Staffa & Iona Islands, Western Scotland
Today our explorations concentrated on two small islands in the Inner Hebrides Group of Western Scotland, Staffa and Iona. Staffa, whose name means ‘island of pillars', is aptly named. Consisting of countless columns of basalt it is an awe-inspiring place. Sometime between 50 and 60 million years ago molten magma erupted through a long crack in the Earth's crust and cooled to form this remarkable formation. Many caves have been opened up by the relentless pounding of the Atlantic waves the most famous of which is known as Fingal, the inspiration for the overture The Hebrides composed in 1829 by Felix Mendelssohn. The island is home to a large number of seabird species including the Atlantic puffin ( Fratercula arctica) that enthralled us all as we observed them at close quarters.
In the afternoon we explored Iona , an island linked to Ireland through the personage of St.Colmcille who founded a monastic settlement here in 563 AD. Born at Gartan in County Donegal he had traveled throughout Ireland and had established a number of centers of learning and evangelism including Kells, Derry and Durrow. It is alleged that he was involved in a dispute concerning the copyright of a manuscript, which apparently culminated in the slaughter of thousands of soldiers. Remorseful, St. Colmcille left his native shore in an effort of atonement with the vision of winning as many souls for Christ as had been lost in the battle. His foundation grew in influence and reputation and became a model for other Celtic monasteries. He and his monks traveled widely spreading the word of God and establishing religious centers. St. Colmcille dictated a very ordered way of life for himself and his followers. The monks lived only for God, prayed constantly and shared in the heavy manual work of the community. Renowned for his love of learning and knowledge he was sought by kings and princes for his wise council. The 8th century chronicler of the Celtic Church Bede noted that the Iona community was characterized by ‘their purity of life, love of God and loyalty to the monastic rule’. St. Colmcille died at Iona in 597 AD.
Repositories of valuable items such as chalices , ornate manuscript covers and reliquaries the monastic centers were to fall foul of Viking raiders whose main interest lay in the rich pickings that were to be had at these totally undefended sites. The Annals, yearly records of main events kept by the monks, tell of numerous attacks on the monasteries. Iona was no exception and following one particularly brutal assault in 806 AD, which left sixty dead, the survivors, left their island and ventured to Ireland. Here they established a new monastery at Kells on the site of one originally founded by St. Colmcille himself earlier in the 6th century. Here the monks compiled the famous Book of Kells, a highly ornate copy of the four Gospels in Latin, which has been described as the ‘Worlds most complete triumph of illuminated art’ This manuscript is now in Trinity College, Dublin. Nothing remains of the original wood and stone buildings of St. Colmcilles monastery but we visited the 13th century Benedictine Abbey which stands on the site of the original foundation.
The waters around Iona abound with beautiful biological treasures as well. This Beadlet anemone was found off the coast in thirty feet of water affixed to one of many rocky outcroppings. Its colorful exterior, as well as its peaceful swaying within the current, hides its true menacing character. A common characteristic of the members of the phylum cnidaria is the possession of stinging cells known as cnidocytes. Inside these cells are nematocysts which are capsules with a barbed coil that is expelled rapidly when triggered by mechanical or chemical stimulation. So if a victim inadvertently brushes against a tentacle it will immediately be speared by a barbed nematocyst and start to be retracted towards the beadlet’s mouth. Being the most common sea anemone on the North European coast its global range extends from Arctic Norway to the Mediterranean and West Africa.
Today our explorations concentrated on two small islands in the Inner Hebrides Group of Western Scotland, Staffa and Iona. Staffa, whose name means ‘island of pillars', is aptly named. Consisting of countless columns of basalt it is an awe-inspiring place. Sometime between 50 and 60 million years ago molten magma erupted through a long crack in the Earth's crust and cooled to form this remarkable formation. Many caves have been opened up by the relentless pounding of the Atlantic waves the most famous of which is known as Fingal, the inspiration for the overture The Hebrides composed in 1829 by Felix Mendelssohn. The island is home to a large number of seabird species including the Atlantic puffin ( Fratercula arctica) that enthralled us all as we observed them at close quarters.
In the afternoon we explored Iona , an island linked to Ireland through the personage of St.Colmcille who founded a monastic settlement here in 563 AD. Born at Gartan in County Donegal he had traveled throughout Ireland and had established a number of centers of learning and evangelism including Kells, Derry and Durrow. It is alleged that he was involved in a dispute concerning the copyright of a manuscript, which apparently culminated in the slaughter of thousands of soldiers. Remorseful, St. Colmcille left his native shore in an effort of atonement with the vision of winning as many souls for Christ as had been lost in the battle. His foundation grew in influence and reputation and became a model for other Celtic monasteries. He and his monks traveled widely spreading the word of God and establishing religious centers. St. Colmcille dictated a very ordered way of life for himself and his followers. The monks lived only for God, prayed constantly and shared in the heavy manual work of the community. Renowned for his love of learning and knowledge he was sought by kings and princes for his wise council. The 8th century chronicler of the Celtic Church Bede noted that the Iona community was characterized by ‘their purity of life, love of God and loyalty to the monastic rule’. St. Colmcille died at Iona in 597 AD.
Repositories of valuable items such as chalices , ornate manuscript covers and reliquaries the monastic centers were to fall foul of Viking raiders whose main interest lay in the rich pickings that were to be had at these totally undefended sites. The Annals, yearly records of main events kept by the monks, tell of numerous attacks on the monasteries. Iona was no exception and following one particularly brutal assault in 806 AD, which left sixty dead, the survivors, left their island and ventured to Ireland. Here they established a new monastery at Kells on the site of one originally founded by St. Colmcille himself earlier in the 6th century. Here the monks compiled the famous Book of Kells, a highly ornate copy of the four Gospels in Latin, which has been described as the ‘Worlds most complete triumph of illuminated art’ This manuscript is now in Trinity College, Dublin. Nothing remains of the original wood and stone buildings of St. Colmcilles monastery but we visited the 13th century Benedictine Abbey which stands on the site of the original foundation.
The waters around Iona abound with beautiful biological treasures as well. This Beadlet anemone was found off the coast in thirty feet of water affixed to one of many rocky outcroppings. Its colorful exterior, as well as its peaceful swaying within the current, hides its true menacing character. A common characteristic of the members of the phylum cnidaria is the possession of stinging cells known as cnidocytes. Inside these cells are nematocysts which are capsules with a barbed coil that is expelled rapidly when triggered by mechanical or chemical stimulation. So if a victim inadvertently brushes against a tentacle it will immediately be speared by a barbed nematocyst and start to be retracted towards the beadlet’s mouth. Being the most common sea anemone on the North European coast its global range extends from Arctic Norway to the Mediterranean and West Africa.
