Explore Celtic Christianity in Cowal

The Cowal peninsula is one of the most accessible parts of the Highlands to visitors from the south – from Glasgow and beyond. And it is one of the most rewarding to visit. Cowal is a landscape of wild hills, crystal clear lochs, and oak forests rolling down to the sea.

It is also an area where some of the earliest signs of Christianity in the Gaelic world are to be found – some probably pre-dating Columba and his sixth-century monastery on Iona.

Using this website you can explore the archaeology and history of early Christian Cowal and some of its medieval inheritance. Some of these ancient church-sites are still occupied, while others lie abandoned and ruined on remote hillsides or loch-shores.

Learn about the saints whose names appear in this landscape. See the carved stones which bear witness to the faith of generations of Gaelic-speaking communities who lived here..

Reports, photographs, stories and poetry will give the reader a virtual immersion in the area and its early Christian past.  This will pale into insignificance, of course, if the reader undergoes a real immersion – by travelling around the area, visiting the sites and actually experiencing this rich historic landscape, and sharing in some way in the life and the prayer of the people of Cowal. Fàilte chridheil ort! – A warm welcome to you.