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"A characteristic still
more distinctive of the Irish monks, as of all their nation, was the
imperious necessity of spreading themselves without, of seeking or
carrying knowledge and faith afar, and of penetrating into the most
distant regions to watch or combat paganism." MONTALEMBERT, Monks of
the West.
ABOUT five miles south-west
of Easdale is a group of islands called the Garvelloch or Holy Islands.
They form a chain about three miles long, and are individually known as
Dun Chonail (once a royal fortress), Garbheileach, Culi-Bhreanain and
Eileach a' Naoimh, The exact meaning of the word Eileach, in Eileach a'
Naoimh and in Garbheileach has given rise to much difference of opinion.
With regard to the latter place-name it is pronounced locally
Garbh-bhileach, that is, "rough-lipped " or "edged," and the name so
rendered is descriptive, but this may be a modified Garbheileach, as in
Eileach a' Naoimh. Eileach, or more properly Aileach, is variously
translated as a "mound " or "stony place," and is certainly connected with
the obsolete word Al, a stone. So that the "rough stony mound "
would be appropriate enough when applied to the rugged contour of
Garvelloch. Similarly, Eileach a' Naoimh would mean the "stony mound" or
"heap of the saint," or if the terminal word is an adjective - Eileacha
Naomh - the "holy mounds."
Skene, Beeves, and others,
have fallen into the usual error of considering Aileach a corruption of
Eilean, an island. This it certainly is not. Skene quotes Fordun, who
wrote about the end of the fourteenth century, saying: - "The earliest
notice of these islands is by Fordun. Insula Helant Leneow, scilicet
insula sanctorum, et ubi refugium. Insula Garveleane, juxta magnum castrum
de Donquhoule, distans ab aliis insulis sex milliaribus in oceano"; and
goes on to say, "The rendering of Helant Leneow by 'Insula Sanctorum'
shows that the name in Fordun's day was not Eilean Naomh, or Holy Island,
as it is usually called, but Eilean na Naoimh, or the Island of the
Saints, and it is so called still by the Gaelic-speaking people of the
neighbourhood; while Garvelloch appears under the older form of
Garbheilean; but those names had passed into their present corrupted form
as early as the beginning of the seventeenth century, for in 1629,
Archibald Campbell of Kilmelfort resigns to Archibald, Lord Lorne, the
islands of Garvelach and Dunchonill, and in 1630 Andrew, Bishop of Raphoe
and prior of Oransay, grants to John Campbell, Rector of Craigness, the
isles of Ilachinive and Kilbrandon" (Kilbrandon is not the parish of the
name, but Cull Bhreanain, one of the Garvelloch group). Now the
Gaelic-speaking people of the district never do say Eilean na Naoimh, but
Eileach a' Naoimh. Fordun was a foreigner, and probably had not visited
the islands; and we might as well believe his statement regarding Scarba,
which he says is fifteen miles long, whereas it is only three!
Dean Monro calls these
islands Eluch na naose and Garowhellach.
In the monkish chronicle
Vita Brendani, the following passage occurs:- "Et in alio regione in
Britannia, monasterium nomine Ailech, sanctissimus Brenclanus fundavit."
In the Brussels edition of the same work, it is stated more explicitly
that the monastery was founded in the island of Ailech, "unum
monasterium in insula Ailech, alterum in Terra Ethica." Terra Ethica is
Tiree, and there can be no reasonable doubt that Ailech is Eileach a'
Naoimh. St Columba was not by any means the first Christian missionary to
these isles. St Bridget or Bride, who died in 525, was probably an early
visitor; and St Brendan, who died at a great age in 577, had, we know,
frequently visited these islands before the middle of the century. We may
place the foundation of the monastery of Ailech at about 542.
Of the Holy Islands, then,
Eileach a' Naoimh, containing as it does the ruins of a monastic
establishment of Columban or pre-Columban days, probably the oldest
vestiges of the sort standing in Scotland, is by far the most interesting.
