'*.-J^.-^°o" 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ■• ^^o^ • 
 
 
 ; -^^c 
 
 
 -^ ^^l^iT^.o 
 
 r*^^. 
 
 • ^r 
 
 
 
 V 
 
 » - « ' *^ 
 

 
 
 <^^ 
 
 
 
 
 ^f, c^ * on® • ^ ^^ 
 
 ■5- "^^ 
 
 vV-^^ 
 
 
 <^ ♦'.^?. .0"*- '^^^^TT'' A 
 
 ^^^0^ r^^M: ^ov* 
 
 
 •^•\/ V*^%°' V^'/ "°-^ 
 
CZ91 
 
 lONA 
 THE SACRED ISLE 
 
lONA 
 
 THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 A SKETCH 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT JAFFRAY 
 
 PRIVATELY PRINTED 
 
 NEW YORK 
 
 MCMVII 
 
fUBRARY of CONGRESS 
 Twu Copies Rwelved 
 A!»R 1 1907 
 g Copyriffht Entry 
 Jf La. fiffty 
 oiAss A XXC.,N0. 
 
 'COPYB. 
 
 .ItJ3 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1907 
 BY ROBERT JAFFRAY 
 
THAT MAN IS LITTLE TO BE ENVIED 
 WHOSE PATRIOTISM WOULD NOT GAIN 
 FORCE UPON THE PLAIN OF MARATHON, 
 OR WHOSE PIETY WOULD NOT GROW 
 WARMER AMONG THE RUINS OF lONA." 
 DR. SAMUEL JOHNSON. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 FACING 
 PAGE 
 
 Cathedral AND Surroundings, loNA . title 
 
 Fingal's Cave, Staffa 2 
 
 Village Street, Iona 4 
 
 Cathedral and St. Martin's Cross 13 
 
 Cathedral from Graveyard .... 16 
 
 St. Oran's Chapel 26 
 
 St. Martin's Cross 34 
 
CLOSE proximity to the west- 
 ern coast of Scotland lie a 
 number of islands which are 
 known collectively as the 
 Hebrides or Western Islands. 
 One of the largest of them 
 is Mull, at the mouth of the 
 Firth of Lome; and off the 
 outer coast of Mull lie two 
 small islands of special in- 
 terest — Staffa and lona. The 
 neighboring shores of Mull 
 are rocky and desolate, and 
 ; to the westward one can see 
 
 little if anything except the 
 broad sweep of the Atlantic Ocean ; 
 so these small islands seem remote and 
 lonely, but they are, in fact, quite ac- 
 cessible, being made the objective points 
 of daily excursions from Oban. 
 
 The course is taken around the island 
 of Mull in opposite directions on alter- 
 nate days. If one chooses to take first the 
 inside passage through the Kyles of Mull, 
 he enjoys a couple of hours of picturesque 
 scenery — particularly on the right,where 
 the Morven hills of Argyllshire present 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 good examples of that peculiar style of 
 beauty so often seen in the heather- 
 covered hills of Scotland. 
 
 Near the entrance of the Sound are 
 the ruins of Duart Castle, the ancient 
 stronghold of the MacLeans. A little 
 farther, on the Morven shore, is the site 
 of Ardtornish Castle, where Edith, 
 "Fair Maid of Lome," came to wed 
 Ronald, Lord of the Isles. Other 
 points of similar interest are revealed 
 as the steamer passes up the Sound. 
 In fact, this excursion, like so many 
 others in Scotland, derives additional 
 interest from the legendary history of 
 the neighboring country. It is a land 
 of legends; and the border-line be- 
 tween these legends and the authentic 
 history of the nation is often so obscure 
 as to be undistinguishable. However, 
 this legendary feature cannot be elimi- 
 nated without causing the loss of one of 
 the greatest charms of Scotland. 
 
 After rounding the northern shore of 
 Mull, the course is taken to the south- 
 ward towards Staffa, where an hour is 
 allowed for visiting Fingal's Cave, that 
 
FINGAL S CAVE, STAFFA 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 singular formation whose aspect is so 
 well known. The landing is effected in 
 life-boats, and the place of disembark- 
 ation is changed from day to day, accord- 
 ing to the direction of the wind and the 
 condition of the sea. The approach to 
 the cave is by a pathway over rocks 
 which are often so slippery as to in- 
 terfere considerably with a proper ap- 
 preciation of the phenomenal character 
 of the island. A sudden turn reveals 
 the mouth of the cavern; and when the 
 sea is smooth, those who are venture- 
 some may penetrate to its farthest re- 
 cesses. The tall basaltic columns which 
 line the sides, and the vaulted roof 
 which they seem to support, combine to 
 give an ecclesiastical aspect to this won- 
 der of nature. It has been well des- 
 cribed as 
 
 . . . that wondrous dome. 
 Where, as to shame the temples decked 
 By skill of earthly architect, 
 Nature herself, it seemed, would raise 
 A Minster to her Maker's praise. 
 
