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Iona

 
Dictionary: I·o·na   (ī-ō'nə) pronunciation
 
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An island of western Scotland in the southern Inner Hebrides. An early center of Celtic Christianity, the island is a popular tourist site.

 

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British History: Iona
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The monastery founded by St Columba in 563 soon became the centre for Celtic Christianity, sending out missionaries to Scotland and Northumbria. Although the ravages of Viking raids before and after 800 made Iona a more dangerous place to live, its prestige continued well into the 9th cent. Scottish kings, according to tradition, continued to be buried there, and Margaret, wife of Malcolm III, king of the Scots, held the monastery in favour.

The building of a new Benedictine monastery in 1204, followed by an Augustinian nunnery, spelled the return of Iona's fortunes. Closely linked to the Lords of the Isles from the 14th cent. onwards, and these at intermittently of the bishop of the Isles, Iona in the later Middle Ages was a great centre of sculpture. Only with the forfeiture of the lordship in 1493 and the Reformation did Iona's decline set in in earnest.

 
Irish Literature Companion: Iona
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Iona, an Irish monastery established by St Colum Cille in 563 on an island in the Hebrides. After Colum Cille the post of abbot was always filled by members of his fine, the Cenél Conaill, of whom Adamnán, his biographer, is the most celebrated. By his day Iona was established as the head of the Celtic Church.

 
Celtic Mythology: Iona
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Hi, Icolumkill
[Old Irish Í, island; Í Choluim Chille, Colum Cille's island]

Anglo-Latinized name for the small island, 3.5 by 1.5 miles, SW of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, much celebrated in Scottish Gaelic tradition. The island was evangelized by St Colum Cille c.563, who is popularly thought to have established a monastery there that appears to have been constructed some years after his arrival. A new monastery and nunnery were begun by the Benedictines in 1203 and have been restored in the 20th century. The chapel of St Oran (11th cent.) contains the burial-grounds of many Scottish, four Irish, and eight Norwegian kings. See F. Marian McNeill, Iona: a History of the Island (London, 1920); An Iona Anthology (Stirling, 1947); Shane Leslie, Isle of Columcille (London, c.1910); Fiona MacLeod [William Sharp], Iona (London, 1910); William Lindsay Alexander, Iona (London and Nashville, 1860); Máire Herbert, Iona, Kells and Derry (Oxford, 1988); Anna Ritchie, Iona (London, 1996).

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: Iona
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Iona (īōn'ə) [Irish Ioua=island] or Icolmkill [Irish,=island of Columba of the church], island (1985 est. pop. 267), 3.5 mi (5.6 km) long and 1.5 mi (2.4 km) wide, Argyll and Bute, NW Scotland, one of the Inner Hebrides. Separated from the island Mull by the Sound of Iona, it is hilly, with shell beaches. Farming, livestock grazing, and fishing are carried on, but tourism is the main industry. The island is famous as the early center of Celtic Christianity. St. Columba (see Columba, Saint.), with his companions, landed there from Ireland in 563. They founded a monastery, which was burned by the Danes in the 8th or 9th cent. Iona was a bishopric from 838 to 1098. In 1203 a Benedictine monastery, of which there are remains, was established. The cathedral, formerly the Church of St. Mary, dates from the early 13th cent. The cemetery of St. Oran's Church contains the graves of many monarchs of Scotland, Ireland, Norway, and France. A group called the Iona Community (est. 1938), dedicated to reviving the spirit of Celtic Christianity, has restored many ancient buildings.

 
Wikipedia: Iona
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This article is about the Scottish island. For other uses, see Iona (disambiguation).
Iona
Location
Iona is located in Scotland
Iona
Iona
Iona shown within Scotland.
OS grid reference: NM275245
Names
Gaelic name: I Chaluim Chille.ogg Ì Chaluim Chille (help·info)
Norse name: Eyin Helga; Hioe (hypothetical)
Meaning of name: unclear
Area and Summit
Area: 877 hectares (3.4 sq mi)
Area rank: 55
Highest elevation: Dùn Ì 101m (331 ft)
Population
Population (2001): 125
Population rank: 40 out of 97
Main settlement: Baile Mór
Groupings
Island Group: Mull
Local Authority: Argyll and Bute
Scotland
References: [1][2][3]
If shown, area and population ranks are for all Scottish islands and all inhabited Scottish islands respectively.

Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. Its modern Gaelic name is Ì or Ì Chaluim Chille (pronounced [iː xalˠ̪əmˈçiʎə]) meaning "Iona of Saint Columba" (formerly anglicised "Icolmkill").

Contents

Etymology

The Hebrides have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the Iron Age, and as a result many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning. Nonetheless few, if any, can have accumulated so many different names over the centuries as the island now known in English as "Iona".

The earliest forms of the name enabled place-name scholar William J. Watson to show that the name originally meant something like "yew-place".[4] The element Ivo-, denoting "yew", occurs in Ogham inscriptions (Iva-cattos [genitive], Iva-geni [genitive]) and in Gaulish names (Ivo-rix, Ivo-magus) and may form the basis of early Gaelic names like Eogan (ogham: Ivo-genos).[5] It is possible that the name is related to the mythological figure, Fer hÍ mac Eogabail, foster-son of Manannan, the forename meaning "man of the yew".[6]

Mac an Tàilleir (2003) lists the more recent Gaelic names of Ì[7], Ì Chaluim Chille and Eilean Idhe noting that the first named is "generally lengthened to avoid confusion" to the second, which means "Calum's (i.e. in latinised form "Columba's") Iona" or "island of Calum's monastery".[8][9] The possible confusion results from "ì", despite its original etymology, becoming a Gaelic noun (now obsolete) meaning simply "island".[10] Eilean Idhe means "the isle of Iona", also known as "Ì nam ban bòidheach ("the isle of beautiful women"). The modern English name comes from an 18th century misreading of yet another variant, Ioua,[8][9] which was either just Adomnán's attempt to make the Gaelic name fit Latin grammar or else a genuine derivative from Ivova ("yew place").[11] Ioua's change to Iona results from a transcription mistake resulting from the similarity of "n" and "u" in Insular Minuscule.[12]

Despite the continuity of forms in Gaelic between the pre-Norse and post-Norse eras, Haswell-Smith (2004) speculates that the name may have a Norse connection, Hiōe meaning "island of the den of the brown bear".[9] The medieval English language version was "Icolmkill" (and variants thereof).[9]

Table of earliest forms (incomplete)
Form Source Language Notes
Ioua insula Adomnán's Vita Columbae (c. 700) Latin Adomnán calls Eigg Egea insula and Skye Scia insula
Hii, Hy Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum Latin
Eo Annals of Ulster s.a. 716 Latin used as adjective, "Pascha comotatur in Eoa ciuitate" ("The date of Easter is changed in the monastery of Í")[13]
Eu Leabhar na h-Uidhri Gaelic
Eo Walafrid Strabo (c. 831) Latin Occurs in the following text: "Insula Pictorum quaedam monstratur in oris fluctivago suspensa salo, cognominis Eo" ("On the coasts of the Picts is pointed out an isle poised in the rolling sea, whose name is Eo")[14]
Euea insula Life of St Cathróe of Metz Latin

Folk etymology

Murray (1966) states that the "ancient" Gaelic name was Innis nan Druinich (the isle of Druidic hermits") and repeats an apocryphal Gaelic story that as Columba's coracle first drew close to the island one of his companions cried out "Chì mi i" meaning "I see her" and that Columba's response was "Henceforth we shall call her Ì".[15]

Geography

Iona lies approximately one mile (1.6 km) from the coast of Mull. The island is 1 mile wide (1.6 km) and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long with a resident population of 125.[16] The island's stone base is covered by a layer of basaltic lava. Like other places swept by ocean breezes, there are few trees with most of these being located around the parish church area.

Iona's highest point is Dùn Ì (101 m, 331 ft), an Iron Age hill fort dating from 100 BC – 200 AD. Its geographical features include the Bay at the Back of the Ocean and Càrn Cùl ri Éirinn (the Hill/Cairn with its Back to Ireland), said to be adjacent to the beach where St. Columba first landed.