It was Dr MacCulloch, in his description of the Western Isles, who drew
the attention of the outside world to this beautiful spot, and the
description of his visit is worth quoting. "On traversing Ilachanu I was
surprised at the singularity and beauty of a spot which seemed at a
distance to be a bare hill, and of which, even from the creek where our
boat was drawn up, no conjecture could have been formed. Surmounting one
ridge after another, a succession of secluded valleys appeared, which,
although without other wood than a few scattered hushes, were beautifully
disposed, and were rendered interesting no less by their silence and
seclusion than by the intermixture of rock and green pasture, among which
were wandering the cattle of the adjoining farm of Garvelloch. It was
impossible to imagine that we were here on a narrow spot surrounded by a
wild sea, and far remote from the land; no sounds of winds or waves, nor
sight of water interfering with the tranquillity and retirement of scenes
which made us forget that the boisterous ocean was breaking all around.
"While I was amusing myself
with imagining a hermit here retired from the world and its cares, I came,
most unexpectedly, on a heap of ruins accompanied by characters which left
no doubt of their original design. I had no great cause for surprise
perhaps, after my experience at Inch Cormac, to find that no account of
this establishment should exist either in the legendary or antiquarian
lore of Scotland. It had not even been mentioned to us in the islands
which we had left; and appeared, indeed, utterly unknown except to the
tenant, who did not seem to think much of anything but his farm, and to
the very few fishermen who occasionally touched at this place.
"The ruins of that which
must have formed the monastery are sufficiently extensive to show that the
establishment must have been considerable; at a small distance from these
ruins was the burying-ground, containing many ornamental stones, with
remains of crosses - apparently votive, as most of those in Iona probably
were. On some of the tombs are carved the usual objects: ships, arms, and
the cognizances of MacDonalds, MacLeans, and MacKinnons. But all is quiet
about their graves, and the turbulent chiefs now sleep below, in that
peace which, when living, they never knew."
MacCulloch's description of
the scenery is very true. I know of no sweeter spot: its verdant slopes
and grassy hollows, its miniature glens and rippling burns give it the
character of a secluded country retreat; while its deep goes, cruel
skerries, and resounding sea-caves truly proclaim its maritime nature.
The principal constituent
rock of the island, owing to a large admixture of calcareous material,
weathers very unequally, resulting in many curious and fantastic shapes.
One peculiar effect is to be noted at the north of the island, where a
magnificent arch many feet in height has been left abutting the face of a
cliff. The arch has a striking resemblance to a harp, and has consequently
received its Gaelic title, A' chlarsach. Close to the ecclesiastical
buildings another peculiar effect is to be seen. Standing isolated in the
middle of a small amphitheatre is a large pillar of rock; the bottom part
of the column is of reddish stone, and at the base a small seat has been
left; while capping the pillar is a perfect canopy of grey stone: the
whole makes an excellent pulpit, and it is therefore known as A'chrannag.
Local tradition speaks of it as having been used as such by no less a
personage than Columchille.
The same unequal erosion
has produced in the coast-line long, narrow creeks or goes called "geodha":
the names of these are interesting, as showing the association of the
island with saints of pre-Columban days. Geodha Bhreanain (St Brendan's
creek), Geodha Bhride (St Bride's or Bridget's); while another, Geodha
na-h-aithne, may refer to Aethne, the mother of St Columba.
The creek usually selected
for landing is called "Am port," and a few yards above there is an
excellent well of fresh water, at parts artificially constructed, known as
Tobar Choluim Chille. The ascent to the north-west is by a series of
parallel sloping ridges, with little fertile valleys between, until the
topmost peak of the island, which bears the name of Dun Bhreanain (St
Brendan's hill), a height of 272 feet, is reached. Another eminence lying
to the north, and about 160 feet high, is called Carn-na-manich (the cairn
of the monks). One other interesting place-name in the Garvelloch group
may be mentioned. On the island of Garbheileach there is a very old
graveyard known as Claodh Dhubhan (the burying-place of Duban). More than
one prince and certainly one king of Alban was called Dubh; and Dubhan
seems to have been a common name; while in 927, Dubthach, son of Duban,
fourteenth in descent from Conal Gulban the great-grand-father of Columba,
became Superior or Co-arb in Iona.
