Iona History
For the present day wayfarer, Iona may seem on the very fringe, somewhere between sea and sky. For more than 1500 years, pilgrims have travelled from across the world to stand before the layers upon layers of history that seem to set Iona apart, an island which is verily defined by its separateness. We must try to imagine an Iona of two millennia ago, when it was a stop along the motorway of Sea. No single track roads, no tea and cakes at the Green Wellie in Tyndrum, just some gannet meat, seal oil, and gritting of teeth. Iona was at the heart of Dal Riata, the great sea kingdom of the Western Isles. Iona would not have been on the fringe, but at the very centre of cultural exchange. Boats and the buoyant sea allowed for one of the most extraordinarily poignant and contended of historical encounters.
St. Columba, born in County Donegal, Ireland, is reputed to have landed on Iona in 563 A.D. Scholars may argue the circumstances surrounding his arrival. One story suggests that he illegally copied a Bible-manuscript, which triggered a war against the king who had ordered the manuscript's return. Columba may have been exiled to Iona as punishment for his deed, while others believe that it was self-imposed exile that led the Saint-to-be to Iona's pebbly south-facing bay. Once established on Iona, Columba worked to set up satellite monasteries throughout Dalriada. The telling portrait of Columba comes from Adomnan in his Life of Columba. Adomnan may have stretched the truth behind the Saint, but his writing is nonetheless entertaining for the somewhat fanciful and ideal qualities depicted in Columba's last weeks on Iona, when he blessed every part of the island - the crops, livestock and people.
Following the humble mud and wattle dwellings of Columba's monks, the monastic life expressed through the cat (the meditative, solitary) and the monkey (the working and active life), came the artistic flourish of the Eighth Century, marked with its high crosses, grave slabs, and the illuminated Book of Kells, perhaps the strongest trans-sea link between the monastery at Kells in Ireland and that of Iona. Iona's proximity to the sea offered ripe opportunity for successive Viking raids. Many of the relics of St. Columba were moved to Ireland or elsewhere for safekeeping.
Whether the traveller is interested in early Iron Age hill forts, Columba, Celtic Christianity; the history of the Benedictine Church, the enigmatic ruins of the Augustinian nunnery; the graves of the Norse, Celtic, and Scottish kings; the very vibrant secular history of the island; or the sheer beauty of the sea-girt isle - one cannot deny the allure of Iona.
We at the Argyll Hotel would like to encourage visitors to appreciate and understand the very important living history of the island, most evident in the Heritage Centre displays of cultural history of Iona. Also of note, and often overlooked, is the Infirmary Museum on the Abbey grounds, which houses a startling array of carved stonework discovered around the Abbey and Nunnery, including early Christian grave slabs and original Celtic crosses.
Walk around or have a cream tea on the front lawn – just spend time; this is the only way to really reach understanding of a place so coloured by history.
History Links
BBC - Iona History
Article from BBC about Iona history with beautiful videos to watch (Videos only available in UK).
Historic Scotland
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk
Historic Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Government charged with safeguarding the nation's historic environment and promoting its understanding and enjoyment on behalf of Scottish Ministers.
