The WITNESS CAIRN, WHITHORN
at the Isle of Whithorn
Some Personal Reflections
Br Stephen Smyth fms, 4 Mar 09
Background:
The idea for the ‘Witness Cairn’ at Whithorn originated in the Music & Worship Committee of Glasgow Churches Together in 1996. I was a volunteer member of that committee. Later, in 1999, I became the first Ecumenical Officer for Glasgow Churches Together (GCT) and was able to maintain the relationship we had developed with our friends in Whithorn. I am now General Secretary of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS). I still visit Whithorn occasionally in a private capacity. On a personal level, the ecumenical pilgrimage I was starting back then has certainly changed my life and work considerably.
In 1996, GCT was preparing to celebrate 1997 as the ‘Year of the Celtic Saints’. The plan was to celebrate the history of the coming of Christianity to Scotland. The two key figures were St Ninian and St Columba. These two great saints hold special significance in the different ecclesial traditions in Scotland. The ‘Year of the Celtic Saints’ aimed to encourage our churches to explore together our common early history; and to re-examine aspects of our diverse traditions in the light of that common history. The year’s programme would finally include a series of city wide ecumenical prayer services and a Children’s Cantata. (for further details on these see contact list below.)
Why 1997? Well, 1997 marked the 1600th anniversary of St Ninian (360-432) founding an abbey at Whithorn in 397; and, the 1400th anniversary of the death of St Columba (521-597) on Iona. The celebrations included other early Christian saints, including St Mungo, founder of Glasgow, and a contemporary of St Columba.
The Development of the Idea:
The GCT Music & Worship Committee set up a small Working Group to take forward the initial idea. I headed up the group. Early on we hoped to establish two cairns: one at Whithorn and the other on Iona. Both of these proposals were pursued for some months. Unfortunately, it proved too complicated and time consuming to take forward the Iona cairn. It did not seem likely that we would be granted permission to establish new cairn on Iona island itself. There was a suggestion that a site might be agreed on Mull, near the carpark beside the Iona ferry. We decided to let this part of the proposal drop and to focus on Whithorn.
The idea grew that the Whithorn Cairn should be called the ‘Witness Cairn’. The image came from the name of Ninian’s abbey: Whithorn, the White or Shining House or Hut, which was made of stone and could be seen from a distance, glistening in the sun. People would be invited to place a stone on the new cairn as a mark of some form of witness that they had already completed or were promising to undertake.
Some of our group had visited Whithorn before and were reasonably familiar with the Abbey and Dig, the Visitors Centre and Ninian’s cave. We arranged an initial visit to establish some local contacts. Jan Butterworth of the Whithorn Visitors Centre was especially helpful, putting us in touch with several key people. Among these were Donna Brewster, a local historian, and her husband Forrest; and Rev Alex Currie, Church of Scotland minister, and the local Catholic priest.
Our local contacts were quickly enthused by the cairn proposal. After several visits we had explored all sorts of possibilities, but hadn’t yet found a suitable site. Someone suggested exploring the Isle of Whithorn, where the original monastic settlement may have stood. We were put in touch with John Scoular of The Steam Packet Inn who owned the land behind the hotel. John, too, was enthused and offered his cooperation.
If I remember correctly, subsequent correspondence, phone calls and visits involved Dumfries and Galloway Planning Department and Historic Scotland. There should be some records in the GCT Archives. (contact details below). All of the people I met and worked with were keen to help the project where at all possible. A major consideration was the possible impact of establishing a cairn in an area of archeological interest, especially if no major archeological investigation had been undertaken on the site.
Eventually, it was agreed that the cairn could be established on the site of the old lifeboat house at the Isle of Whithorn. This is on John Scoular’s land. As this spot had been flagstoned in the 19th century (I think), so, anything of earlier archeological interest would have been lost.
We had a lot of thought about how best to mark the site. Someone suggested that Galloway Granite in Sorbie, might be approached about providing a memorial stone and another local contact asked about providing gravel. So it was that late one afternoon I appeared unannounced at the office of Galloway Granite and at the door of a farmhouse to tell them about our idea. So far our project had no budget and had cost only some phone calls, petrol and the occasional lunch. Now we were faced with having to find serious money. In the event, everyone I spoke to was enthused, helpful and generous. By their efforts, the site was cleared, the gravel arrived and a wonderful polished and engraved stone delivered. All of this donated by local people and local firms. We also eventually raised enough money to produce a flyer about the cairn and its meaning.
At the same time, focussing on the educational value of the cairn project, we had begun to develop a relationship with Whithorn Primary School. The staff and pupils were wonderful to work with. We decided to invite the children from the Isle of Whithorn to take part in the establishing of the cairn. Each of them would be invited to write their name on a stone and to place it as one of the foundation stones of the cairn.
The Inauguration of the Cairn
So, on Sun 11 May 1997, two coach loads of ecumenical pilgrims from Glasgow arrived at the Isle of Whithorn for the inauguration service. The group came from several church backgrounds and included the St Mungo Singers who led the service. We were met by our friends from the Whithorn Trust, local church groups and business contacts and, especially, local children and their families.
About 150-200 people gathered together in and around the old lifeboat house. Years of growth had been cleared from inside and the flagstones and low ruined walls glistened. The inauguration service began: hymns and prayer from across the different traditions, united with the Scriptures, and united in the project before us. We rejoiced that the project had brought us from so many different backgrounds together in friendship and prayer. We wondered how our joint initiative would grow, wondered what it might signify to others.
During the short service, the children were the first to come forward. Their stones and names laid the foundations of the Witness Cairn. The adults were then invited to place their stones. We all stood back and looked at this little cairn: a couple of hundred stones, standing maybe 30-40 cm tall. I found it all quite emotional.
Update
That was in 1997. My most recent visit was just a few months ago. The access to the site and the area around it have been improved. The cairn had grown substantially. It is taller than I am and has spread out to the near walls of the old lifeboat house. It is edging towards the base of the memorial stone. There are thousands and thousands of stones. Many of them have writing on them: naming loved ones, pledging faithfulness, remembering people who have died, carrying prayers. Again, I found standing beside the cairn quite emotional.
This project, thought up in 1996, has developed much more fruitfully than we could have imagined. Clearly the Witness Cairn continues to speaks to many people from many diverse backgrounds. I am pleased that we had that inspiration and grateful for the cooperation and friendship of so many good and generous people.
