Inchkenneth Chapel

One of the possible destinations on our cruise in June is Inchkenneth. I have only been there once, (see Book 1, Chapter 12) and am looking forward to returning. The jewel of the island is the chapel built on the site of St Kenneth's 6th century monastery.

My one visit there was in 2003, and at the time the walled garden (which you can see in the distance in the next photo) was pretty much abandoned. The owner told me they had plans to restore it, so I am looking forward to seeing what they've done.

The next photo shows the altar, which during Boswell and Johnson's visit had an old Celtic hand-bell on it. Sadly the bell has gone missing. Some interesting drawings made of the chapel in 1877 can be found on this CANMORE page.

Set upright against the wall of the chapel is a collection of eight medieval tombstone slabs. And just outside the chapel is the grave of Donald Maclean of Brolas, who died in 1725. If you look close you can see the figure of his dog keeping Maclean's toes warm in the afterlife.

Set amongst the tombstones of the burial ground, which is still in use, is the Inchkenneth cross. Made from a single piece of gray-blue slate, this elegant ring-headed cross stands five feet tall and dates to the sixteenth century. Most of its decoration has worn off over the centuries, but still visible at the bottom of the shaft is a pair of shears. Below them, worn and hardly discernible, is something with bristles, possibly a brush or comb. The significance of the shears and comb may come from their ceremonial use in cutting the tonsure. 

This cross was the same one that Boswell knelt in front of two centuries ago, when visions of ghosts in the dark frightened him, and he had to resort to a rum-rub for an injured foot. In case of injury I had a can of beer in my pack, but if needed the remedy would be applied internally.

Shears and comb on the cross

For such a small island, Inchkenneth has a large history. From the time of saints Columba and Kenneth, to its ownership by the chiefs of the Macleans; its sale to Sir Harold Bolton, then the Mitfords, and finally the Barlows, who still own the island. You can read an interesting article on Inchkenneth that appeared in The Scotsman at this link. It is a delightful island to visit, and I'm looking forward to returning in June.

Inchkenneth House

I have only been to Inchkenneth once (see book 1, chapter 12 for the story of that visit.) One thing I was not able to see while I was on the island was the interior of Inchkenneth House. It was built a hundred years ago, and in the 1930s was owned by Harold Boulton, know for writing the lyrics to The Skye Boat Song. As you can see in the first photo, which was taken in the 20s, the house was originally three-storeys high. Boulton had another floor added in the 30s, which drastically changed the look of the building.

Inchkenneth House in the 1920s - from Thomas Hannan's Iona and Some Satellites (1928) 

Inchkenneth House - 2003

Harold Boulton died in 1935, and the island was bought by the Mitfords. They held on to it for about 30 years; selling in the 1960s to Dr Andrew Barlow. It was Dr. Barlow that I wrote to in 2003 asking if I could visit the island. He responded with a gracious letter giving me the contact details of the caretaker who could take me to the island.

The highlight of visiting the island was to see the chapel ruin. But I was disappointed not to get a look inside the house. On our way to the island the caretaker said it might be possible to go inside, but he changed his mind at some point while I was off exploring the island. (Either he thought I had spent too much time wandering around or, more likely, I looked like a suspicious character).

I hope to return to Inchkenneth someday to see inside the house. If you're interested you can get a few glimpses of its interior in a video made in 2010 about the Mitford's experiences on the island called If these Walls Could Speak.

Neil MacGillivray of Burg & Inchkenneth

I first read about Neil MacGillivray in Alasdair Alpin Magregor's book Skye and the Inner Hebrides (1953). Neil was the island boatman for Inchkenneth when MacGregor met him. MacGregor does not say too much about Neil, but you can read a good account of his life in Timothy Neat's When I was Young (2000). The chapter about Neil begins as follows (in his own words):

Looking at a photograph of me when young and looking at me now, aged 84, you'd never think I was a man who often danced with Hitler's mistress. That was Unity Mitford. Both she and her mother were very fond of me. They lived here on Mull, on the island of Inchkenneth. I was boatman and general manager of the island - but it's a long story and it seems a very long time ago.

Photo of Neil in his 20s - unfortunately later editions of the book have a different cover 

I won't repeat the story of the Mitfords on Inchkenneth. But it is one of the strangest tales of the Hebrides. Unfortunately I only met Neil MacGillivray once. That was in 2003 when I visited him at his home, Aird of Kinloch, near the head of Loch Scridan on Mull. Over a dram of Grouse he told me some stories about his life on Inchkenneth, and showed me one of his treasured possessions, Unity Mitford's swaztika arm band. I tried to get him to talk about Alasdair Alpin MacGregor, but he did not remember much other than "he had holes in his trousers."

