Author's Memorials

Whenever possible I like to find the graves of authors whose books about the islands have influenced me over the years.  Here are six I've been able to locate so far.

Two of the graves are in the same cemetery, Cille Barra, at the north end of Barra. The first is Compton Mackenzie, best known for Whiskey Galore.

Grave of Compton MacKenzie

The second grave in Cille Barra is that of John MacPhearson (AKA The Coddy).  His Tales from Barra is a classic.

Grave of John MacPhearson

A very prolific author of island books was Alasdair Alpin Macgregor. Two of my favourites are Behold the Hebrides and The Goat Wife.

Alasdair's memorial stone is in Balquidder Cemetery; but he is not buried there. His ashes were sprinkled in the Hebrides.

MEM Donaldson is buried in Pennyfuir Cemetery just north of Oban. For the story of finding her grave see the August 21, 2015 post. Her books Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands, and Further Wanderings - Mainly in Argyll, are invaluable resources for anyone interested in the islands.

MEM's grave in Pennyfuir Cemetery

Another author's grave I've visited has one of the most elaborately decorated tombstones I've come across; and that is the grave of Alexander Carmichael, who died in 1912. (See the June 8, 2017 post for the story of finding Carmichael's grave on Lismore.) Carmichael produced the amazing Carmina Gadelica; described by one of the book's publishers as follows: 

Carmina Gadelica is the most complete anthology of Celtic oral tradition ever assembled. During his travels, Alexander Carmichael spent hours with peasants in their huts in front of peat fires listening as they "intoned in a low, recitative manner" these poems and prayers. This unique collection of living spirituality drawn from the depths of Celtic Christianity, and represents a hidden oral tradition of great power and beauty, handed down through countless generations.  

Alexander Carmichael's grave - Lismore

I found the grave of John Lorne Campbell on Canna totally by accident (see the March 22, 2014 post).  Campbell's book Canna - The Story of a Hebridean Island is the definitive book about the island. Campbell was the premiere Gaelic scholar, and I hope his vast collection of material will someday be available to the public. St Edwards Church on Sanday (connected to Canna by bridge) was supposed to be a study centre for his material, but I don't think that's going to happen (see the October 12, 2015 post). You can read Campbell's obituary here:

Grave of John Lorne Campbell in Canna woods

There are three other graves that I hope to find someday. The first is Neil Munro's: his book Children of Tempest  - A Tale of the Outer Isles is an island classic.  I searched for his grave in the Inverary Cemetery. But I could not find it; and no one in the tourist office knew anything about him (sadly I was not surprised about that).

The second grave I hope to find is that of Seton Gordon; author of The Immortal Isles, Afoot in the Hebrides, Afoot in Wild Places, The Charm of Skye, Islands of the West and many more. He lived for a long time on Skye, but I am not sure where he's buried.

The third grave I hope to find is that of Daphne D C Pochin Mould, who passed away in 2014: Author of The Roads from the Isles, Scotland of the Saints, West Over Sea and several on the Irish islands. I assume she is buried in Ireland, but I have no idea where.

If anyone knows the location of these three graves I would love to hear from you.

In parting I'd like to say 'Rest in Peace' to all these authors; authors who've left written legacies that inspire people to this very day to explore the highlands and islands of Scotland.

The Broken Heads of Eilean Mor

It was the OS map that sparked my initial interest in Eilean Mor. Some 15 years ago I was perusing Landranger 61 (Jura & Colonsay), thinking about possible hikes on Jura. Off to the right of Jura I noticed a tiny island on the map. What caught my attention were two words printed on the island in the font they use for ancient monuments; the words were Chapel and Cross.

Eilean Mor is so off the beaten path that there are no regular boat trips to the island. And so to get there to see this Chapel and Cross I had to arrange a day-charter. That was way back in 2002, when Mike Murray ran the catamaran Gemini out of Crinan Harbour. In addition to Eilean Mor, over the following four years I would charter Mike to take me to Scarba, Northern Jura, Belnahua, Dun Chonnuill, Cuil-i-Breannan, Garbh Eileach, and Eileach an Naoimh.

