Clan Mackay - Castle Varrich, Sutherland - Photo Print

Castle Varrich, known in Gaelic as Caisteal Bharraich, stands above the Kyle of Tongue in the far north of Sutherland. Originally held by the Bishops of Caithness, the castle passed to the Mackays and served as their early seat in Strathnaver, a vast territory the clan defended against the encroachments of the Sutherland earls for nearly five centuries. The most celebrated chief of the line, Sir Donald Mackay, was created first Lord Reay in 1628, and his family's reach extended far beyond Scotland. Branches settled in the Netherlands, where his descendants eventually became barons, and Mackay soldiers served in the armies of Denmark and Sweden in the wars that swept across 17th-century Europe. Photographer Aly Wight photographed Castle Varrich as part of the Clanscape series documenting the landscape heritage of Scotland's clans.

If you carry the Mackay name, this ruined stronghold on the Kyle of Tongue is part of your clan's story.