Nick Welsh, Shop Manager of The Iona Community Welcome Centre on the Isle of Iona, shares her monthly book recommendations. This month Nick is amazed by the writers who have been inspired by Iona.
Iona has inspired writers and poets for centuries, indeed from as early as 563 AD when Columba first arrived. He became the patron saint of poets and bookbinders and is attributed with writing over 300 books in his own lifetime. Although this figure is most likely an exaggeration, Columba is known for holding the written word in high regard. He penned poems in both Latin and Irish Gaelic.
A century after him comes Adomnán who wrote the beautifully descriptive Life of Columba as well as De Locis Sanctis. Both books have been widely read and revered over many centuries. Over the next centuries, numerous literary figures have been attracted to Iona and its locality: Samuel Johnston, John Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson to name just a few.
Fast forward to present day and the wonderful Festival of Writing and Storytelling which we held on Iona in October. We were introduced to new books from Margaret Somerville and poet-storyteller Kaitlin Curtice. We also enjoyed sessions from prolific producers of the written word including Alastair Macintosh, Jan Sutch Pickard and Ruth Burgess. Calligrapher Stephen Raw hosted a workshop on music as an inspiration for writing poetry, and another on making the written word a thing of beauty to the eyes and the ears.
Liz McWhirter read her newly published epic poem Blue: a Lament for the Sea to a captivated audience in the village hall. As Liz read, I imagined monks sharing Columba’s ancient poems after his death.
Festival of Writing and Storytelling 2026
Next year on Iona we will host two programme weeks when guests can immerse themselves in the written word and, if comfortable, share some of their own writings.
In late March, renowned poet Kenneth Steven will lead Writing the Island, a week of gentle walking and discovery through the Celtic Christian stories and places of Iona. Guests will be invited to write their own stories, with Kenneth at hand to guide.
In October, we host our second Festival of Writing and Storytelling, open to all who love to read, listen to stories or tell their own.
This month’s book recommendations feature all the books or writers I have mentioned. The choice is wide and all, as usual, are available from the Iona Community Shop.
Book recommendations
- When Prayer Doesn’t Work by Margaret Somerville
- Everything is a story by Kaitlin Curtice
- Poacher’s Pilgrimage: a Journey into Land and Soul by Alastair McIntosh
- A Pocket Full of Crumbs by Jan Sutch Pickard
- Blessed by God by Ruth Burgess
- Blue: A Lament for the Sea by Liz McWhirter
- A Song Among the Stones by Kenneth Steven
If you would like further book recommendations, or have any recommendations for me, please feel free to email me at [email protected]
And remember it’s never too early to do some Christmas shopping, and support the Community at the same time.
Photo credit: Iona Community/ I Maynard Watts
USA North East