With regard to the
buildings upon Eileach a' Naoimh, Bishop Reeves, who visited the place in
1852 along with Mr W. F. Skene and Cosmo Innes, says: - "The number of
remains grouped together on the south-east side of the island are evidence
of its early importance as an ecclesiastical establishment, and the
simplicity of their structure supports this claim to antiquity."
The chapel is fairly
entire, its internal measurements are 21 feet 6 inches by II feet 4
inches; the walls are 3 feet thick; the doorway faces the west; while in
the opposite wall, facing east, there is a double splayed window
contracting from 3 feet to 1 foot 6 inches in the centre of the wall. The
other buildings are, a many-chambered house known as the monastery, a
large house with a rounded gable sitting on a hill, and oriented like the
chapel, and a peculiar building called locally "the oven." The latter has
a deep, well-built, oven-like hole, with a fireplace and flue below: it
may have been a cooking-house, or more probably a kiln for drying corn.
Some distance from these
buildings there are the remains of two beehive cells, connected with one
another and forming one building.
Close to the chapel is an
underground cell called Am priosan (the prison), and tradition tells very
circumstantially the mode of confining prisoners. There was a large stone
in the bottom of the cell with a V-shaped depression; the prisoner placed
his clasped hands in the hollow, and a wedge-shaped stone was securely
fastened down over the palms of the hands, and so tightly that it was
impossible to extricate them: the whole arrangement was called, A' ghlas
laimh (the hand-lock). Probably, however, the underground cavity was a
well, or maybe a cellar for storing the "elements."
MacCulloch speaks of many
ornamental stones and crosses. If this be true, then, with the exception
of one broken carved stone, all have disappeared; some may be buried, but
the majority were undoubtedly stolen. In 1879 the Rev. Dr Hugh MacMillan
of Greenock visited the island, and, by probing with an iron rod in the
graveyard, discovered lying about two inches below the surface a perfect
specimen of an Irish cross miniature in size. The stone was raised and
placed at the head of its grave, but within a year it too was gone and no
trace could be found. Poor Hinba! perhaps it had been better that it had
remained comparatively unknown, for the vandal hands of modern
holiday-seekers have done more in half a century to destroy antiquarian
remains of an almost unique character than the effects of natural forces
extending over a period of fourteen hundred years.
About 200 yards south of
the burying-ground, situated upon a grassy eminence, there is a small
cairn with an erect slab of stone at each end of the grave. One of these
slabs bears a rudely incised Greek cross. Tradition has tenanted this
solitary grave with Aethne, the daughter of Dimma, and mother of St
Columba.
The history of the
Garvelloch Islands carries us back to the early centuries of the present
era, to a time when the misty legends of the heroic age of the Gael were
being replaced by the more or less authentic details of written story. And
yet, in a country where oral tradition was carefully kept alive by trained
reciters, these tales would for centuries be quite as credible as the
annals of written history, and perhaps run less risk of being corrupted.
The Western Isles had often
been visited by the Gael and Cruithnigh of Ireland before the permanent
settlement of Dalriada, and the legend which tells of the doings of the
sons of Uisneach is one of the most beautiful in our literature.
Cathbad, a Druid of the
Cruithnigh of Ulster, had three daughters: the eldest was the mother of
Cuchullin, the second, Albe, was the mother of Naisi (Nathos), Ardan, and
Ainle, the three sons of Uisneach, while the third was the mother of Conal
Ceatharnach. These young men were sent to Skye to be trained in the art of
war. On attaining manhood the children of Uisneach returned to Ireland,
and Naisi fell in love with Deirdre, a beautiful girl, the ward of
Connchubar, King of Ulster, who was bringing her up in a secluded palace
with the intention of making her his wife. Naisi takes her sway by
stealth, and, accompanied by his brothers and a chosen band of followers,
settles in the district betwixt Loch Etive and Loch Creran in Lorn. Their
place of dwelling is still known as Dun-mhic-Uisneachan: in the
guide-books it is called Beregonium. Here they spent a romantic life,
straying in their expeditions over central Argyllshire, delighting in the
chase and sylvan sports, and glorying in the scenery of a country which
Nature has endowed with unstinted hand. But Connchubar, their relentless
enemy, determined to be revenged. Making specious promises, he invited
them back to Ulster, but they, suspicious of the man whom they had
offended, refused to go unless Cuchullin or Conal Ceatharnach, the
greatest champions of the age, would ensure their safety. This these
warriors refused to do: but Fergus, another hero, agreeing to do so they
return to Ireland. On leaving Alban, Deirdre pours forth her regret in
impassioned language - The Lament of Deirdre. Indeed, as Dr Skene
says, "it (the lament) contains such a tender recollection of, and
touching allusion to, Highland scenery, that it is hardly possible to
suppose that it was not originally composed by a genuine son of Alban."