Gemini at Eilean Mor

The first interesting thing I came across while wandering on Eilean Mor was a headless cross.

This cross is said to have marked the spot where St Charmaig is buried. Seton Gordon, in his Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands (1935), describes that the cross was broken during a failed attempt to steal it from the island.

Standing next to the headless cross is St Charmaig's Chapel. It is about forty feet by twenty, and at one time had a second story where the priest lived. The western half of the building contains the nave and the eastern half the chancel where, at some point in time, a fireplace had been installed. The chapel dates to the 12th century, and was operated as an inn in the 1600s; perhaps housing pilgrims to St Charmaig's Cave, which lies on the coast of the island, 300 yards south of the chapel.

St Charmaig's Chapel - summit cross at upper right

In the fireplace of the radically altered chapel there rests a thin, grey-stone coffin lid, with the effigy of a man in a cassock. The stone dates to the twelfth century and may have once covered St Charmaig’s coffin. Pilgrims were said to have dropped coins into his coffin through gaps around the lid. The stone certainly looks like the image of a saint, for in one corner is carved a chalice, and a nimbus surrounds the head.

Coffin-lid effigy

When MEM Donaldson visited Eilean Mor 100 years (or so) ago, she commented on how the effigy in the church was headless. As you can see in the next photo, the 'head' was subsequently found, and cemented back in place. (Note the seams in the stone at the shoulders.)

The repaired (once-headless) effigy

When MEM visited the island she also photographed a cross that stood on the highest point of the island. It, too, was headless for many years. TS Muir, in his Ecclesiological Notes on the Islands of Scotland (1885), describes how the cross-head was found in 1864 when he was on the island, and how he considered taking it away, but in the end set it in the chapel next to St Charmaig's effigy. The cross-head would lay there until it was stolen in 1924.

MEM Photo of the headless Eilean Mor Cross - c. 1900

I do not know how the cross-head was eventually recovered, but it was, and you can see the complete restored cross standing in the National Museum of Scotland. In its place a cement replica was installed on the island. The following composite photo shows the two sides of the replica, and a front view of the restored original.

Eilean Mor Cross - the original at right, and two views of the replica

It was good to see that two of the headless stones of Eilean Mor have been restored, but sad that St Charmaig's cross, the one that once stood over his tomb, will remain forever headless. See this CANMORE page for more on St Charmaig's chapel and cross.

MEM Donaldson Online

I just came across online versions of two of MEM Donaldson's books: Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands (1921), and The Isles of Flames (1913). 'Wanderings' is one of the classic books on the Highlands and Islands, and copies can be hard to find. I found mine in Maclaren's Bookstore in Helensburgh about 20 years ago for 45 pounds. But you don't need to spend anything to read this fascinating book these days. You can find an on-line version here.

The Isles of Flames (1913) is an historical fiction novel about St Donnan of Eigg, and how he was martyred around 617 AD. It is worth reading, and you can find it here. I do find it odd that the archive.org website indicates that these works are not in copyright, for as far as I know copyright expires 70 years after the death of the author. MEM passed away in 1958, so I think we have another twelve years to go. But I don't think she'd mind that these two books now have universal distribution. Take a look, I think you will find them interesting.

Over the years, MEM's Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands has inspired me to visit several islands. One of them was little Eilean Munde, the burial island of Loch Leven (see book 1, chapter 23). This small island is covered in graves, and had been the traditional burial ground for the Stewarts of Ballachulish, the Camerons of Callart, and the MacDonalds of Glencoe. It was an amazing places to see, and it had not changed much since how MEM described it a hundred years ago (see pages 281-287 in Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands).

Eilean Munde - Loch Leven

Stranded on Staffa

Most day trips to Staffa allow you anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes ashore. That gives everyone time to wander into Fingal's Cave, and then spend a little time atop the island. But during a day-trip visit in 2005, the Turas Mara boat I was on developed engine trouble after dropping us off on the island. And so I was stranded on Staffa for about three hours - but where better to be stranded!

