Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced plans to mark the 1,500th anniversary of St Columba’s birth.
HES’s first writer in residence, Alex Aldred, has written a collection of poems celebrating St Columba’s life and legacy.
The Irish Monk is the patron saint of poetry and is widely believed to have brought Christianity to Scotland. The new body of work explores his relationship with some of the historic environment sites and his connection to the country.
Mr Aldred said he has had a “tremendous” time working with Scotland’s lead heritage body on the anniversary project which includes digital creative writing and poetry workshops.
He added: “I’m very much looking forward to running the remaining workshops and releasing the portfolio to the public.”
‘A fresh perspective’
The sites which inspired the poetry will be linked on a new interactive map so visitors can retrace the steps of the Saint. He is most strongly associated with Iona where he founded Iona Abbey in 563AD.
Mr Aldred’s poetry will also be recorded and available via QR codes at each site, including Keills Chapel and Dunadd Fort, so the public can enjoy his work in the places where it was inspired.
He continued: “As part of this project, HES has put together a digital map of Scotland, blending information on the history and significance of these various sites with excerpts from my poetry. This is one aspect of the celebration I am particularly excited for.
“It’s my hope that the collection, and the accompanying map, will provide readers with a fresh perspective on Columba and historic Scottish landmarks.”
A fitting tribute
Stephen Duncan, director of commercial and tourism, said: “We were delighted to welcome Alex as our writer in residence to mark the 1500th anniversary of St Columbus with this exciting project.
“As the patron saint of poetry, it seems fitting to celebrate Columba with this wonderful new collection and the associated creative workshops.
“It’s also an opportunity for us to think about different methods of interpretation and the different meanings sites can have for different people and how they can resonate with people’s individual memories and experiences.
“We would like to thank Alex for his excellent work which presents a fitting tribute to such an iconic historical figure and his deep links to Scotland.”
HES are encouraging the public to join in with the celebrations on social media by sharing their own writing using the hashtag #Colmcille1500.