These events happened in the third century.
Dean Monro, in his
description of the Hebrides, speaks of Dunchonail as "ane iyle so namit
from Conal Kernache, ane strength, which is alsmeike as to say in
Englische, ane round castle." The ruins of the "strength" testify to its
former importance; the island, the most northerly of the Garvelloch group,
presents a practically unclimbable scarp all round, with the exception of
a little defile above the landing-place, which was defended by a thick
stone curtain. The summit of the rock, about 90 feet above sea level,
shows traces of numerous hut circles, and a deep well. The castle became
the abode of powerful chiefs, and was a residence of the early kings of
Alban or Dalriada; while it continued to be a royal fortress until at
least the fifteenth century, and may be so still, the hereditary keeper of
which would be MacLean of Duart, as descended from Lachlan of Duart, who
received from Robert III this royal castle and others to watch and ward
for the King.
With the dawn of the sixth
century the authentic history of the Gael in Alban begins: the invasion of
Southern Argyll, and the founding of the kingdom of Dalriada by the Scots
under Fergus, Loarn, and Angus, the sons of Erc, about the year 500, marks
an epoch in our history. The narrative, though still garnished with
extravagant tales, begins to show a connected sequence.
Fergus mor Mac Erc was
succeeded by his son Domangart, who was succeeded by his son Comgal, who
died in 539. These Kings of Dalriada are called in the Annalists Righ
Albain (Kings of Alban), and they seem to have quietly and effectually
extended their territory until it included the greater part of old
Argyllshire. Comgal was followed on the throne by Gabran, Righ Albain, and
his reign was a stormy one. The Cruithnigh of Northern Pictavia, who until
then had treated the Scots leniently, were ruled by Brudei, son of
Maelchon, a strong man and great statesman. He, foreseeing the dangers of
the growing power of Dalriada, went to war with Gabran; and we find the
following significant entry in the Annalists under the year 560: - "Bass
Gabrani m. Domangairt R. Albain. Teichedh do Albainchab ria m. Brudei mc
Maelchon R. Cruithnechaib" (" Death of Gabran, son of Domangart, King
of Alban. Flight of the Scots before Brudei, son of Maelchon, King of the
Picts").
Conal, son of Comgal and
nephew of Gabran, was the next king, and, as showing the low ebb of the
fortunes of the Scottish colony, he is called Righ Dalriada, not Righ
Albain: king of a colony, not of a nation. But greater misfortunes were to
follow, until at the end of Conal's reign the territory of Dalriada was
restricted to a portion of Kintyre and some of the neighbouring islands.
Now it was, when the fortunes of the kingdom were low and its future
appeared dark and hopeless, that Columba and his band of twelve faithful
disciples crossed from Scotia (Ireland) to Alban (Scotland). St Columba
was of princely race. He was related to Diarmait, the reigning King of
Ireland, both being descended from Nial Naoighiallach (Neil of the Nine
Hostages), one of the demi-gods of ancient Irish history; his
great-grandfather, the son of Nial, was Conal Gulban, a great warrior and
the hero of many West Highland Tales; his mother Aethne, the daughter of
Dimma the son of Nave, was of the princely house of Leinster; while
through a female alliance he was kin to Conal, the reigning King of
Dalriada; and it may have been from a desire to help by his presence and
counsel his relation Conal, whose kingdom was then in dire strait, that he
passed over to Kintyre, thereafter getting a grant of the island of Ii
(Iona). Many facts in the history of the time support this view, and
Columba's first monastic settlement is said to have been at the head of
Loch Killisport in Knapdale.
