Text : Rob

Photo : Rob

April 20, 2020

The isle of Iona

The isle of Iona is a magical place where the clouds compete with the light in an incessant ballet, twirling on a fairy-tale stage where the green and turquoise waters of the ocean glide on sands of a dazzling whiteness. A breath of sea breeze constantly caresses the face and the oceanic iodine fragrances perfume the air. It is impossible not to fall under the spell of this mystical place where the first kingdom of Scotland was created, in the ninth century.

Did you know?

Iona was the cradle of Christianity in Scotland (first monastery founded by Saint Columba) in the sixth century.

Did you know?

Although no trace of it remains, it is generally accepted that the Iona cemetery was a royal burial place from the ninth to the eleventh century. Legend has it that 60 kings were buried there (48 Scottish kings, 8 Norwegian kings, 4 Irish kings). The tradition also says that the Scottish kings Duncan I (1001 - 1040) and Mac Bethad Mac Findlaich, (1005 - 1054), who inspired Shakespeare's masterpiece Macbeth, are buried here.


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The city of Edinburgh