Clan chief says sale of Skye castle is our 'present day battle'

Lord Godfrey Macdonald, 35th High Chief of Clan Donald, addressed the Clan Donald USA AGM as the closing date for the sale of the clan seat draws near.

The castle is being sold off, along with 20,000 acres of the South Sleat Estate, by the Clan Donald Lands Trust to address financial problems, which have been driven by a drop in visitors and a loss of funds from a wealthy US donor, at a combined price of around £9.5m.

READ MORE: Betrayal, tragedy, sadness as a Scottish clan stunned at sale of island castle

The sale has provoked an angry response from clan members around the world, with their donations first used to but the assets in 1971 and then support the running of the castle complex, which is held for clan members in perpetuity.

Lord Godfrey, a former trustee who resigned in the month before the decision to sell was announced, earlier called for the Clan Donald Centre, the “jewel in the crown” of Armadale which holds the clan museum and archive, be saved from the sale.

READ MORE: ‘Considerable interest’ in Scottish island castle at heart of clan controversy

He said: “I will continue to strive to ensure that whatever happens we will continue to fight to have a presence at Armadale

“The clan round the world demands this, and anyone thinking otherwise is completely out of touch with the reality

“As high chief of this big clan I have been approached by literally hundreds of clansfolk, related societies and individuals associated and interested in clan Donald, demanding that I mobilise all means at my disposal to ensure that their wishes are carried out.

“Inevitably, this places a great deal of responsibility on me and others close to me but I am rising to this challenge, easily the greatest challenge that I have faced since the formation of the CDLT in 1971.”

He said it was his “sincere hope that an equitable solution” could be found to allow the clan to have an “important presence” at Armadale.

“We owe this to ourselves and to generations yet to come . This is our present day battle , but one which we will assuredly win,” he added.

READ MORE: Clan moves to stop sale of island castle as members claim ‘it is ours’

Earlier this month, it emerged that OSCR, Scotland’s charity regulator, was investigating the finances of CDLT and the decision making surrounding the Armadale sale. The regulator does have the power to pause the sale, although no decision has been taken on this front.

The trustees of CDLT are chairman Ranald Macdonald Younger of Clanranald (chair of trustees), who runs the Boisdale restaurants in London, Sir Ian Macdonald of Sleat, Major Bruce Macdonald of South Carolina and Diane Carey-Schmitz of Los Angeles. The chief executive officer is Alexander Stoddart.

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Lord Godfrey said that the trustees should “consider their position” and claimed none of them had visited Skye within the past year.

He said trustees should hand over “all proceeds” from the sale to a newly-constituted charity administered by clan and community members who understood “ the inter-workings of a small island community”.

“I know this sentiment is shared in Skye and beyond and merits serious consideration.”

In an earlier statement, Clan Donald Lands Trust said it planned to use sale proceeds to open a new visitor centre, museum and archive, which would “ideally be located on Skye”.