1891-92]. COLUM CILLE. 133 
the MacLeods than whom no more patriotic or elegant Gaelic scholars 
have appeared in this century. Mull, Colonsay, Islay, Jura, Tiree—such 
are the names of other islands that lie around [ona—islands from which 
men have repeatedly gone torth, who achieved no small success and re- 
nown as well in the strife of arms as in the vigorous prosecution of the 
peaceful industries and professions of life. Jona is thus situated in the 
heart of classic ground. It belongs to the Ducal House of Argyll. . The 
present Duke, true to his varied culture, has shown a praiseworthy 
interest in Iona, and in the preservation of those buildings and graves 
and monuments which, calling up as they do sacred memories and hoary 
occurrences, have survived the rude Vandalism of the Scandinavians. 
Very great ingenuity has been expended for the purpose of determining 
what the meaning or derivation of the word Iona is. There can be no 
doubt that I, pronounced in English ee, is the original form of the name 
Iona. The inhabitants of Iona and of the surrounding islands always 
apply the name I to the island in question, and thereby furnish the best 
evidence as to what the original name of the island was. I is a Gaelic 
word for island, I, /zzzs, Junsean. Flathinnis, a common appellation for 
Fleaven, properly signifies the island of the brave or noble men. Latin 
writers of the time of St. Columba spelled I, the name of lona, Hy, za 
Flya, and formed the adjective Hyenszs, Huenszs, from it. It appears 
that the designation /owa insula was frequently applied to Iona. It is 
said that Colgan, imagining that Ioua was an incorrect form of Iona, 
substituted the latter word for the former, and thus led the way to 
the general employment of the term Iona. Fordun supposes Iona to 
be an adaptation of St. Columba’s Hebrew name, “Insula I vel Iona 
Hebraice quod Latine Columba dicitur sive I Columkill.”. Adamnan 
thus writes: “There was a man of venerable life and blessed memory, 
the father and founder of monasteries, having the same name as Jonah 
the prophet; for though its sound is different in the three different ]an- 
guages, yet its signification is the same in all. What in Hebrew is Jonah, 
in the Greek language is called zzp:otepa, and in the Latin Columba.” It 
has likewise been sought to resolve /ova into I thonn, the Isle of the waves, 
and into I shona, the blessed or happy Isle. It seems altogether better 
to accept the interpretation that the original word or name I was some- 
times written /ova, and that by an easy process /owa came to be written 
Iona. The island has come to bear another name, Icolumkill, in conse- 
quence of the intimate and honourable connection which St. Columba 
had with the fame and fortunes of the island. Calum-cille is the common 
appellation which St. Columba bears among the Gaels of Scotland. 
The word 7//, ceall, coll, is derived from the Latin term ce//a, which 
among its other significations, has the meaning shrzze or chapel. Ceall 