But another cause has been
assigned for the Saint's self-imposed exile. Adamnan, in his Life of St
Columba, tells us that "in the second year after the battle of
Culedrebina (Culdreimhne or droighneach, the thorny hollow),
and in the forty-second year of his age, St Columba, resolving to seek a
foreign country for the love of Christ, sailed from Scotia to Britain."
From this it would appear that Adamnan ignores any cause but that of
missionary enthusiasm; and yet his reference to the battle of Culdreimhne
conveys a suggestion of cause and effect. The story of the events which
led up to that great clan fight is, shortly, as follows. St Finnian of
Moville (Magh bile) had returned from Italy with a very rare and
precious copy of part of the Scriptures, nothing less than a copy of St
Jerome's edition of the Psalms, and in that Saint's handwriting. St
Finnian, for some reason or other, refused access to the book, which he
kept in a room under lock and key. While St Columba was a guest of
Finnian's, he, by some means unknown to the latter, got entry to the room,
and night after night busily engaged himself in transcribing a copy. St
Finnian, upon a certain occasion wishing to consult the manuscript, sent
his servant for it, and the man, finding the door of the room barred,
peeping through the keyhole, saw St Columba busily at work upon the
transcription. It is also told that a pet crane, seeing something glaring
through the keyhole, pecked at the eye, wounding it severely. The man ran
howling to his master, and Finnian, in a great passion, demanded the copy
from Columba. Columba refused, and after a hot quarrel the matter was
referred by both to Diarmait, King of Ireland. Columba was the king's
kinsman, both being descended from the famous Neil of the Nine Hostages;
but, on the other hand, the Saint had reason to dread the arbitration of
the stern king, who had sometime before deliberately disregarded the
sanctuary afforded by the Saint to a young friend who unwittingly had
killed a playmate in a boyish quarrel. Diarmait sent his executioners to
St Columba’s abode, and they ruthlessly slew the boy before his eyes,
despite the protection which St Columba had promised, and which his
profession and sanctity should have guaranteed.
When the case of the stolen
copy was laid before Diarmait, he pronounced sentence in the oracular
words: "Le gach bo a boinnin, 's le gach leabhar a leabharan" ("To every
cow its calf and to every book its booklet"). St Columba, who when aroused
had all the fierce passion of his race, delivered the copy; but, bursting
from the place of judgment, he flew to his friends, the chiefs of the
northern O’Nialls and O’Connells, and these clans, aided by the King of
Connaught, whose son it was that Diarmait had slain, fought a great battle
against Diarmait and his army at Culdreimhne. The result was a complete
victory for St Columba's friends; and the book was regained.
But Columba was seized with
remorse. That battle, so disastrous to his enemies, so destructive to his
reputation as a saintly monk, and so damaging to his self-respect, was the
outcome of Columba's pride and Celtic impetuosity, and shortly thereafter
he decided to leave for ever the land of his birth and labours, to go into
an unknown and barbarous and hostile country, there to expiate his sin by
the conversion of other nations to the Christian religion, by the winning
to Christ of as many people as he had caused to be slain in battle. If
this story be true it helps to support the tradition of the route chosen
for the voyage. It is said that the exiles came first to Oransa; but St
Columba, being able to see Ireland therefrom, built a cairn - Carn cul ri
Erin (Cairn of exile from Ireland) - and set sail for Eileaeh a Naoimh.
Here he dwelt for some time, but one day, being on the topmost peak of the
island, he saw, faintly outlined beyond the western shores of Islay, the
bluff form of Malin Head, so, leaving his uncle Ernan with his mother
Aethne, he sailed for Iona, arriving there on Pentecost eve in the year
563. There also he built a Carn cul ri Erin, to remind him of the past,
and to keep before him the memory of his great sin. His life thereafter
was a busy one. He founded monastic establishments in many of the Western
Isles; in the Long Island, in Tiree, in charge of which he placed Baithen,
his successor in Iona. His follower Donan founded one in Eigg; another was
founded in Canna. He visited Inverness and Aberdeen, Christianised
Northern Pictland, Brudei, the King, becoming his especial friend. He
journeyed to Clydesdale, and spent many days there with Kentigern (St
Mungo), the great missionary of the Britons of Strathclyde. These and many
details may be found in the old historians, Adamnan, Cumineus, Bede, and
others.
