New trail to follow St Columba’s route

Path of Christianity traced

Published:

A NEW cultural tourism trail which will follow in the footsteps of the Saint Columba linking western Scotland with north-east Ireland could soon be established.

St Columba was a pivotal figure in the spread of Christianity in sixth-century Scotland and the trail will also follow the establishment of the fledgling Gaelic kingdom of Dal Riata, which stretched between western Scotland and north-east Ireland.

The proposals are detailed in a report, Slí Cholm Cille, a Columban Heritage Trail, the culmination of a series of consultations with various cultural and tourism organisations.

Colm Cille’s Scottish project officer Mairi MacLeod said: “Slí Cholmcille will thread its way through West Donegal, Northern Ireland, Argyll, Iona and then up to the Western Isles of Scotland, with each place having a close association with St Colmcille. It will involve local authorities, tourism and transport providers, a range of heritage and language organisations including Scottish Heritage, the Western Isles Museum Services and independent museums across the region.

“Slí Cholm Cille will enhance local cultural and community tourism through the involvement of the local heritage centres and the museums of the comuinn eachdraidh (historical and cultural societies in Gaelic-speaking areas) in the Western Isles and Argyll, and their equivalents in Ireland.

“These organisations will provide links with the spoken language, with story telling and with communities, and will complement the sites and artefacts available through local museums and heritage services. Together they will provide a front-line service to visitors and an authentic link to a distinctive and vibrant living heritage.”