{"id":14310,"date":"2026-03-16T08:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T08:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/?page_id=14310"},"modified":"2026-03-17T14:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T14:54:07","slug":"kirkapol-chapels","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/archaeology-walks\/kirkapol-chapels\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirkapol Chapels & The Little Accursed One"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KIRKAPOL CHAPELS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

THE EARLIEST SCOTTISH CLAYMORE CARVING & RELIGIOUS CENTRE FOR AT LEAST 1300 YEARS<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Behind the Tiree Lodge Hotel, overlooking Gott Bay, are the ruins of two fascinating medieval chapels at Kirkapol. The larger building dates from the\u202f14th century\u202fand was dedicated to\u202fSaint Columba and served as Tiree\u2019s main parish church. Nearby are the remains of an older chapel from the 13th century. The\u202fbeautifully carved grave slabs include a\u202f15th-century stone thought to show one of the earliest carvings of a Scottish claymore sword. Close to the chapels are\u202frocks marked with ancient cross carvings, hinting at the island\u2019s early Christian heritage. Even the name\u202fKirkapol\u202ftells part of the story. It comes from the Norse word\u202fKirkjub\u00f3l, meaning \u201cChurch Farm,\u201d suggesting this area may have been a place of worship as far back as the\u202fViking era (800\u20131200 AD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start \/ End:<\/strong>\u202fTiree Lodge Hotel, Gott Bay Isle of Tiree, PA77 6TW. This can also be combined with a walk along the bay to Mallachdaig – the Little Accursed One<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Park and Meet:<\/strong>\u202f Parking as indicated on Gott Bay or Tiree Lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking Distance:<\/strong> ~1.5 km (out and back) – 30\u201340 minutes<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrain:<\/strong> Easy (mostly flat grass)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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THE LITTLE ACCURSED ONE – MALLACHDAIG<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AN UNLUCKY ROCK CURSED BY FISHERMEN AND ST COLUMBA<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Just off the coast near\u202fGott Bay, lies one of Tiree\u2019s most intriguing little landmarks:\u202fMallachdaig, a small rocky stack whose Gaelic name means\u202f\u201cthe little accursed one.\u201d\u202fThis rock carries a reputation that has fascinated locals and visitors for generations. It was considered unlucky by sailors with boats avoiding passing too close to it, believing misfortune could follow. According to other legends, St Columba tied his coracle to a bunch of seaweed growing on this rock during a visit to Tiree. When he found his coracle floating free sometime later because the seaweed had given way, he put a curse on the rock that nothing would ever grow on it again. Whether you\u2019re interested in local folklore, coastal scenery, or simply the stories behind unusual place names,\u202fMallachdaig \u2013 the Little Accursed One \u2013\u202foffers a glimpse into the island\u2019s rich mix of landscape and legend.\u202f<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start\/ End:<\/strong> See Kirkapol Chapels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Park and Meet:<\/strong> Gott Bay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walking Distance:<\/strong> From Tiree Lodge ~1km (out and back) \u2013 20 mins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrain:<\/strong> Sandy beach<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2190 All Archaeology Walks<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KIRKAPOL CHAPELS THE EARLIEST SCOTTISH CLAYMORE CARVING\u00a0& RELIGIOUS CENTRE FOR AT LEAST 1300 YEARS Behind the Tiree Lodge Hotel, overlooking Gott Bay, are the ruins of two fascinating medieval chapels at Kirkapol. The larger building dates from the\u202f14th century\u202fand was dedicated to\u202fSaint Columba and served as Tiree\u2019s main parish church. Nearby are the remains of [\u2026]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14461,"parent":14234,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","editor_plus_copied_stylings":"{}","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14310","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PfVRvl-3IO","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14310"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14473,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14310\/revisions\/14473"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tireetrust.org.uk\/gd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}