The isle of Lismore (inner Hebrides) was a place of political and religious importance throughout medieval times but this has been largely forgotten, and the surviving monuments have suffered neglect in subsequent centuries. For the last five years a partnership of the Lismore Historical Society (Comann Eachdraidh Lios Mòr) and Lismore parish church has been committed to remedying this neglect, embarking upon a long-term project to explore, conserve, display, publicise and interpret the rich medieval heritage of the island. With progress stalled by the coronavirus pandemic, this is a good time to take stock of progress.
Visitors today find it difficult to understand why the original cathedral of the diocese of Argyll, and two medieval stone castles, would be built in such an out-of-the-way place. This is very much a modern view, and takes no account of the infrastructure of what became Scotland. In medieval times, it was difficult and often dangerous to travel on the mainland; the highway in the west was by sea, and Lismore lay in a very favoured position, in the sheltered inshore passage and at one of the few points offering access from west to east along the Great Glen. The combination of its strategic position and the fertility of its limestone soils ensured that the island enjoyed considerable prestige until the 16th century, when elaborate West Highland graveslabs were still being set up in the cathedral graveyard. This prominence had a long history stretching back into prehistory, as evidenced by numerous bronze age cairns and cists, two iron age brochs and at least ten duns and forts, but the discovery in 1995 of a massive bronze armlet, manufactured in the Pictish north east, is the clearest evidence for the island’s early role in long-distance transactions.