The main settlement, located at St. Ronan's Bay on the eastern side of the island, is called Baile Mòr and is also known locally as "The Village". The primary school, post office, the island's two hotels, the Bishop's House and the ruins of the Nunnery are here. The Abbey and MacLeod Centre are a short walk to the north.[2][17]

Port Bhan beach on the west side of the island is home of the Iona Beach Party.[18]

History

Prior to the 6th century, Iona may already have been a sacred island in the pre-Christian traditions of the Iron Age inhabitants of the Hebrides. Though there is no actual physical evidence for this, it would explain why Columba settled on this particular island. In 563 Saint Columba, also known as Colm Cille, was exiled from his native Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Battle of Cul Dreimhne,[19] and founded a monastery on Iona with 12 companions. From there they set about the conversion of pagan Scotland and much of northern England to Christianity. Iona's fame as a place of learning and Christian mission spread throughout Europe and it became a major site of pilgrimage. Iona became a holy island where several kings of Scotland, Ireland and Norway came to be buried.

Many believe that the Book of Kells was produced, in whole or in part, on Iona towards the end of the 8th century. A series of Viking raids on the monastery on Iona began in 794, and after its treasures had been plundered many times, Columba’s relics were removed and divided two ways between Scotland and Ireland in 849 as the monastery was abandoned.[20] A convent for the Order of Benedictine Nuns was established in 1208, with Beathag, daughter of Somerled, as first prioress. The present Benedictine abbey was built in 1203. The monastery itself flourished until the Reformation when buildings were demolished and all but three of the 360 carved crosses destroyed.[21]

Iona Nunnery survives as a series of 12th-13th century ruins of the church and cloister, and a colourful garden. Unlike the rest of the medieval religious buildings, the nunnery was too fragmentary to restore, though its remains are nevertheless the most complete survival of a medieval nunnery in Scotland.

Pebbles of the green-streaked Iona marble, commercially mined in the 19th century in the south east of Iona (the quarry and original machinery survive) can be found on the island's beaches.

Iona Abbey

Main article: Iona Abbey
Iona Abbey
Enlargement, showing the location of the abbey and monasteries.

Iona Abbey, now an ecumenical church, is of particular historical and religious interest to pilgrims and visitors alike. It is the most elaborate and best-preserved ecclesiastical building surviving from the Middle Ages in the Western Isles of Scotland. Though modest in scale in comparison to medieval abbeys elsewhere in Western Europe, it has a wealth of fine architectural detail, and monuments of many periods.

In front of the Abbey stands the 9th century St Martin's Cross, one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses in the British Isles, and a replica of the 8th century St John's Cross (original fragments in the Abbey museum).

The ancient burial ground, called the Reilig Odhráin (Eng: Oran's "burial place" or "cemetery"), contains the 12th century chapel of St Odhrán (said to be Columba's uncle), restored at the same time as the Abbey itself. It contains a number of medieval grave monuments. The abbey graveyard contains the graves of many early Scottish Kings, as well as kings from Ireland, Norway and France. Iona became the burial site for the kings of Dál Riata and their successors. Notable burials there include:

In 1549 an inventory of 48 Scottish, 8 Norwegian and 4 Irish kings was recorded. None of these graves are now identifiable (their inscriptions were reported to have worn away at the end of the 17th century). Saint Baithin and Saint Failbhe may also be buried on the island. The Abbey graveyard is also the final resting place of John Smith, the former Labour Party leader, who loved Iona. His grave is marked with an epitaph quoting Alexander Pope: "An honest man's the noblest work of God".[22]

Other early Christian and medieval monuments have been removed for preservation to the cloister arcade of the Abbey, and the Abbey museum (in the medieval infirmary). The ancient buildings of Iona Abbey are now cared for by Historic Scotland.

Iona Community

Main article: Iona Community
Baile Mòr viewed from the Sound of Iona

In 1938 George MacLeod founded the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from different walks of life and different traditions in the Christian church committed to seeking new ways of living the gospel of Jesus in today's world. This community is a leading force in the present Celtic Christianity revival.

The Iona Community runs 3 residential centres on the Isle of Iona and on Mull. These are places of welcome and engagement giving a unique opportunity to live together in community with people of every background from all over the world. Weeks at the centres often follow a programme related to the concerns of the Iona Community.

