The Museum of the Isles is open 9.30am-5.00pm every day from 29th March-1st November 2024
Experience the history of the Highlands and Islands through the epic story of Clan Donald, Scotland’s largest and most powerful clan. Witness the clan’s changing fortunes, from mighty Lords of the Isles, through the tumult of Jacobite risings, to the hardship of clearance and emigration.
Young visitors will enjoy exploring the Museum with our children’s trails, designed for different abilities and ages from pre-school upwards. There’s also an activity area with books, toys and dressing up. We usually have school holiday family activities and changing exhibitions too. Visit our events pages to find out what’s on.
There’s plenty to see and most visitors spend between 45 minutes and 1 hour in the Museum.
We are proud to be Skye’s only museum fully accredited by Museums Galleries Scotland. The Museum has received a number of awards including Museum of the Year Award and Museum of the Year Research Facility Award.
What’s in the Museum?
Our five main galleries take you through 1500 years of history and culture in the area once known as the Kingdom of the Isles. From broadswords to bagpipes, portraits to pamphlets, our collection brings alive this rich period of history.
Lords of the Isles
The introductory gallery sets the scene. We start with Somerled, who established the Lordship of the Isles and founded a dynasty. At its medieval height, under the leadership of Clan Donald, the Lordship extended from the Western Isles all the way to Ireland. In this gallery we also display objects that pre-date the Lordship, including Bronze Age and Viking artefacts.