The Hill of the Abbot, Iona

I’ve long been fascinated by Iona, not only because it’s one of the holy islands, associated with Columba and early Christianity, but it also has a magical landscape. There seems little doubt Columba settled there in 563AD because the place was already sacred. It’s special.

Tòrr an Aba (Hill of the Abbot) is where Columba is said to have built a little cell where he could write and be alone with his God. In the 1950s, an excavation uncovered burnt wood, which was kept for years until carbon dating became available.

The samples were later dated to a time that overlapped the life and death of Columba.

Anyone can now go to Iona and put their hand on the stone where we know with absolute certainty Columba stood or sat.