The 8 tonne Fallen Christ sculpture by Ronald Rae was permanently situated outside the MacLeod Centre in 2008.[23]

Transport

Visitors can reach Iona by the 10-minute ferry trip across the Sound of Iona from Fionnphort on Mull. The most common route is via Oban in Argyll and Bute. Regular ferries connect to Craignure on Mull, from where the scenic road runs 37 miles to Fionnphort. Tourist coaches and local bus services meet the ferries.

There are very few cars on the island, as they are tightly regulated and vehicular access is not allowed for non-residents, who have to leave their car in Fionnphort. Bike hire is available at the pier, and on Mull.

Iona from Mull. The Abbey lies below Dun Ì at right and the main settlement of Baile Mòr is to the left.
Iona from Mull. The Abbey lies below Dun Ì at right and the main settlement of Baile Mòr is to the left.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Haswell-Smith, Hamish. (2004) The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh. Canongate.
  2. ^ a b Ordnance Survey Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  3. ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
  4. ^ Watson, Celtic Place-Names, pp. 87–90
  5. ^ Watson, Celtic Place-Names, pp. 87–88. The name of the Gaulish god Ivavos is of similar origin, associated with the healing-well of Evaux in France.
  6. ^ Watson, Celtic Place-Names, pp. 88–89
  7. ^ For etymology of Ì and Latinised derivative Iona, see Watson (2004), pp. 87–90.
  8. ^ a b Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 67.
  9. ^ a b c d Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 80.
  10. ^ Dwelly (1911)
  11. ^ Watson, Celtic Place-Names, p. 88
  12. ^ Fraser (2009) p. 71. This same error turned the historical British churchman Uinniau into Uinnian (Irish: Finnian) and then eventually into the fictional Anglo-Norman saint "Ninian".
  13. ^ original (translation)
  14. ^ Watson, Celtic Place-Names, p. 88, n. 2
  15. ^ Murray (1966) p. 81.
  16. ^ Scotland Census 2001 - anaylser
  17. ^ Murray (1966) pp. 82–83.
  18. ^ "It's Been Emotional" ionabeachparty.co.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2009.
  19. ^ Admonan The Life of St. Columba, Founder of Hy ed. William Reeves (1857) University Press for the Irish Archaeological and Celtic Society. pp. 248-50.
  20. ^ BBC - Iona - A Beacon of Light Through the Dark Ages
  21. ^ Travel Scotland
  22. ^ Walk Of The Month: The island of Iona The Independent 4 June 2006
  23. ^ http://www.iona.org.uk/news.php?id=44 "'The Fallen Christ' on Iona"] iona.org.uk. Retrieved 8 July 2009.


References

  • Dwelly, Edward (1911) Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic- English Dictionary. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1874744041
  • Fraser, James E. (2009), From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, 1, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1232-1 
  • Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 1841954543. 
  • Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Placenames" (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  • Marsden, John (1995) The Illustrated Life of Columba. Edinburgh. Floris Books. ISBN 0863152112
  • Murray, W.H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann.
  • Watson, W.J., The History of the Celtic Place-names of Scotland. Reprinted with an introduction by Simon Taylor, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2004. ISBN 1-84158-323-5

Gallery

The Isle of Mull, showing the location of Iona

Ninth century St Martin's Cross

Iona Nunnery

Iona, showing the location of the Abbey and Dùn Ì

Abbey cloisters

The Bay At The Back Of The Ocean

Looking towards St. Columba's Bay

Iona Book Shop

External links

Search Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Iona
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Inhabited islands of the Hebrides
Inner Hebrides
Canna · Coll · Colonsay · Crowlin Islands · Danna · Eigg · Eilean Bàn · Eilean Ewe · Eilean Shona · Erraid · Gigha · Gometra · Iona · Islay · Jura · Kerrera · Lismore · Lunga · Oronsay · Muck · Mull · Raasay · Sanday · Scalpay · Rona · Rùm · Skye · Slate Islands · Soay · Summer Isles · Tiree · Treshnish Isles · Ulva
Outer Hebrides

Coordinates: 56°20′N 6°25′W / 56.333°N 6.417°W / 56.333; -6.417


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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
British History. A Dictionary of British History. Copyright © 2001, 2004 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Irish Literature Companion. The Concise Oxford Companion to Irish Literature. Copyright © 1996, 2000, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Celtic Mythology. A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Copyright © James MacKillop 1998, 2004. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
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