Scotland4me.net Out and About

	Scotland4me.net	'Out and About'
'Iona'
	Brief history - Iona may have been a sacred island prior to the 6th century as there is a hint of Iron Age inhabitantation. This does help explain why Columba (also known as Colm Cille) settled in 563 on this particular island. Not many are aware that this was as a result of him being exiled from his native Ireland for his involvement in the Battle of Cul Dreimhne. After being exiled he fled from Ireland and founded a monastery on Iona with his 12 companions and disciples. From there St Colombos and his team set about the conversion of pagan Scotland and much of North England to Christianity. Today the Abbey is now the centre of the Iona Community which many from all over the world make their pilgirmage to find a retreat.
	Cal Mac Ferries - The company have sailings to twenty four destinations on Scotland's West Coast, from Arran in the South to Lewis in the North the network covers some of the most beautiful and dramatic places in Scotland. Meals and snacks are served onboard throughout the day. There are bars and cafeterias serving a range of refreshments as well as retail shops for handy holiday items and gifts. Sailing times vary from 5 minutes to 5 hours depending on where you are travelling to.
	Iona Abbey - The abbey is built on the original site of St Columba's monastery. This dates from about 563AD while the present building in most part is from about 1200AD. The Abbey Church was restored by the Iona Cathedral Trust in 1910. The Iona Community now occupy the buildings that was restored by them, under the leadership of their leader Rev Dr George MacLeod.
	Cemetery - The Abbey' graveyard does impress. The graves include those of John Smith, the former Labour Party leader. He loved Iona. His grave is marked with the epitaph: "An honest man's the noblest work of God". It also includes the graves of former Kings and Queens of Scotland, Norway and France.
	Holidays - If you are looking for somewhere to stay on the island there are two hotels one called The Argyll and the other called St Columba prices can vary from £50 to £100 per person per night. There is also a selection of Guest Houses. For those wishing to hire a boat one is available through 'Alternative Boat Trips' at £42 for the first hour then £10 per hour for up to eleven people. Apart from all the heritage and history, cycling and birdwatching, the island has an 18 hole golf course, a pretty and pretty wild one, and one that is entirely free to play.
	Crofts - The term croft, describes a small piece of land which occasionally occurs in Argyll Estate Papers and relating to Iona prior to the reorganisation in 1802. After this it is consistently applied to smallholdings created under a new system. It also applied to those tenants whom worked them who became known as crofters. Crofts where marked out into 30 lots on Iona between 1802 and 1804 and they remained intact until the late 1840s about the time of the potato famine when some small adjustments were made. This was recorded by two notables, that is Sarah Murray in 1802 she divided Iona into about thirty farms and Malcolm Ferguson in 1893 (well after the famine) recorded that at the start of 20th century Iona was split into thirty separate small farms or crofts.
	©scotland4me.net2004-2008