Neil lived on Inchkenneth for nearly 20 years, and raised his family there. Their time on Inchkenneth came to an end around 1966, shortly after the Mitford's sold the island. There was some sort of dispute with the new owners, I have no idea what it was, but it was bad enough that Neil's house on Inchkenneth was subsequently knocked down (see photo below). As I was leaving I asked Neil if I could take his photo; here is the picture, which also shows his dog Dileas (which means faithful in Gaelic).

Neil MacGillivray at his home in 2003

The day after visiting Neil I went to Inchkenneth. (See book 1 chapter 12 for the story of that visit). Neil had told me where to find the spot where his house had been. The rectangular patch of rubble in the next photo is all that's left of his house.

Site of Neil's house

I always intended on visiting Neil again, but it was not to be. Neil passed away in March of 2009. In August of that year I paid a visit to his grave in Kilfinichen burial ground.

MacGillivary Tombstone in Kilfinichen

Also buried here is his wife Janet, who passed away in 1989. When I visited the cemetery the tombstone had yet to be inscribed with the date of Neil's death. That has since been done, and the final lines on the stone are now:

Neil MacGillivray, 

who died 30th March 2009

Aged 94 years

Devoted Father and Loving Husband

Next to the Neil's grave is the grave of another MacGillivray, Christina, better known as Chirsty Burg, who passed in 1989. Chirsty was well known to many who hiked through the Burg to see the Fossil Tree, and I wish I'd been able to meet her. An excellent book on Burg, and Chirsty (that also has some information on Neil), is Tea with Chrissie, by Rosalind Jones.

Tombstone of Chirsty Burg

Inchkenneth 5

Before we leave Inchkenneth we'll visit this rectangular patch of rubble near Inchkenneth House. It is all that's left of the home where Neil Macgillivary and his family lived. Neil was  boatman and island manager from the late 1940s through to 1968. His story is told in Timothy Neat’s When I was Young: Voices from Lost Communities in Scotland - The Islands. A photo of Neil, taken when he was seventeen in 1932, is on the cover of an early edition of the book. He also appears in Rosalind Jones' Tea with Chrissie, 

I was fortunate to have met Neil the day before going to Inchkenneth, and he shared some of his stories of living on the island (see Book 1, Chapter 12). Sadly, Neil passed away in 2010, and is buried in Kilfinichen cemetery on Mull.

Inchkenneth 3

The Inchkenneth Cross, carved from a piece of blue slate, dates to the sixteenth century. Just visible at the bottom of the shaft is a pair of shears, and below them is something with bristles, possibly a brush or comb. The significance of the shears and comb may come from their ceremonial use in cutting the tonsure.

Inchkenneth Cross

Close-Up of the Shears and comb

Boswell went to pray at this cross in the graveyard. Once deep in prayer he heard ghostly noises and ran away. I heard no ghostly noises, just clucking chickens that wanted to eat my sandwich.

Inchkenneth 2

I had wanted to see Inchkenneth chapel ever since reading Boswell's account of his (and a companion's) stay on the island in 1773. A Celtic hand bell once rested on the altar, but sadly it has gone astray. Behind the chapel is the large walled garden, and hiding behind the trees is Inchkenneth House. Half of the Inchkenneth Cross can be seen at the far left. We'll get a better view of it tomorrow.

Mounted securely to the inner wall of the chapel is an amazing set of eight medieval tombstones. My favourites are the third one from the left with a Maclean Sea-Galley depicted at the top, and the next one over with the Sword-Cross.

Inchkenneth 1

This photo from Book 1 is of Inchkenneth in Loch na Keal. The cloud-shrouded headland is Burg on the island of Mull. At its base lies the famous fossil tree. The low terrain that spans the horizon is the Ross of Mull leading out to Iona, and the bumpy terrain in the middle distance is the south tip of Inchkenneth known as The Humpies. I got lucky with this photo. I didn't notice the sea eagle soaring over Inchkenneth House until after I took the picture.

The next photo is a zoom-in on the previous one. To the far left you can see an old wall that may have been part of the monastery. To its right is the walled garden, and behind that the ruin of Inchkenneth Chapel stands in a small burial ground. Over the next few days we'll see some more of Inchkenneth.