-- History --
For
centuries Cara has been part of the MacDonald estate of Largie
on the Kintyre peninsula. It is not part of the Gigha estate.
The MacDonalds of Largie claim direct descent from the Lord of
the Isles.
In
1615 Sir James MacDonald escaped from a Crown prison and enlisted
many islanders to help him free his lands from the Argyll Campbells.
Hector MacNeil of Taynish and Gigha was thirled to Argyll and
the rebels were keen to capture him. The rebels set up base on
Cara as this belonged to their ally, MacDonald of Largie. MacNeil
sent a raiding party to to Cara but the Largie servants on Kintyre
warned the rebels by Beacon and they thwarted the initial attack.
However, the rebels were in general an undisciplined collection
of souls and it wasn't long before the head of the MacNeils and
Campbell clans were once again in charge of Cara.
In
a grisly end to this tale rumour has it that having recaptured
Cara the heads of the Clans MacNeil and Campbell had a celebratory
dinner in Cara house. Once dinner was over eight of the rebels
were hung outside Cara house. They were later buried in the chapel.
In
more recent times Cara was still home to 3 or 4 families in the
19th and early 20th centuries. Last person to be born on Cara
was Charlotte McAlister who was eventually moved with the remaining
islanders to neighbouring Gigha. Last farmed by Angus McGuigan
in 1932 the island has been uninhabited since the 1940's.
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