While the restless energy
of those early Irish evangelists impelled many of them to surrender all
the associations of their dear homeland, and travel to strange countries,
prepared to give up their life for the furtherance of their faith and
Church, some wished for a retreat or hermitage where they could spend
their days in solitude, engaged in meditation and prayer. These retreats
were called "diseart" (Lat. desertum), and perhaps all the great
missionaries had a retreat for a temporary withdrawal of this nature. One
of the Garvelloch islands is called Cull Bhreanain. Here St Brendan had
his "diseart"; his monastery of Ailech was about a mile distant. St
Columba, as we shall see, had such a refuge in Hinba; while we hear of St
Cormac, the restless contemporary and fellow-student of Columba, making
many and hazardous voyages in his frail "curach" to discover "in oceano
desertum." On one occasion, when St Columba visited Brudei, the Pictish
king, at Inverness, the King of the Orkneys came to see Brudei. Columba
knew that Cormac was at this time sailing round the north of Scotland in
his fruitless quest, and knowing the Orcadians to be a savage people, he
asked the king, should Cormac arrive, to succour and shelter him. Cormac
did arrive, and eventually became the Apostle of the Orkneys, but it is
likely that on this occasion St Columbia’s intercession saved his life.
In Adamnan's Life of St
Columba frequent mention is made of Hinba (Insula Hinbinae) in one edition
of the work, and in Cumin's Life, it is called Hinba. This island was a
favourite retreat of Columba when he wished to depart for a while from the
busy stir of Iona. We read, for instance, that at one time four holy
founders of monasteries, Brendan amongst them, came from Scotia to visit
St Columba, and found him in Hinba. They all wished, with one consent,
that he should consecrate, in their presence, in the church, the holy
mysteries of the Eucharist, and during the celebration St Brendan saw a
ball of fire like a comet burning very brightly on the head of St Columba,
and thus it continued during the consecrating of the holy oblation.
At another time, when the
saint was living in Hinba, "the grace of the Holy Ghost was communicated
to him abundantly and unspeakably, so that for three days and as many
nights, without either eating or drinking, he allowed no one to approach
him, and remained in a house which was filled with heavenly brightness."
On the death of Conal the
king, the succession reverted to the sons of Gabran. Now Gabran had five
sons; and St Columba, who by this time (A.D. 574) had acquired great
influence, and seems practically to have had the nomination of a
successor, preferred Eoghan to Aidan. We read that while the saint was
staying in Hinba he saw in a vision an angel sent to him from heaven
bearing a book of glass (Liber vitreus), regarding the appointment of
kings; the venerable man began to read it, and when reluctant to appoint
Aidan, the angel struck him with a scourge, the marks of which remained on
his side all his life. The saint then, in obedience to the command, sailed
to Iona, and there ordained, as he had been commanded, Aidan to be king.
Again, we find his uncle
Eman, an aged priest, being sent by the saint to preside over the
monastery founded some years before in Hinba. We further read of one
Virgnous, years after the saint's death, spending his later days on Hinba,
in the hermitage of Muirbulcmar. Another story is told relating to the
misdeeds of a certain man who was called "Manus dexter" (or in Gaelic,
Laimh deas=right hand). "On one occasion when St Columba was living in
Hinba, and set about excommunicating some persecutors of the churches,
amongst them the sons of Conal, the son of Donald, one of whom was called
Joan, one of their associates was instigated by the Devil to rush upon the
saint with a spear on purpose to kill him. To prevent this, one of the
brethren named Findlugan put on the saint's cowl and interposed, being
ready to die for the holy man; but in a wonderful way the saint's garment
served as a strong and impenetrable fence, which could not be pierced by
the thrust of a very sharp spear, though made by a powerful man." Lainnh
Deas was killed in a battle fought on the island of Luing exactly a year
from that day, his death being foretold by the saint.