 Staffa presents no other feature of 
 special interest, so the voyage is soon 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 resumed, and after a short sail the 
 steamer drops anchor at lona, where the 
 field of interest is much broader. Many 
 centuries of civil and ecclesiastical his- 
 tory furnish material for research, and 
 at the focal point, towards which the 
 lines of inquiry all converge, stands St. 
 Columba. 
 J lona belongs to the Duke of Argyll. 
 It is of small size, about three miles long 
 by about one mile wide; and the part 
 which the excursionists see is only that 
 which is covered by the little village ex- 
 tending along the shore by the landing. 
 The superficial observer finds merely an 
 island without natural beauty, in fact 
 of rather barren appearance, containing 
 a cluster of little houses, a few ruins, and 
 an ancient-looking church, partly re- 
 stored; but the island bears a different 
 aspect when we realize that it was one of 
 the most influential centres for the civ- 
 ilization and conversion of Scotland — 
 a spot considered so sacred that kings 
 were taken there for burial, and so im- 
 portant as to have been a bone of con- 
 tention between Scots, Danes, and 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 Norsemen. It has been referred to as 
 "for two centuries the nursery of bishops, 
 the centre of education, the asylum of 
 reHgious knowledge, the point of union 
 among the British Isles, the capital and 
 necropolis of the Celtic race/' 
 
 SPECIAL interest in this little 
 island is created by its close 
 connection with St. Columba, 
 that wonderful man whose 
 life-work is deeply engraved 
 upon the history of Great Britain. 
 Columba was an Irish monk of royal 
 descent. Tradition states that he be- 
 came involved in a controversy which 
 ended in a sanguinary war; and that he 
 was ordered to leave Ireland and to re- 
 main away until he had converted to 
 Christianity as many persons as had 
 fallen dead by the hands of himself and 
 his followers. Taking twelve compan- »^ 
 ions, he left the home that was dear to 
 him, and headed for the coast of what 
 we now call Scotland. Tradition says 
 further that he stopped first at the Mull 
 of Kintyre, and later at the island of 
 
 5 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 Oronsay; but, finding that even at this 
 place he could still see the shores of 
 Ireland, he pressed on, and landed at 
 lona, where he decided to remain. A 
 little bay on the southern shore is 
 pointed out as his place of landing, and 
 just above it is a cairn which marks the 
 spot, where, finding that his native land 
 had passed from sight, he was ready to 
 take up his new work, an exile but an 
 enthusiast. The incident occurred in 
 the year A. D. 563, thirty-four years 
 before St. Augustine landed in Great 
 Britain. It is generally believed that 
 lona had been, and perhaps was then, in- 
 habited by Druids. The ancient Gaelic 
 name of the island was Innis nan Druin- 
 each, the Isle of the Druids. 
 
 Columba cannot be regarded as the 
 first Christian missionary who came to 
 this region, as there are indications of 
 an earlier migration from Ireland to 
 these shores, and a possible occupation 
 of lona by Celtic Christians. In any 
 case, Columba appears to have ob- 
 tained peaceful possession, which was 
 confirmed later by Conal, the King of 
 
 6 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 the Northern Scots, to whom the island 
 belonged. Columba and his followers 
 began their work promptly; and their 
 activity and vigor soon brought wonder- 
 ful results. From this centre they car- 
 ried on a beneficent work, which was in 
 time widely extended all over Northern 
 Britain. Many churches and monas- 
 teries were founded; and lona came to 
 be a centre of great influence. Its fame 
 as a holy place spread far and wide; and 
 when, after the death of Conal, his 
 cousin Adian became King of the Scots, 
 the new monarch came to lona to be 
 crowned by St. Columba. The stone 
 on which he sat, the "stone of destiny," 
 was thereafter used at the coronation 
 ceremony of the Kings of Scotland. It 
 was later taken to Dunstaffnage and to 
 Scone, and in 1296 it was moved to Lon- 
 don. It may still be seen in Westmin- 
 ster Abbey, fastened under the seat of 
 the chair in which the monarchs of 
 Great Britain are crowned. 
 
 An interesting reference to this in- 
 cident is found in a little book, long 
 since out of print, which was written 
 
 i/ 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 by the Duke of Argyll about forty years 
 ago, under the title " lona." 
 