With all that time ashore I tried to see two things that I'd read about, but never had the time to look for on previous visits. The first was Cormorant Cave, which is a back entrance to the larger Mackinnon's Cave; the second thing I wanted to see was Thunder Cave, also known as the Gunna Mor (The Cannon), a natural bore-hole in the cliffs, which once contained a captive stone that was blasted up and down by the sea.

But, of course, I first visited Fingal's Cave, where I saw an inflatable with seven adventurous souls motoring to the far back of the cave, something only possible if there is no swell.

After that obligatory visit to the cave I made the climb to the top of the island to scope out the approach to Cormorant Cave, which lies on the eastern shore of Port an Fhasgaidh, a small inlet on the southwest corner of Staffa. Cormorant cave is only accessible at low tide, and as the tide was fairly low I could just make out the way to the cave. Cormorant Cave is not much in itself, but inside it there's a secret passageway into Mackinnon's Cave; a cave nearly as large as Fingal's. Few ever see Mackinnon's Cave because there is no way to walk to its main entrance, which is about 500 feet west of Fingal's Cave. 

Top of Mackinnon's Cave

Looking to Cormorant Cave

The sea, in places, was only about a foot deep, and so I was able to cross the slippery rocks to a spot near the entrance of Cormorant Cave. However, a deeper stretch of water blocked any further progress, and I had to give up. It would have been incredible to make my way into Mackinnon's Cave, and it is something I'll have to try to do again someday when the tide is a bit lower. 

Looking back from near the entrance to Cormorant Cave

Getting into Cormorant Cave was a bust, so I then set my sights on seeing the Gunna Mor. Sarah Murray, in The Beauties of Scotland (1888), describes the Gunna Mor (Thunder Cave):

The reason of it being called Thunder Cave is as follows: ... a very large round stone incorporated in the mass of rock, became loose in its socket, and afterwards by continual friction, made itself a large aperture, in which it was in storms violently agitated. When driven by great force by the billows to the back of its socket, it rebounded with a noise like loud thunder, which was heard at a great distance.

The Gunna Mor is also mentioned in Donald MacCulloch's The Wondrous Isle of Staffa:

The cavity is about four feet in diameter and runs up into the cliff at an angle of 45 degrees for about 15 feet. It has several names" Thunder Cave", "Gun Cave', "The Cannon", and "Gunna Mor", or "Big Gun".

MacCulloch wanted to see the Gunna Mor up close, so he made his way to a spot below it, and: 

I tried to clamber up into the bore in order to ascertain its length, but the angle is so steep and the interior so slippery, there was considerable risk of slipping and being shot out over a rock face into deep water over fifteen feet below. Therefore I did not undertake the venture.

The headland of Thunder Cave

Thunder Cave lies in the cliff-face on the headland to the west side of Port an Fhasgaidh. I carefully made my way along the base of the cliffs there, and tried to climb up. But, once again, I was thwarted by the terrain. The rocks were just too steep and slippy and, like MacCulloch I was not in a mood to be 'shot over the rock face into deep water.'

Two failures in one day was a little disappointing - but it had been fun trying. After giving up on Thunder Cave I returned to the landing, only to find that the boat was still not running, and a rescue ship was on the way.

Still stranded - the boat at Staffa landing

After being told we still had an hour or so, I returned to the top of the island to take some photos of the caves from above.

Kayakers rowing past Am Buachaille - The Herdsman

I also went over to take a look at the ruin of Staffa Cottage, last occupied full time in 1807. Since then it's hosted occasional visitors, like MEM Donaldson, who described a stay there in her Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands. Since MEM's visit the cottage has totally collapsed. 

MEM Donaldson photo of Staffa Cottage

What was left of Staffa Cottage in 1989

Staffa Cottage, even more dilapidated in 2005

After spending another hour atop the island I saw our rescue boat approaching, and a few hours later I was back on Mull. It had been a day of wonderful surprises, and I look forward to my next island stranding.

M E M Donaldson

I did something a few days ago that I've wanted to do for a long time: find the grave of Mary Ethel Muir Donaldson, better known as M.E.M. Two of her books, Wanderings in the Western Highlands and Islands (1921), and Further Wanderings: Mainly in Argyll (1926), are some of the best you'll find on the islands and Highlands. I vividly remember the first time I read her tales of camping on Staffa and the Garvellachs, and her visit to Eilean Mor mhic O’Charmaig, where she dropped into the dark pit of St Carmaig’s cave.