Joan, the son of Conal, the
son of Donald, of the royal race of Gabran, probably had for his
headquarters the castle of Dun Chonail, which is about two miles distant
from Eileach a' Naoimh. On his return voyage from a piratical expedition
to Mull, where he had plundered the house of Columbanus, a dear friend of
St Columba, the latter had called down upon the marauder the wrath of
heaven, with the result that the pirates' boat and all it contained were
engulfed in a raging sea which arose between Mull and Colonsay, "and in
this wonderful manner, by such a singular storm, while the whole sea
around remained quiet, were the robbers miserably but justly overwhelmed
and sunk into the deep."
Now from the time of
Adamnan, who died in the year 709, we find few references to Hinba, and
these merely quotations from the early historians. The identity of the
island was completely lost. Apart from the very few who studied the
ancient manuscripts, even the name was unknown, No mention of Hinba is
made by Fordun, Munro, Boetius, Buchanan, Martin, Pennant, MacCulloch, or
others who wrote descriptions of the Hebrides; and this is an
extraordinary fact when we consider that to St Columba it appears to have
been as dear as his beloved Ii. If`Ii was the place of his labours, Hinba
was his resort for repose. In the crisis of his life, when a false step in
the settlement of the throne of Dalriada might have lost him the fruit of
his life's work, and been the ruin of his nation, it was to Hinba he
retreated for meditation and that intense devotional introspection which
produced the state of ecstasy or trance in which he beheld the vision of
the angel with the "book of crystal." While we read of his strenuous life
as an evangelist, of his adventures in field and flood, and amongst
foreign and savage tribes, it is in Hinba we find him in that closer
communion with God and halo of sanctity which the credulity of the time in
the course of a generation converted into a personal intercourse with the
Almighty in chambers filled with heavenly light; a light which human eyes
could not see without the risk of blindness. No wonder that Dr Peeves
says: - "The identification of Hinba is the great desideratum of Hebridean
topography".
There can be no doubt that
Hinba lay to the south of Iona. As already mentioned, St Columba placed
his uncle Ernan in charge of the monastery there. It is very unlikely that
he would have placed an aged relative in a position of trust and
importance further north; for Iona was on the confines of the territory of
the Picts, and the Picts at the time were hostile to the Scots. Again,
this retreat would be in all likelihood nearer the seat of Dalriadic power
than the outpost on Iona: it would be between Iona and the district of
Lorn and Knapdale, and was evidently within easy access of Iona. Again,
when Brendan and other founders of monasteries came to visit the saint,
they found him, unexpectedly it would seem, in Hinba. What more likely
than that Brendan, who must have been close upon ninety years of age at
the time, took the easiest and safest route from Ireland, passing along
the coast of Kintyre, through the Sound of Luing, and then crossing the
comparatively small space of open sea to Iona? Calling at the old
foundation of Ailech on the way and finding the saint unexpectedly there,
they were so delighted with the meeting that immediately arrangements were
made for the celebration before alluded to. Eileach a' naoimh was
undoubtedly the Ailech of St Brendan. Fordun, writing in the fourteenth
century, calls it "insula sanctorum," and mentions the fact that it
contained monastery; and yet, in the space of the century which elapsed
between his description and that of Dean Monro, we find the latter passing
it by with the mention of its name and the comment "ane very little ile."
It must have been deserted about this time; and we need not wonder at
this, for life and property were at that period of little account in the
islands, and since then the island has been uninhabited. It may safely be
said that the ailech a' Naoimh (the mounds of the saints) of Brendan was
the same as the Ii Naomha (Hinba, Holy Island) of Adamnan. There is no
other island on the west possessing such unique relies of antiquity; their
extent shows that the establishment was of great importance; they are
certainly the oldest Christian monuments in the Western Isles; that they
have been so well preserved is due to the secluded nature of their
situation. We can therefore picture the quiet retreat of St Columba, the
last resting-place of his mother Aethne. We see the chapel in which, with
his friends, he celebrated the holy mysteries of the Eucharist; the house
on the hill in which he saw the incomparable vision, and which was filled
with heavenly brightness; the monastery of Ernan; and the anchorite's
lowly cell at Muirbulcmar, where the saintly hermit Virgnous spent the
evening of his days. |
