Iona

Backblip #5

Today we visited Iona, unfotunately so did 3 coach loads of other people., they headed up to the Abbey so we went to explore the south shore. Weather was still very windy with the odd wet squall blowing through, we spent so long out in the wilds we just had enough time to look around the grounds, this was taken through the doorway of St Oran's Chapel.

St. Oran's Chapel is a beautiful simple building with a striking Norman doorway. It is thought to be the oldest building on Iona probably dating from the 11th century.

The graveyard adjacent, has been in use since Oran's time and became the traditional burial place for the Kings of Dalriada and Scotland, for many centuries.
It is reputed to be the burial ground for 48 Dalriadan and Scottish kings, including Macbeth of Shakespearean fame, as well as eight Norwegian and four Irish kings. The Lords of the Isles were also buried here in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries.
The graves include the final resting place of John Smith, the former Labour Party leader, who loved Iona. His grave is marked with the epitaph: "An honest man's the noblest work of God".