 The author writes as follows; 
 
 " Hither came holy men from Erin to 
 take counsel with the Saint on the 
 troubles of clans and monasteries which 
 were still dear to him. Hither came, 
 also, bad men, red-handed from blood 
 and sacrilege, to make confession and do 
 penance at Columba's feet. Hither, 
 too, came chieftains to be blessed, and 
 even kings to be ordained — for it is 
 curious that on this lonely spot, so far 
 from the ancient centres of Christendom, 
 took place the first recorded case of a 
 temporal sovereign seeking from a min- 
 ister of the Church what appears to have 
 been very like formal consecration." 
 
 It affords a good illustration of the 
 far-reaching interest which attaches to 
 this little island. 
 
 There is also a tradition that this 
 stone is identical with the stone of Luz, 
 on which Jacob rested his weary head; 
 but one may be pardoned for feeling a 
 little skeptical when tradition oversteps 
 so far the bounds of probability. 
 
 8 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 In time, the island came to be known 
 as Icolmkill, **the island of Columba of 
 the Church," or **the island of Columba 
 of the burial-place" — both translations 
 being given as the English equivalent of 
 the Gaelic title. 
 
 Columba died in 597. It is stated 
 that, when he saw death approaching 
 he spoke prophetically of the future of 
 lona, assuring his associates that their 
 insignificant little island would be one of 
 the honorable places of the earth; and 
 that the kings and people of Scotland 
 and of other nations would reverence 
 the spot. This prophecy has been well 
 fulfilled. In addition to the monastical 
 work carried on by the successors of 
 Columba, a special interest in lona was 
 created by its use as a burial-place for 
 dignitaries of Church and State. Here 
 for centuries were brought the bodies of 
 kings, warriors, chieftains, and eccle- 
 siastical rulers, that they might rest in 
 this sacred place. 
 
 One who visited lona in the sixteenth 
 century gives a description of a burial- 
 place in which there stood three tombs 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 of Stone, built like chapels, and each 
 bearing an inscription. On one were 
 the words Tumulus Regum Scoiice, and 
 in this were buried forty-eight Scottish 
 kings, including Duncan and Macbeth. 
 On another tomb were the words Tum- 
 ulus Regum Hibernice, and this contained 
 the bodies of four Irish kings. The 
 third tomb was marked Tumulus Regum 
 Norwegice, and here lay buried sundry 
 Norwegian rulers, who, if not literally 
 Kings of Norway, were at least Kings of 
 Norwegians. The Hebrides were more 
 or less subject to Norway for aboilt four 
 centuries, and their rulers bore the title 
 " Kings of the Isles.'' Within the burial 
 place lay also the bodies of most of the 
 Lords of the Isles, those rulers who held 
 sway, with more or less independence, 
 in the centuries following the Norwegian 
 occupation. The tombs referred to 
 have disappeared, but the burial-place — 
 in part, at least — is still to be seen. Its 
 ancient name was Reilig Orain, the bur- 
 ial-place of Orain or Oran. Consider- 
 able doubt exists about the identity of 
 the Saint after whom it was named. He 
 
 10 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 is reported to have been Columba's 
 brother, but the oldest existing list of 
 Columba's companions does not include 
 his name. Some think the name is that 
 of an Irish saint who died before Col- 
 umba came to lona. Numerous grave- 
 stones are found, most of them lying 
 flat on the ground. Several of the most 
 interesting ones have been gathered to- 
 gether and laid side by side, and sur- 
 rounded by iron railings for protection 
 from hunters of relics. 
 
 The gravestones are worthy of much 
 more careful examination than is pos- 
 sible in the hasty visit of the excursion 
 parties. They bear carvings of a curi- 
 ous character, comprising a wide variety 
 of designs. There are representations 
 of animals, and of galleys, swords, crosses, 
 geometrical designs, and various sym- 
 bols and devices of a mysterious charac- 
 ter. Some of the stones are covered 
 with elaborate traceries. Many bear 
 figures of the dead cut in low relief; and 
 others have similar figures in the shape 
 of effigies raised up on the face of the 
 stones. In many cases the stones can 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 be identified; and these are mostly com- 
 memorative of chiefs of Scottish clans 
 who died between the thirteenth and 
 sixteenth centuries inclusive. The older 
 monuments have disappeared. One 
 stone in the enclosure is said to cover 
 the body of a King of France. 
 
 The burial-ground was, in the ancient 
 times, approached by a road which led 
 from a bay where the funeral parties 
 landed. This road was known as the 
 Street of the Dead, and although it is 
 now obliterated, there are landmarks to 
 indicate its general direction through a 
 part of the village. It takes but little 
 imagination to picture the sad proces- 
 sions of men of high degree which passed 
 along that path in the days when lona 
 was looked upon as holy ground. 
 
