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Isle of
Staffa
Staffa
means "Pillar Island", which only begins to describe the breathtaking
formations of columnar basalt.
 It is an island of caves, of which the
best known is Fingal's Cave, a full 227 ft (69 m) deep and 66 ft (20 m)
high.
One name for Staffa meant "melodious Cave" in deference to the echoing
waves and the sound of the gulls. Most visitors will know Mendelssohn's
overture Fingal's Cave, also known as The Hebrides, which
he composed in 1829 after a visit to the island. Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert landed on Staffa in 1847, the queen recording the visit in her
diary. Other visitors include Sir Walter Scott, Keats, Wordsworth and
the artist Turner, who in 1832 exhibited his Staffa: Fingal's Cave
at the Royal Academy. It was sold to a buyer in the United States.
Several operators run boat trips from Mull or Iona during the summer
season and in favourable weather landing is possible. These days, of course,
you are taken there in a rather more up-to-date craft that the one shown
in our picture, which is taken from a postcard published early in the
20th century.
FINGAL’S CAVE
Fingal’s Cave is unique, making
it one of the best known caves in the world.
The structure of a sea cave formed of
hexagonally jointed basalt giving it unique size (227ft deep and
66ft high) imparting unique sounds, colours and symmetry. The
impact the cave has on all that enter it will possibly be
remembered for life.
Sir Walter Scott wrote, “one of the most
extraordinary places I ever behold. It exceeded in my mind every
description I had heard of it, composed entirely of basaltic
pillars as high as the roof of a cathedral, and running deep
into the rock, eternally swept by a deep and swelling sea and
paved, as it were, with ruddy marble, baffles all description.”
The origin of the name “Fingal’s Cave” is one of myth and legend.
Fingal was possibly an Irish Gael general who migrated from
Ireland to Scotland. His son was Ossian, a traditional bard of
the Gaels. Through Ossian’s verse and song Fingal became revered
in Scotland and this awe-inspiring cave was named after him.
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