Skipness Castle is situated on the Kintyre Peninsula and was established in the early 13th century by Clan MacSween. The castle was garrisoned with royal troops in 1494 during King James IV's suppression of the Isles. During the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in 1646, the castle was besieged by forces under Alasdair Mac Colla. The castle was eventually abandoned in the 17th century.

Skipness Chapel, or Kilbrannan Chapel, was probably built around the same time as the nearby Skipness Castle. The chapel has design similarities with the castle. The chapel replaced the earlier St Columba's Chapel within the castle grounds. Dedicated to St Brendan, it remained in use until at least 1692 and was likely abandoned in the 18th century. The chapel's graveyard contains medieval graveslabs.