Her photos are a wealth of information on things that have changed in the last century since she saw them. For example; the cross on the summit of Eilean Mor (now in a museum), the Keill and the Kilmory crosses (both have also been moved indoors), and the cottage on Staffa (now a sad pile of stones). To capture these images she toted around Green Maria, a wagon packed with her photographic gear. There is a wonderful picture of her with Green Maria that graces the cover of an excellent book about MEM by John Telfer Dunbar: Herself: The Life and Photographs of MEM Donaldson (1979).

As much as I admire MEM, based on the following excerpt from her preface to Further Wanderings, I doubt if she would have approved of me:

…one of the most crying needs of the day is, in my opinion, an Anti-American Association, to rid the entire country of its present curse of American atrocities…American films, plays, raucous jangles, and clumsy gyrations in place of music and dancing, cacophonic gibberish, and idiotically named cocktails…and the hideous American spelling of Highland names, such as Urgard, Cahoun, and Chissim.

   

When I dance it is indeed a clumsy gyration. And I spell my name 'Calhoun' - one of several variations of the Highland name Colquhoun that stem from a history of emigration from Scotland, to Ireland, and then on to the States. It is a name I am proud of - but I do pronounce it “Ca-hoon”, not “Cal-hoon”, when I’m in Scotland.

It was in reading John Dunbar's book that I learned MEM, who died in 1958, was buried in Oban. And so on a trip there, some 10 years ago, I spent several hours searching the large cemetery on the hilltop north of town for her grave. The search was unsuccessful, and there was no one in the office that could help me. Then, a week ago, while on a Hebridean cruise, I met Iain Thornber (Oban Times). Iain told me where her grave was, and so when the trip ended in Oban I drove up to the cemetery to find it.

I searched in the area where I'd been told it was, but I could still not find the grave. Fortunately, someone was mowing the lawn that knew where the manager was. I asked the manager if he could help, and he went into the office, returning a few minutes later with an old book that listed all the burials. He found the entry for MEM, and I was delighted to see that listed with it was the name 'Bonus'. Isabel Bonus had illustrated many of MEM's books. Using the site number from the book we soon found the grave, a large cross atop a three-tiered pedestal. The lettering on the memorial had so faded into the color of the stone, that it was no wonder I'd been unable to find it when I'd wandered around the cemetery in 2005.

The memorial reads as follows:

Here Lies The 

Folded Garment Of

Isabel Bonus

Beloved Friend Departed This

Life August 9th 1941

When Thou Rewardest Thy Saints

O' Lord Remember Her For Good

Here Also Lie The Mortal Remains Of

M.E.M Donaldson, Her Beloved Friend

Who Wrote Books In Defense of Scotlands

Faithful Remnant, the Scottish Episcopal 

Church, Departed This Life On 17th Jan. 1958

"God Be Merciful to Me a Sinner"

So next time you're in Oban be sure to pay a visit to its cemetery high above the sea. It has some amazing grave markers; like the giant memorial stone to David Hutcheson, who founded what would become Caledonian Macbrayne; and a pyramid that marks the grave of a banker from the early days of Oban. But before leaving be sure to pay your respects to a modest cross-stone memorial, near the highway along the south wall of the cemetery. It marks the grave of an amazing woman who left a legacy of books and photos that will be immortal.

Note: For more on the history of MEM, and Isabel Bonus, see this page.

Update - June 21, 2016
On May 30 (2016) I motored around Ardnamurachan Point aboard the ship Hjalmar Bjorge. We passed Sanna Bheg just before reaching the lighthouse, which gave a good view of what's left of MEM's house at Sanna Bheag. It was gutted by a fire in 1947, and MEM left it after that. It was rebuilt in 1967, but it is a sad remnant of its former glory. As you can see in the photo below, it now looks like a bomb shelter; or the utilitarian military housing they built on St Kilda.