Ì Chaluim Chille

Ì Chaluim Chille, Ioua insula, Ì. Eo... all are names for a beautiful island just one mile off the coast of Fionnphort on the Isle of Mull, in the Hebridean islands of Scotland. The Isle of Iona is a place I began to read about and discover in an undergraduate course on Medieval Christianity at Gettysburg. It was somewhere I never thought I'd get to see or visit, and was struggling at finding resources to read about back in the States. Upon my arrival in Scotland, I realized just how big an influence the island had over not only the region of Argyll and Bute, but the whole of the country. A new world of books, articles, and knowledge was accessible to me now. It was now possible, more so than ever before, to visit Iona and get a taste for why the Vikings attacked several times in the 9th century, or why St Columba began his monastery in 563 after leaving Ireland, or see how the prehistoric peoples of the Hebrides lived their lives all the while separated from the mainland. Iona became a huge factor into a piqued interest for the Western Isles/Hebrides in general, and continued to build off this weird fascination for monasteries and why these people: monks, friars, nuns, would choose to live their lives in a community dedicated to solitude, poverty, and chastity out in the middle of, quite literally, nowhere. 

But I didn't think I'd get to do fieldwork on this island. Fieldwork which lasted a bit over a week. I can't say much about the fieldwork itself; the fieldwork was contracted by a client, and I feel it would be disrespectful to the client, the company I volunteered for, and the site itself to post details. But I can write about the island, and first, I think it's worth letting the photos speak for themselves, even if they can't express exactly the same atmosphere as being there in person can.

First glimpse of Iona

Crofts on the island

The cairn on the top of the dun, looking towards the Abbey

The Abbey

Replica of St John's Cross, with St Columba's shrine in the background

Inside the Abbey

The cloisters

Looking towards the Abbey from St Oran's cemetery

Ruins of the Nunnery

Some beaches on the North end

One final sunset...

As you can see, the island is littered with beauty, and though incredibly small (3.4 sq miles total), I still didn't get to explore everything, due to having only one day off to explore and being rather tired in the evenings. However, this just leaves me with an excuse to go back one day, now that I know the route to get there, know a few of the people on the island, and additionally know my way around. The island is peaceful and quiet; there's one road, and it doesn't go the length of the island, or around. It creates an L shape in the middle of the island; many paths are through stiles, gates, and other people's crofts. As long as you put the gates back so no sheep get loose, you were fine to wander around the hills and beaches. There's no mobile service on the island for the majority of providers. The island attempts to be clean and green, as the garbage men have a 140 mile round trip to come empty the bins. Very few locals remain; those that do carry on the legacy of owning land on the island and tending to the crofts that has been carried out for ages. Children attend the primary school on the island up until they are twelve, at which point they must take the two ferries across Iona and Mull to get to the mainland, in Oban, where they stay in a hostel during the week for school and come home on weekends. Many families with small children therefore leave the island. Cars are extremely limited; those who live on the island are allowed to have cars, otherwise one must receive special permission from the council to have a car. The roads on Iona and Mull are all single track roads.

It's a beautiful place, the silence is stunning, and I can see why people go to Iona to "find themselves" in the silence and the welcome and active Iona Community (founded in Govan, oddly enough). But "finding yourself" isn't for everyone; personally, it was nice to wander the island and just have free reign and little houses around; almost like home, except limited, and well, on an island.

Hopefully, this spurns more trips to the Hebrides. Definitely a trip to Barra to visit Màiri is in order, but there are many other ones to get to, and each one brings a bit of a different sort of adventure. Along with planning some other island adventures, I'm looking towards a summer of dissertation nonsense, a possible trip to London, and figuring out why it's so expensive to get down to Wales...Until next time!