Tobar Odhran and an Image of Sloth

Over a year has passed since my last visit to the Hebrides, and another may pass before I return. I have spent some of the year writing, but most of it relaxing on my recliner. And as I do so I am the perfect image of sloth. 

Would an image of sloth be worthy of a statue? I hope so. I can see myself being immortalized in stone; resting comfortably in front of the TV, a beer in one hand, a remote in the other. I wonder if I can find an artesian with the skill of Michelangelo to chisel my lazy image in stone. Probably not. But someone centuries ago did immortalize two images of sloth in the Hebrides. They are known as Dealbh na Leisg, which can translate as either the image of laziness, or the image of sloth. Sloth, laziness, either would be appropriate for how I’ve spent much of 2020.

But I have to say my form of laziness is not quite like that depicted on these stones (not for many years, anyway). One of them is mounted high on the tower of Rodel Church on Harris. It shows a man laying on his back, passing the time, not with a beer in hand, but grasping his manhood. In the nineteenth century the Countess of Dunmore, not caring for the explicit nature of the stone, had it used for target practice. As a result the three-dimensional aspect of the stone has been, shall we say, circumcised. The stone is an odd thing to find on a church, but not this church. Just around the corner is the carving of a naked woman.

The second carving of sloth is on the island of Colonsay. It is a stone pillar that dates to the 8th century. Originally placed next to the chapel of Riasg Buidhe, a village abandoned after WWI, it was moved to Colonsay House garden in the 1890s.  The carving on the front of the stone is exquisite: at the top is the face of a monk, whose body is created by whirling designs similar to the rock art of Dalraida, terminating in what looks like a fish tail. The end result is an enigmatic fish-cross crowned by the head of a bearded monk.

The front of the stone is shown in countless books on the sculpture of the Hebrides. What’s never shown is the back side. That’s not just because of the subject, but also because the image is so worn it does not show up well in photography.

At first glance, aside from a lozenge shaped object near its rounded tip, the back of the cross appears undecorated. But there is a faded image, perhaps purposely worn off; one hinted at by its name, Dealbh na Leisg, the image of sloth. The subject of the decoration is further hinted at in this excerpt from Kevin Byrne’s book Lonely Colonsay; Isle at the Edge: “The reverse seems to be associated with a more virile tradition, possibly a symbol of fertility or potency.” Byrne goes on to quote a writer from the 1880s, who slyly remarked that “the stone is dressed only in front, undressed on the back.” This bit of undressed stone is a phallic symbol. A mixture of Christian on one side, pagan on the other. You can see a line drawing of the stone at this CANMORE link.

I wanted to see this unusual stone up close. So on a visit to Colonsay long ago I made my way to the garden. Looking over the garden wall I could see the stone, twenty feet away, standing watch over Tobar Odhran, St Oran’s Well. The holy well is covered by an old millstone, and if you lift it (which I did not do) you will discover the well is constructed of coursed and mortared rubble masonry, with steps leading three-feet down to the water. Set in the eye of the millstone cover is something odd. It may have been part of the axle for the millstone, but to me it looked like one of the pre-Christian water-worn bodach and cailleach stones, such as those found on Gigha and in Glen Lyon.

St Oran’s Well, in its garden setting under the watchful eye of the monk-stone, is one of the sacred sites of the Hebrides. I am no expert in what defines a thin place, where the border between this life and the next mingle; but whoever placed the stone here created a divine space: the cross with the face of a monk watching over the well, while the powerful image of Dealbh na Leisg wards off those who might not be intimidated by a cross; an example of a merged Christian and pagan talisman, all the protective bases covered in case one fails the test.  Maybe. Perhaps. Read into it what you will. 

Even though thirty years have passed, the fragrances of the Colonsay gardens pop into my head whenever I think back to the day I hopped over the garden wall (shame on me) to see Dealbh na Leisg. I will surely return to the isles of the west, but right now I’m going to recline in my chair, grasp something with one hand, a beer, and with a remote in the other see what’s on.

Aird Laimisiadair

I just saw the Call the Midwife episode that was filmed on Lewis.  The scenes filmed at the Gearranan blackhouse village reminded me of one of the best short walk on Lewis, one that most tourists never make: the clifftop walk around the Aird Laimishader headland. 