 There are other points of interest for 
 the antiquarian, besides the graveyard 
 mentioned above. The ruins of a nun- 
 nery, which was founded about the end 
 of the twelfth century, are shown as one 
 passes from the landing to the graveyard. 
 St. Oran's chapel is a ruined building, 
 about thirty feet long, concerning which 
 
 1 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 little appears to be known. It stands 
 within the enclosure of Reilig Grain, 
 and was probably built about the elev- 
 enth century. Across the burial-yard 
 and near the shore of lona Sound, stands 
 the Cathedral. It is a stone building of 
 about the thirteenth century, measur- 
 ing about 1 50 feet in length, and having 
 a square central tower. The style of 
 the building is simple, but impressive. 
 The choir has undergone a process of 
 restoration in recent years. The nave is 
 in ruins. Adjacent to the Cathedral are 
 the ruins of the monastery buildings. 
 
 Near the Cathedral door stands St. 
 Martin's Cross, a relic of considerable 
 interest to those who are versed in Celtic 
 antiquities. It is about fourteen feet 
 high, of a gray stone, and similar in gen- 
 eral appearance to others still to be found 
 in Great Britain and Ireland. It is 
 quite different in style from the Latin 
 cross; the arms are short, and they are 
 connected with the head of the cross 
 by an attached circle. The cross was 
 erected to the memory of St. Martin of 
 Tours, and it is believed to date from the 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 twelfth century, or earlier. Another 
 cross, MacLean's, stands nearer the 
 village, but is considered to be of a 
 much later date. 
 
 It is to be noted that the only relics 
 of antiquity now visible are of a much 
 later age than that of Columba. Var- 
 ious localities are pointed out as con- 
 nected with the incidents of his life, and 
 apparently with a considerable degree 
 of accuracy; but a detailed consider- 
 ation of them would only be of interest 
 to the compilers of guide-books or to 
 those who desire to make a complete 
 study of the Saint's life and times. 
 
 It would be difficult, if not impossible, 
 to give in brief compass a satisfactory 
 account of the great work which was 
 either carried on personally by Columba 
 and his associates, or may be attributed 
 to their influence and inspiration in the 
 lives of those who followed them. Picts, 
 Scots, and Britons came under the spell 
 of those earnest men, who did not con- 
 fine themselves to the mainland, but 
 visited also thedistant Hebridean islands, 
 and even went, according to report, as 
 
 14 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 far as Iceland. After Columba's death 
 the influence of this old Celtic church 
 became even more widely extended. 
 Oswald, King of Northumbria, asked 
 for a missionary from lona to labor 
 among his people, and Aidan was sent. 
 He established himself upon the island 
 of Lindisfarne, off the Northumbrian 
 coast; and so by degrees the influences 
 which originated at lona spread out over 
 the southern half of Great Britain. 
 
 During the two centuries after Col- 
 umba's death, the monastic work of 
 lona passed through various vicissi- 
 tudes, mainly theological. In the fol- 
 lowing two centuries there were stormy 
 times from other causes, as the Island 
 was frequently ravaged by the Danes 
 and the Norsemen. In 1074 the West- 
 ern Islands came under the rule of Mal- 
 colm Canmore, a Scottish king, whose 
 queen, Margaret, is said to have re- 
 stored the monastery at lona from the 
 demoralization resulting from these 
 times of war. For several centuries 
 after this time, comparatively little is 
 known of the island's history. 
 
 15 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 W^W^' F'JLL consideration of lona's 
 ^m """ place in literature would require 
 /y^^ more extended treatment than 
 W'\ is appropriate to this sketch; 
 Atejjk but it is desirable to note two in- 
 ^^' teresting features of her literary 
 history — one in the remote past, and 
 one in our own times. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that we have 
 a biography of the Saint of lona written 
 by one who was born only a few years 
 after Columba's death, so that the book 
 has almost the value of a contemporary 
 work. Adamnan's "Life of St. Co- 
 lumba'' was no doubt a book of great 
 interest to those who lived in the seventh 
 century, but it does not appeal to the 
 literary tastes of our own times. 
 
 The book is divided into three parts. 
 Generally speaking, the first part treats 
 of the Saint's prophetic revelations; the 
 second part tells of his miraculous 
 powers; and the third part relates the 
 angelic visitations which were granted 
 to him, and also describes his last days 
 upon earth. The foregoing divisions 
 are not, however, strictly maintained, 
 
 i6 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 and it is unnecessary to discuss them 
 separately and in detail. 
 
