Kildonan is a village on the south coast of the Isle of Arran

Isle of Arran

Arran or the Isle of Arran is the largest island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland, and with an area of is the seventh largest Scottish island. It is in the unitary council area of North Ayrshire and the 2001 census had a resident population of 5,058...

 in the Firth of Clyde

Firth of Clyde

The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water, sheltered from the Atlantic Ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer firth in Argyll and Ayrshire, Scotland. The Kilbrannan Sound is a large arm of the Firth of Clyde, separating the Kintyre Peninsula from the Isle of Arran.At...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

. The name Kildonan derives from Saint Donan who is reputedly buried in the village. Early life in the village revolved around Kildonan Castle

Kildonan Castle

Kildonan Castle stands in the small village of Kildonan on the southern coast of the Isle of Arran in Scotland.It was built in the 13th century by the MacDonalds, the Lords of the Isles....

 (sometimes referred to as Kildonan Tower). Once a royal seat, the castle passed hands between various Scottish nobles, before latterly belonging to the Hamilton

Clan Hamilton

The House of Hamilton, occasionally and erroneously referred to as Clan Hamilton, is a Scottish family who historically held broad territories throughout central and southern Scotland, particularly Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and the Lothians...

 family in 1544, by which time they were the Earls of Arran

Earl of Arran

Earl of Arran is a title in both the Peerage of Scotland and the Peerage of Ireland. The two titles refer to different places, the Isle of Arran in Scotland, and the Aran Islands in Ireland...

. The Tower was later sacked and burnt by the Earl of Sussex

Earl of Sussex

Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel were often also called Earls of Sussex....

 around 1558. Ruined remains of the building are still in existence.

The modern village originated from a few small buildings in the district, with the majority of local people engaged in farming. Overlooking the smaller islands of Pladda

Pladda

Pladda is an island off the west coast of Scotland. It is home to a lighthouse of the same name.-Geography:Pladda lies off the south coast of Arran in the Firth of Clyde at ....

 and Ailsa Craig

Ailsa Craig

Ailsa Craig is an island of 219.69 acres in the outer Firth of Clyde, Scotland where blue hone granite was quarried to make curling stones. "Ailsa" is pronounced "ale-sa", with the first syllable stressed...

 in the far distance, Kildonan is a small thriving community with a much used and much loved village hall. There was a primary school in the village, but numbers on the roll declined so much it was shut in 1968. The School Houses are now available as Holiday Rental Cottages. Schoolchildren from the village now attend the primary school in Whiting Bay

Whiting Bay

Whiting Bay is a village located on the Isle of Arran in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. The name Whiting Bay is thought to originate from "Viking" Bay. It is approximately 3 miles south of the village of Lamlash. Whiting Bay is the third largest village on the island and was once the site of...

, which is a few miles north, being ferried there and back each day by bus. There is now only one hotel in the village, the Kildonan Hotel. The Breadalbane Hotel was closed in 2009 and partly demolished. A village shop, coupled with a B&B, also closed. The Post Office, located in the shop, is still open a few hours/week, but (as per summer 2010) it risks being closed too. A smaller version of the shop opened in the Kildonan Hotel. The Southbank farm park, towards Kilmory sadly closed its doors to the public a couple of years ago, but there is now a Wood-turning studio based at the farm.
Kildonan was previously the site of the only coastguard station on Arran, but this was closed in 1981 when operations were transferred to Lamlash

Lamlash

Lamlash is the largest village by population on the Isle of Arran, in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It lies 4 miles to the south of ferry port Brodick, in a sheltered bay on the island's east coast, facing Holy Isle. Lamlash is the seat of Arran's local government offices and police...

.

There is a large sandy beach the length of the village, which is unusual for the geology of Arran where rocky beaches are far more common.