‘Saucy Mary’, a Norwegian princess, wife of a MacDonald of the time, who used the castle to extract toll from every ship that passed through the Kyles. It is said she had a chain across from the castle to the mainland shore. This would have been some chain! Later, Castle Maol came into the possession of the MacKinnons of Strath.
The Princess MARY Haakonsdatter of Norway (Saucey Mary) and Daughter of Harald 1st of Norway married Prince and Chief FINDANUS MACFHINGON / MACKINNON Great Elder Grandson of KING ALPIN around 950 AD….he was NOT A MACDONALD ( you should be hung for suggesting it )…The CLAN MACKINNON has the Highest.pedigree of all of the approx 140 Scottish Clans the Sitting Council of Scottish Chiefs recognize. Only the Clan MacGregor has one near as high. ….So the MACDONALDS can just kiss our HIGHER asses.
PS..The Present Castle Moil (ruined castle) was built in the late 14th century and possibly destroyed by Cromwell’s Roundheads centuries later. So Suacey Mary did NOT build the Castle the ruins represent. She lived in an earlier Fortress on the same spot.