Remote Scottish island to unveil statue celebrating link to St Finbarr of Cork

More than 1,400 years after his death, a new statue of St Finbarr of Cork will be unveiled next month on the Scottish island that bears his name.

The 1,200 strong community on the Isle of Barra in the Outer Hebrides will gather on Friday, September 25, the annual feast day of the sixth century saint, for the unveiling and blessing of the bronze statue.

In Gáidhlig (Scottish Gaelic), Barra is Barraigh which translates as Barr’s Island. 

It takes its name from Saint Finbarr of Cork who is believed to have been a follower of Saint Columba and who introduced Christianity to the island. The patron saint of the island, he died in 623AD.

Next month’s celebratory Mass, unveiling and blessing will be presided over by local parish priest Canon John Paul MacKinnon. Also in attendance will be Jerry O’Donovan, a West Cork native who is the consul general of Ireland in Edinburgh.

Specially composed music

The ceremony will see the island’s school children come together to perform some specially composed music and also create Saint Barr themed artworks to celebrate the occasion.

The new sculpture is a replica of a previous mid 1970s statue, which stood on a small island in Barra’s Northbay area and was in danger of falling apart and tumbling into the sea.

The original sculpture was created by local artist Margaret Somerville, who died in 2018, using concrete moulded around a steel frame. It depicts the Irish saint holding a shepherd’s crook aloft as he looks to the heavens.

In July 2024, the Saint Barr’s statue fundraising group launched a campaign to raise funds to replace Margaret Somerville’s original with a 50% larger replica made of bronze.

Mr O’Donovan said: “As a West Cork native, I am particularly proud that the life and legacy of St Finbarr, who remains a hugely significant figure across all of Cork, will be commemorated in Barra. This is a commemoration of the ancient links that bind Ireland and Scotland. The deep ties that bind us today are built upon the historic movements of people between these islands.”