 If we were prepared to believe one 
 half of the incidents related, we should 
 need no further proof that Columba 
 was one of the most remarkable men 
 the world ever saw. It is stated that 
 he cured men of diseases, drove away 
 demons, controlled wild beasts, quieted 
 stormy waves, turned water into wine 
 for use in the Mass, mended broken 
 bones, caused grain to ripen early al- 
 though sowed late, and lastly, that he 
 even raised the dead. It is stated that 
 on one occasion he received requests for 
 favorable winds from two men who 
 wished to sail at the same time in oppo- 
 site directions, and even this was accom- 
 plished by his power. Adamnan evi- 
 dently thinks it necessary to fortify this 
 last incident against any possible doubts, 
 so he takes pains to explain that the 
 power of Columba's prayers was great, 
 and reminds the reader that "all things 
 are possible to him that believeth." 
 
 Many incidents are given of Columba's 
 prophetical powers, not only in fore- 
 
 17 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 telling future events, but also in appar- 
 ently seeing events occurring at the time 
 in places beyond the range of human 
 vision. Here, although still skeptical 
 as to details, we are forced to acknow- 
 ledge the possibility that there may be 
 some truth in the incidents related. 
 The gift of ''second sight" has been for 
 many centuries more or less common in 
 Scotland. Some have considered it 
 merely the product of an overwrought 
 imagination; but others have claimed 
 for it some degree of reality. All that 
 need be said here is that we need not 
 consider these manifestations of Co- 
 lumba's powers as necessarily based en- 
 tirely on fable. 
 
 The most interesting part of the book 
 is found in its closing pages, where a 
 detailed account is given of Columba's 
 last days upon earth. The wonderful 
 stories mentioned above, which have 
 taxed our credulity, are soon forgotten 
 as we read the simple and yet graphic 
 narrative of the premonition of death, 
 the long farewell, and the sorrowful as- 
 sembly of the monks in the church when 
 
 i8 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 the aged man passed away at midnight 
 on the altar steps. In fact, leaving aside 
 the references to supposed prophetical 
 and miraculous powers, there is through- 
 out the book a singular attraction in the 
 story of the simple life of benevolence 
 which was lived by these monks of lona. 
 It has been said that Adamnan 
 thought in Gaelic and wrote in Latin. 
 While, therefore, the Latin form disap- 
 pears in the translation, it is not strange 
 that we should, nevertheless, still recog- 
 nize in this work the highly developed 
 imagination and the love of the super- 
 natural which are so closely associated 
 with the Gaelic nature. These charac- 
 teristics, it may be noted, have not 
 passed away from the modern represen- 
 tatives of that ancient race; and no 
 doubt their preservation is to some ex- 
 tent due to the continued use of the 
 Gaelic as a living language in the Heb- 
 rides and the Scottish Highlands. 
 
 19 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 .^ 'HE same spirit of fable and leg- 
 
 m ^-.end which permeates Adamnan's 
 m' "^'stories of the distant past, is still 
 ^\ hovering about this little island 
 
 Be' in our own times; and it is espe- 
 
 ^^* daily manifested in the writings 
 of that one recent author who, more 
 than any other, speaks for lona in mod- 
 ern romantic literature, Fiona Macleod. 
 The interest which Miss Macleod's works 
 themselves create is much increased by 
 the facts about her which have recently 
 been revealed. She was understood to 
 be a lady of Hebridean or Highland 
 family, whose identity, for reasons of 
 her own, it was necessary to conceal. 
 It follows, therefore, that little could be 
 ascertained in regard to her. 
 
 The late William Sharp claimed to 
 know Miss Macleod; various statements 
 were attributed to him with reference to 
 her; and it is even said that he presented 
 to some of his friends a lady bearing 
 that name. Since his death it has been 
 authoritatively announced that the name 
 "Fiona Macleod '* was a pseudonym, 
 and that Mr. Sharp was himself the real 
 
 20 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 author. Even with this knowledge, 
 however, it will never be possible to 
 dissociate these writings from the name 
 over which they appeared. Miss Macleod 
 may not have existed in the flesh, but 
 she is, nevertheless, in the literary 
 world a distinct and living personality, 
 with strongly marked characteristics. 
 The hand that wrote was the hand of 
 William Sharp, but it held a woman's 
 pen. 
 
 An enthusiastic interest in the Gaelic 
 people, their legends, and their folk-lore, 
 is manifested in this writer's work. Its 
 field covers all the Hebridean islands, 
 but the central point is lona. It is not, 
 however, the quantity of the material re- 
 ferring to this island, but rather its qual- 
 ity, which attracts our interest. 
 