I described the one-way hike to Laimishader from Gearrannan in the June 26, 2015 post, which you can read here. That is the best way to see the area, but it does involve a two-mile road walk back to Gearrannan. The easiest way to see it is the out-and-back hike from Borghaston; a beautiful three-mile hike to the headland and back described in Chapter 18 of Book 2.

What follows are photos taken during several visits to Laimishader, and from a sail past it; photos that span a period of 22 years, from 1997 to 2019.

Route of the walk from Gearrannan

Route of walk from Borghaston described in Book 2, Chapter 18

The original headland beacon at Aird Laimishader in 1997

The headland beacon in 2015 (now an IKEA tower)

Inland from the headland is Loch na- h-Airde. Anyone familiar with the prologue of Alasdair Alpin MacGregor's The Haunted Isles knows of the stepping stones that cross the stream here.

Loch na h-Airde - stepping stones at lower right

Stepping Stones - 1997

Looking out to the isles of Loch Rog

Old settlement site at Laimisiadar

Laimisiadar - once a monastery

St Ciaran's Well at Laimisiadar

A last look back at the headland

Tobar Chiarain - St Ciaran's Well, Laimisiadar

I first visited Laimisiader in 1997 by walking in from Borghastan along the route Alasdair Alpin Macgregor describes in the prologue to The Haunted Isles (see book 2, chapter 18). It was only after that visit that I learned there was once a monastic settlement at Laimisiader with a holy well dedicated to St Ciaran. 

So in 2010 I decided to revisit Laimisiader to look for the well. That time I walked the coast from the Gearranan Blackhouses down to Laimisiader. 

The routes to Laimisiader

It was a great cliff-top walk, but when I reached the site of the monastery I could not find the well. These two photos date from that walk in 2010.

Laimisiader (2010)

Laimisiader (2010)

I was disappointed, but it still had been a good walk. Then, a year ago, I came across Finlay MacLeod's book The Healing Wells of the Western Isles (2000). 

It is a great reference book. Regarding Laimisiader it says that anyone with a lingering disease was taken to Ciaran's shrine (near the well), and that the priest would bless them with water from the well. The book also includes the exact location of the well: that it is to the east of a bend in the headland wall. 

Now I had seen this massive stone wall on both visits, but had not even thought of looking east of it because the wall hugs the hill on that side, and you would never suspect there'd be anything in the small (10-foot wide) bit of terrain between the wall and the steep hill. So last May I walked there again from Borghaston. 

Laimisiader (2015)

It was easy to find the bend in the wall, and just east of it was what looked like a small pile of stones.

If you were not looking for the well, would you pay any attention to this pile of stones?

I lifted off the two cover stones to reveal the well. Someone had left a cup there, but I decided against taking a drink as the water was a bit scummy. It was a remarkable little well, and I'd like to thank Finlay MacLeod for his wonderful book. It describes some 80 sites, and I've used it now to find a half dozen remote wells. You can't have a better great day out than combining a Hebridean walk with a search for a once venerated site like this.

St Ciaran's Well

On Roads to the Isles - 5

The most frequent road to the isles I've taken is the 90 mile drive from Glasgow to Oban. There are many wonderful places to visit along the way, and the first I'd like to describe is Baile Mhoadain. It is a bit off the road, for when you reach the Connel Bridge, five miles before Oban, you have to take the highway north over the bridge, and immediately turn right at the road to Ardchattan.

Follow this road for five miles and park in the small parking area for Archattan Priory. The Priory itself is worth a visit, but my favourite spot lies hidden on the hillside above the Priory. On the west side of the car park you will see a gate, and a sign that says 'Walk to Ancient Church and Graveyard - 1800 mtrs'. Pass through the gate and head north across the field.

Gateway to Baile Mhoadain

The distance mentioned on the sign is exaggerated - perhaps to discourage visitors - as the site lies only 400 meters to the north. A 15 minute hike up the hill, across a field usually occupied by sheep, brings you to to Baile Mhoadain: the settlement, burial ground, and holy well of St Modan.

