The Spirit of the
Restless Piper
Castle Duntrune photo courtesy of Patrick Mackie

It is known that Duntrune Castle was build by the clan McDougall in the 12th century. However, the castle fell to the Campbell clan and legend has it that the Campbell clan and Mac Donald clan never got along. It seems the MacDonald clan waited for an opportunity to attack Duntrune Castle which overlooked Lock Crinan in Argyll. While the Chief of the Campbell clan, with several of his best men, were away, the Mac Donald clan attacked the castle, killed a few of the men, imprisoned others, and took over the castle. The Campbell piper was allowed, as pipers then were held in high regard, to freely roam the castle. The Mac Donald clan left the Campbell flags flying, hoping to ambush the rest of the Campbell clan when they returned home.

The loyal Campbell piper spied the Campbell Clan boats approaching one day, and played his normal, joyful welcome home song. However, in the middle of the song, he changed to a mournful, sad song. The Chief of the Campbell clan was alerted, and knew something was amiss. He turned the boats around, intent on gathering reinforcements, and taking back his castle. The MacDonald clan was outraged at the duplicity of the piper, tracked him down, and vowing he would never play his pipes again, cut of both his hands. The piper died of the wounds and was unceremoniously buried without prayers, somewhere near the castle.

The Mac Donalds were eventually driven out by the Campbells and this legend has survived. It is said that one can still hear the mournful piping at the Duntrune Castle, especially in the Tower Room. During a set of renovations at the castle in 1954, workers unearthed a handless human skeleton under a stone path, whose hands had been removed by clean cuts to the wrist. It is believed that this skeleton is that of the Piper Of Duntrune. Even though the piper was eventually given a proper burial, it appears that the spirit of the restless piper remains to haunt the castle, playing his ghostly pipes.

The Duntrune Castle is thought to be the oldest continuously occupied castle in Scotland. The Campbells sold Duntrune in 1792, to the Malcolms of Poltalloch. The castle is now owned by Robin Neill Malcolm, current clan chief of the Clan Malcolm.

Enjoy making our Duntrune Castle online jigsaw puzzle. Click on the Ghost Icon to make your workspace and Image when you need to see the colors better. You can move the pieces by clicking and dragging, and rotate them using your mouse roller or arrow keys. To make it easier, use the full screen function. Good Luck!