 Two articles about lona over the 
 signature of "Fiona Macleod" appeared 
 in the Fortnightly Review during the 
 year 1900; they were afterwards re- 
 vised and enlarged, and published in 
 book form, under the appropriate title, 
 "The Isle of Dreams." The following 
 extract from that book is not only 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 characteristic in style, but also sing- 
 ularly expressive of the author's point 
 of view : 
 
 *'A few places in the world are to be 
 held holy, because of the love which con- 
 secrates them and the faith which en- 
 shrines them. Their names are them- 
 selves talismans of spiritual beauty — of 
 these is lona. 
 
 " But to write of lona, there are many 
 ways of approach. No place that has 
 a spiritual history can, to those who 
 know nothing of it, be revealed by facts 
 and descriptions. ... I have nothing 
 to say here of lona's acreage, or fisheries, 
 or pastures; nothing of how the isl- 
 anders live. These things are the ac- 
 cidental. There is small difference in 
 simple life anywhere. Moreover, there 
 are many to tell all that need be known. 
 
 "There is one lona, a little island of 
 the West. It is but a small isle, fash- 
 ioned of a little sand, a few grasses, salt 
 with the spray of an ever-restless wave, 
 a few rocks that wave in heather, and 
 upon whose brows the sea-wind weaves 
 the yellow lichen. But in this little isl- 
 
 22 
 
 1 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 and a lamp was lit whose flame lighted 
 pagan Europe, from the Saxon in his 
 fens to the swarthy folk who came by 
 Greek waters to trade the Orient. Here 
 Learning and Faith had their tranquil 
 home, when the shadow of the sword lay 
 upon all lands, from Syracuse by the 
 Tyrrhene Sea to the rainy isles of Orca. 
 From age to age, lowly hearts have 
 never ceased to ease their burthen here. 
 To tell the story of lona would be to go 
 back to God, and to end in God. There 
 is another lona of which I would speak. 
 I do not say that it lies open to all. It 
 is as we come that we find. If we come 
 bringing nothing with us, we go away 
 ill-content, having seen and heard noth- 
 ing of what we had vaguely expected to 
 see or hear. It is another lona than the 
 lona of sacred memories and prophecies 
 — lona the metropolis of dreams. None 
 can understand it who does not see it 
 through its pagan light, its Christian 
 light, its singular blending of paganism, 
 and romance, and spiritual beauty." 
 
 The reader quickly fmds himself in an 
 atmosphere of legends, dreams, and im- 
 
 23 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 aginations. Some of these are of a re- 
 ligious nature, such as the belief current 
 in some quarters that Christ will appear 
 again upon lona; and a legend that 
 Mary Magdalen was buried in a cave on 
 the island; and a strange and indefinite 
 expectation that there will be on lona 
 a further manifestation of the work of 
 redemption through the advent of a 
 Divine Woman. 
 
 Other legends are of a secular char- 
 acter, in most cases touching the under- 
 world of mystery and magic. We are 
 told of the Sidhe or People of the Hills, 
 who, though found in some of the 
 lonely isles, have their kingdom in the 
 Far North. It is related that one of 
 Columba's monks sailed towards their 
 country; and he sailed and sailed for 
 nine years, and then lived with the 
 Sidhe for three hundred years, and 
 finally came back to lona. He related 
 his adventures to the monks then on 
 the island, but when he began to tell 
 of the lovely creatures he had seen in 
 that far distant land, he was promptly 
 buried alive I 
 
 24 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 Shonny, a sea god, is mentioned — 
 evil in his ways, and greatly feared. 
 There is also another sea god, Menaun 
 by name, who sometimes lives in the 
 sea, fashioned in a mysterious shape, 
 and sometimes goes ashore in the guise 
 of a human being. We read also the 
 legend of Black Angus, who was turned 
 into a seal; and we are told of a monk 
 who preached the Word to the seals 
 along the shore. There are also tales 
 of "second sight," and various stories 
 of life on lona and the neighboring isles, 
 — all having a local color which invests 
 them with a great charm. 
 
 In another book the author tells a 
 legend of St. Brighid or St. Bride, who 
 has always been dear to the Gaelic heart 
 under her name of ''Muime Chriosd'' — 
 the Foster-Mother of Christ. Briefly, 
 the story relates how Brighid and her 
 father were shipwrecked on the shore of 
 lona. The little girl was welcomed by 
 the Druids, who recognized in her the 
 fulfilment of a prophecy. She grew up 
 beautiful in appearance and in character. 
 One day, at the Fountain of Youth, on 
 
 25 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 Dun-I,* she saw a vision of a woman 
 of great beauty. Soon afterwards a 
 white dove appeared who led Brighid 
 far away, over distant desert lands, to 
 Bethlehem, where her father was keep- 
 ing an inn. 
 