Baile Mhoadain

St Modan is thought to have worked in the 8th century. He died in Rosneath, but his first settlement n Scotland may have been at Ardchattan. Here is a description of the site from R. H. Story's St Modan of Rosneath (1878):

A short distance from the site of the old Priory of Ardchattan, near Loch Etive, may still be seen the remains of his first oratory. It bears the name of Balmodhan (St. Modan's Town); a few paces from its ruins is a clear spring called St. Modan's Well, and hither within the memory of persons still living came many a pilgrimage in honour of the saint. A flat stone near was known as St. Modan's Seat. It was broken up for building materials by Presbyterians not many years ago.

The ruins are situated amid scenery of impressive beauty, and command a view of land and water as far as the island of Mull. The masonry is strong and rough, but little more than the gables and the outline of two broken walls remain, overshadowed by the ash trees that have planted themselves among the stones, the existing trees growing out of the remains of roots, all gnarled and weather-worn, of immensely greater age. In every crevice thorn, rowan, ivy, and fern have fastened themselves, softening and concealing the sanctuary's decay.

The tumbled ruin of St Modan's Church

Inside St Modan's

Hidden in the vegetation east of the church, just above the west bank of a small stream, you will find St Modan's Well. Tucked up inside the well is a cup and, below it, a scattering of coins left as offerings. 

Water flows from the well of St Modan

Cup in the well

When I first visited the well its water fell from a spout into a dark pool filled with sheep droppings. It was a sad sight, and so I spent the better part of an hour scooping out the mess. In the process I discovered a large flat stone lying in the pool below the spout. With the pool cleaned the water splashed down onto the stone before draining to the stream. But when I visited again a few years later the stone had sunk out of sight into the mud.

See this RCAHMS page for more on St Modan's Church, and this page for more on the well.

Cill Chatriona - Colonsay

One of the best walks on Colonsay is the trek to the beach of Traigh Ban via Balnahard farm. Traigh Ban lies at the north end of Colonsay, and is a six mile (round trip) walk from Kiloran Bay.

To get there, climb the track that ascends north below Carn an Eoin, the highest point on Colonsay. From the top of the road the summit of Colonsay is easily obtained by making a small detour to the east. A little farther on another detour is well worth the effort; a short side trip down towards the sea to visit St Columba's Well.

St Columba's Well

From the well, return to the track, and then carry on to the north. After a mile you'll pass Balnahard farm, and in another half mile you will come to the end of the track above Traigh Ban. On the hillside here lies the old church and burial ground of Cill Chatriona, (I've also seen it referred to as Cill Cairine and Cill Cabrine.)

Cill Chatriona

All that's left of the church are low walls of rubble, as the site was pillaged for stone in the 1870s. Although there is not much of the church left, there are two interesting stones here. One is a beautiful cross, its black stone polished to a glossy sheen by centuries of cattle using it as a rubbing stone.

Cross/Bovine Scratching post

Another cross once stood here; an elaborately carved stone with four holes in the head (see this RCAHMS page - the cross was given to a museum in Edinburgh in 1881). I'm not sure what the holes represent, and the only other holed-cross I know of is the odd three-holed cross of North Rona. 

Another stone of interest that is still here is Clach a'Pheanais - the penance stone. It is tilted, four feet high, aligned east to west, and one of several penance stones in the Hebrides. See the February 28, 2013 post for a photo of the Penance Stone on Canna, and see this RCAHMS page for more on Cill Chatriona.

Colonsay's Penance Stone

From Cill Chatriona it is a short walk to the beach of Traigh Ban. Unfortunately, I have no photos of the beach, as I ran out of film shortly after visiting Cill Chatriona. That visit was back in the pre-digital days, when I'd pack a bag of 20 rolls of film whenever I visited Scotland, and then try my best to ration them out over a three-week period. Occasionally, on a hike like the one to Balnahard, I'd forget to take an extra roll, and so there are several sites in the islands I've visited, but returned without any photos. 

I don't miss those film-days. Especially the week-long delay after a trip waiting for the film to be developed, only to find out, on far too many occasions, that many of the photos were either under or over exposed. That said, one of the best investments I've made is a film scanner, as many of those film-photos were poorly printed, and when I scanned them, and printed them myself, they turned out much better. An example of that is the next photo of the church on nearby Oronsay. The original print from the developer was dark and disappointing, but the scanned negative turned out much better.

Photo of Oronsay Church from a scanned 35mm negative