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A Curragh is a 20-foot long, low boat made
of a light, basket-like frame, covered with leather skins and
weighted with stones. It has a single square sail and many
oars. The Irish came to Alba, as Scotland was known then, in
about 500 AD, with colonisation in mind. They met and overcame
"The Horse Tribe", who lived in modern Kintyre. They
renamed the land Dalriada, "Portion of land of Riada",
after their Irish homeland. Nowadays, we call this land Earra
Ghàidheal, Argyll, the "Coastland of the Irish".
Building Forts
From their new capital city of Dún
Add, in Kilmartin Glen, they established out posts to hold
back the native tribes, now termed Picts. Out posts such as
Dunollie Castle, Òban and Dún Chonnuill in the
Garvellach chain.
Building Churches
The Christian Irish of the 6th century
viewed spirituality and religion as far more integral to life
than we in Britain tend to do nowadays, building it into their
politics, daily routine and laws. It was thus natural that
while the people were building their houses and forts, they
were building their seats of learning and prayer also.
The southern island of the Garvellach chain
was one of their first monasteries: Eileach an Naoimh ("aylach
a- nooyv" - The Rocky place of the Saints), also known as
Holy Isle. It was probably established by Saint Bridget and
Saint Brendan "the navigator", an Irish explorer and
Brother, known for his great voyages to Iceland, America and
his battle with a whale.
The theft
Back in Éireann (Ireland), a grandson
of the first Irish settlers in Scotland, a hotheaded monk, of
noble birth, Colum Cille was dividing the community through
religion.
He had been convicted of theft of his
mentor's book, The Psalter of Saint Jerome, by copying it.
This was when a book was worth as much as a Kingdom and
followed into battle as a Holy Relic. Pagan King Diarmuid
passed judgment: "To the cow, her calf; to the book, her
little book", meaning Colum Cille must give the copy to
his mentor. He would not let it rest at this though.
The Massacre
Through his influence, Colum Cille brought
about a battle, pitching cousins against one another. It is
said that 10,000 souls were lost in the Battle of Cuil
Dremhne.
His punishment was exile from Éireann
to pagan Alba (now Scotland) to convert as many Pagans to
Christians as had died in the battle. Colum Cille had many
skills that his punishers could benefit from: his physical
might, his religious knowledge and his gift of politics. These
they could apply these to the problematic new Pictish
neighbours, who were hostile and pagan.
Iona
In 563 he and 12 students landed on a small,
beautiful island in the west of the Dalriadan colony and
founded a seat of Christian learning. This island is now
called Iona. Colum Cille is now known worldwide by the name
Saint Columba. Garvellach
Monastery
But, a generation before this, Saint Brendan
had established a monastery on the southern-most Garvellach,
Eileach an Naoimh. A place where in the 500s you might have
met a handful of saints, sitting in the "stone igloos",
debating Celtic Christian doctrine.
It is thought Saint Columba himself came
here on retreat and that this is the legendary isle he called
Hinba. Landing trips here are a regular part of our boat trip
schedule.
Vikings.
Within 300 years of the Irish, the Danes and
Danes and Norwegians invaded - otherwise known Vikings. They
settled and farmed western Scotland for 400 years, but were
driven out by the descendents of the Irish, leaving behind
place names, boat burials and a Gold Arm Torque in the local
Corryvreckan whirlpool.
The name of the whirlpool Coire Bhreacan
translates from Gáidhlig as "Speckled Cauldron",
but there is a Tale that the name comes from a Viking called
Breacan. For the love of a woman he accepted the challenge
from her father to anchor his boat in the Cauldron for three
nights, the prize being marriage. One night would be
impossible in this third-largest whirlpool in the world. Upon
the advice of a wise-one, he made three anchor ropes, one from
wool, one from hemp and the third from the hair of a pure
woman (a maiden).
On the first night, the wool parted, but he
escaped. On the second night, the hemp snapped. Again he
escaped. On the third night, much to his surprise, the rope of
maiden's hair failed consigning him to a most horrible
drowning. Evidently the maiden was not as pure as he thought.
Lords of the Isles
When the Vikings left in the 1200s, the area
became part of the kingdom of The Isles, ruled over by the
MacDonalds. The Isles was an independent Kingdom for about 200
years, occupying Scotland's entire western seaboard.
It is from this Norse / Gáidhlig
mixed culture that we get the Clan System and much of Highland
Scots Culture: the Mac surnames, Piping, Clan Chiefs, Clan
lands, gáidhlig poetic style.
Dún Chonnuill
In all this time, Dún Chonnuill,
Northern-most Island of the Garvellachs, was still an out
post. In about 1350, it was the brief 'prison' of Good John,
Lord of the Isles. Two brothers of the small Clann MacLean
'helped' Good John 'reorganise' his household by assassinating
his Master of House and other notable figures.
During this 'reorganisation', they held Good
John "for his own safety" in the precipitous, almost
inaccessible Dún Chonnuill, while they outlined the
suggested changes he'd be needing in his government. Lachlann
MacLean would be the beneficiary of most of these. "Oh,
and I'll be needing your daughter's hand in marriage too".
This marked the rise of the MacLean's.
The current chief still lives in Duart
Castle, Mull. |
