Holy Isle

Posted by Stu (Scotland | Residing in Kyoto, Japan) on 13 June 2007 in Landscape & Rural.

No. 17 - Holy Isle is located in the Firth of Clyde off the west coast of central Scotland, inside Lamlash Bay on the larger island of Arran.
The island is around 3 kilometres long and around 1 km wide. Its highest point is the hill Mullach Mor.
The island has a long history as a sacred site, with a spring said to have healing properties, the hermit cave of a 6th Century monk Saint Molaise, and evidence of a 13th Century monastery. An old Gaelic name for the island was Eilean Molaise, Molaise's Island; this is the origin (via Elmolaise and Limolas) of "Lamlash", the name of the village on Arran that faces Holy Island.
The island is now owned by the Samyé Ling Buddhist Community, who belong to the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. On the Southern end of the island lives a community of nuns who are undertaking three-year retreats. The remainder of the island is treated as a nature reserve with wild Eriskay ponies, Saanen goat, Soay sheep and the replanting of native trees.

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