 In the father's temporary absence 
 from the inn, an elderly man with his 
 wife asked for shelter. The wife ad- 
 dressed Brighid in Gaelic, and Brighid 
 recognized her as the lovely woman who 
 had appeared in the vision on lona. 
 The pair were lodged in the stable, and 
 there the Babe was born. Brighid 
 nursed the Child while Mary slept. To- 
 wards morning Brighid fell into a deep 
 sleep, and when she awoke the travellers 
 were gone. She set out to follow them, 
 and finally caught a sight of the city of 
 Jerusalem; and then suddenly was trans- 
 ported back to lona and to her old life. 
 
 Aside from the anachronism of re- 
 ferring to St. Bride as living at the time 
 of the Christian era, there are other mat- 
 ters which a friendly criticism must over- 
 look. We cannot think of the Scriptural 
 
 *The hill on lona. 
 
 26 
 
IP^ 
 
ION A, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 incident taking place at an inn called 
 " Rest and Be Thankful " ; nor does it ac- 
 cord with our ideas to read of collies and 
 pipers, and of people drinking ale and 
 eating oatcakes and scones, in Bethle- 
 hem. But these features are only in- 
 cidentals; the essential part of the beau- 
 tiful legend remains, and its beauty is 
 enhanced by the graceful way in which 
 it is related. 
 
 Another legend of the island tells how 
 Columba conversed one day with Ardan, 
 an ancient Druid, about their respective 
 religions. Ardan stated in the course of 
 conversation that the birds all knew the 
 mystery of the Cross. Columba med- 
 itated long over the idea; and the next 
 day, to test the statement, he called to 
 the birds to gather at lona. They came 
 from every quarter, from distant moors 
 and lochs, and mountain sides; and 
 Columba said Mass for them as they sat 
 around him. 
 
 Among the various tales of lona — 
 ancient and modern, sacred and secular 
 — found in Fiona Macleod's works, there 
 is one which is worthy of special men- 
 
 27 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 tion, The Sin Eater. Neil Ross, after 
 a long absence, is returning to lona, un- 
 recognized through the changes which 
 the lapse of years have wrought. He 
 hopes for a chance to stop on the way 
 and curse to the face his old enemy, 
 Adam Blair. From an aged woman, 
 who finally recognizes him, he learns 
 that he is too late, for Adam has just 
 died, and is laid out for the burial. As 
 Neil is in sore need of money, he is 
 persuaded to earn a fee, in accordance 
 with a current superstition, by taking 
 upon himself the sins of the dead man. 
 This could be done by an entire stranger, 
 who naturally bore no grudge in his 
 heart; and in such case he would be grad- 
 ually purified of the sins by the air of 
 Heaven. Neil accordingly eats some 
 bread and drinks some water which had 
 been placed on the breast of the corpse, 
 receives his fee, and departs. He had 
 been told that even if the Sin Eater had 
 a grudge, he could, nevertheless, find a 
 way of easing his burden of sins by cast- 
 ing them into the sea. It appears, how- 
 ever, that the sins could not be thus 
 
 28 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 disposed of if the Sin Eater was con- 
 cealing a crime; and Neil soon found he 
 could not get rid of the awful burden he 
 had assumed. He crossed over to lona 
 to live in his old ancestral home, but he 
 found his homecoming was very different 
 from his anticipations. Shunned by 
 the inhabitants, who seemed to suspect 
 some deep mystery, he went deeper and 
 deeper into the horrors of madness; 
 tried again and again to prevail on the 
 waves to take his burden; called himself 
 Judas; and finally was drowned, tied to 
 two pieces of wood fastened together in 
 the shape of a cross. 
 
 This brief resume gives no idea of the 
 graphic style in which the narrative is 
 told. The scene at the death watch, 
 when one old woman tells another that 
 the mice have left the house because the 
 soul of the dead man, loth to leave, is 
 trying to hide in the dark corners and be- 
 hind the walls; the description of the 
 mysterious rites according to which the 
 Sin Eater performed his task; the ac- 
 count of how the corpse laughed when 
 the mourners saw Neil going away; all 
 
 29 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 these are examples of word-painting 
 which must be read to be appreciated. 
 
