Kilmun Church stands on a site that has been a centre  of Christianity for over fifteen hundred years.  The Lamont connection dates back to the 13th century when  Duncan Laumon granted Kilmun Church with its land and patronage to Paisley Abbey in 1236.  This was at a time when the Lamonts were dominant in Cowal.  Later the Church became the spiritual home of the powerful Clan Campbell to the extent that attached to the building is a mausoleum, the burial place of Marquesses and Dukes of Argyll.  Next to the present building are the ruins of Kilmun Tower, a symbol of further Lamont involvement when during the civil wars of the 17th century, the  Lamonts, on the royalist side,  conducted a brutal campaign throughout Campbell-held Cowal, killing and destroying with a savagery all too common in those times.  The campaign ended with  the destruction of Kilmun village and the church, leaving only the tower standing.  It proved a fatal mistake as it led to a vicious Campbell reprisal culminating in the sacking of Toward and Ascog Castles and the infamous Dunoon Massacre of 1646.

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These days the Church with the Tower,  its historically interesting churchyard, the Campbell mausoleum and a fine interior featuring one of the only two remaining organs in Scotland powered by water offers an interesting visit.  Here we will enjoy a talk from Bob Reid, co-author of A History of the Clan Lamont, a guided tour, a short organ recital and a snack lunch.