 It is a pleasure to turn from an awful 
 tale like this to some of the other stories 
 which show the beautiful side of Gaelic 
 folk-lore — such, for instance, as the story 
 of The Anointed Man. Allison Achanna 
 was not understood by his neighbors. 
 He was ''fey." He could always smile, 
 even when surrounded with distress and 
 suffering. Once he explained to a little 
 girl why he was thus. Years before 
 when lying on the ground with his face 
 buried in the heather, two tiny hands 
 had pressed something soft on his eye- 
 lids. He had been touched with the 
 Fairy Ointment, and thereafter all the 
 world and all its inhabitants were beau- 
 tiful, and there was no more sin, nor 
 ugliness, nor distress. 
 
 Surely no further examples are neces- 
 sary to prove how appropriately this 
 little island is called ''The Metropolis 
 of Dreams''; but only the original writ- 
 ings themselves can show the perfection 
 of the local color which adds such a 
 charm to the gifted author's works. 
 
 30 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 A phrase, or a brief sentence, alludes to 
 some aspect of nature or some manifes- 
 tation of its forces, and one immediately 
 recognizes the accuracy of the Hebrid- 
 ean picture. 
 
 The direct references to lona are, of 
 course, only incidents in the consider- 
 ation of the broad field of Gaelic tradi- 
 tion and folk-lore; but it is made clear 
 that there is no other spot in Scottish 
 Gaeldom which can compare with lona 
 in the absorbing interest which it in- 
 spires — whether viewed from the stand- 
 point of history, of religion, or of ro- 
 mance. In fact, it is the peculiar com- 
 bination of Christianity, Paganism, His- 
 tory and Romance associated with lona, 
 which makes this interest so great. The 
 author's power comes from a deep af- 
 fection and admiration for the Gael, and 
 a soulful sympathy with all that is sad 
 and mysterious, as well as all that is 
 beautiful, in his nature and in his lit- 
 erature. 
 
 31 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 l^-.EAViNG the island, the homeward 
 ^Si course lies first to the southward, 
 iSP^ among the numerous reefs and rocky 
 W! islets of lona Sound; and then, 
 i Wi......^ ; rounding the corner of Mull, the 
 
 <^^!S[ steamer passes from the open sea 
 
 Wf-' into the Firth of Lome, towards 
 Oban. On the left lie the rocky shores 
 of Mull — desolate, and yet picturesque, 
 since the granite rocks are streaked with 
 red, and covered here and there with 
 patches of green moss. There is no sign 
 of life except the great flocks of gulls, 
 and the puffms, cormorants, and other 
 birds which are moved to flight at the 
 approach of the steamer. 
 
 The voyage is ended at Oban to- 
 wards the close of the afternoon; and 
 the picturesque view of the town and 
 its vicinity which is afforded by the ap- 
 proach up the Firth of Lome is a pleas- 
 ant incident in this enjoyable and 
 unique excursion. 
 
 Yes, the voyage is over, but the mem- 
 ories it arouses will not soon pass away. 
 We have been on the borders of Dream- 
 land, and have learned something of its 
 
 32 
 
IONA,THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 mysteries. Let us not, however, be so 
 fascinated by our experiences in this 
 respect as to overlook that which is 
 substantial and enduring. 
 
 It has been necessary to take a dis- 
 tant view into centuries long past, in 
 order to obtain an adequate impression 
 of the important part which this island 
 has played in the history of Great 
 Britain. 
 
 One should not visit lona with the 
 expectation of seeing beauty of land- 
 scape or of architecture; her great 
 claim on the traveler's attention lies 
 rather in her far-reaching historical 
 interest, and in her sacred associa- 
 tions. When one thinks of the dis- 
 tant centuries during which this little 
 island was like a beacon light stand- 
 ing for Christianity, civilization, and 
 useful knowledge; when one appre- 
 ciates the fact that beneath the sod 
 lie the bones of kings, chiefs, abbots, 
 monks, priests, and others who, in 
 their generation, were important factors 
 in the civilization and the religious and 
 civil government of the country; it is 
 
 33 
 
lONA, THE SACRED ISLE 
 
 then that one reaHzes lona is a place 
 of more than ordinary interest. For 
 the early years of the nation's history 
 it is the Westminster Abbey of Scot- 
 land. 
 
ST. MARTIN S CROSS 
 
I 
 
C 219 
 
 89^4 
 
vi^r? 
 
 ^v-^*^ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^°--.. 
 
 
 •<it.«< 
 
 
 
 
 
 r .' 
 

 
 
 
 
 .'^'\ 
 
 
 
 Ci°^ 
 
 'v-^ 
 
 
 
 "^^^^^' 
 /% 
 
 
 
 
 HECKMAN 
 
 BINDERY INC. 
 
 AUG 89 
 
 N 
 
 N. MANCHESTER, 
 INDIANA 46962