Teampull na Trionaid and Teampull Clan a'Phiocair, North Uist

Teampull na Trionaid (Trinity Church) on the island of North Uist is the most important archaeological and ecclesiastical monument in the outer Hebrides. Cup and ring marked stones in the vicinity show the site to have been used from the earliest times and it was possibly a Celtic monastic site. The present church was founded by Beathag, prioress of Iona and daughter of Somehairie (Somerled) c.1203, as a medieval college of priests administered from Iona. It is believed to have been visited by the scholar John Duns Scotus (1265-1309). Mentioned in a charter of 1389, it was granted to Inchaffrey Abbey in the early 1300s but by C16 was again associated with the Abbey of Iona. Enlarged in 1350-1390 by Amie MacRuari, first wife of John of the Isles, after the Reformation the church was burned (in 1581) by Hugh of Sleat but is believed to have been restored and to have continued as a seminary until as late as 1740. An attached burial enclosure has a 1790 datestone over the door and burials have continued in the surrounding churchyard almost to the present day, while the linked Teampull Clan a’Phiocair (MacVicar Chapel) continues to be associated with Clan MacVicar and the hereditary tutors of the medieval college. The Battle of Cairinish, said to be the last battle in the British Isles to have been fought with bows and arrows, was fought nearby in 1601 and Donald Glas MacLeod, the leader of the MacLeods, was buried in the church.

Despite being a scheduled ancient monument the ruined church stands in an exposed coastal position and is rapidly eroding. Repairs had to be carried out in the early C19 by An Dotair Ban ( Dr Alexander MacLeod) after the west gable collapsed, and further collapses have left it in a precarious state despite some repointing by volunteers in 1994-5.

After the Teampull na Trionaid Conservation Association was formed by local people as a registered charity, we were appointed to provide the professional lead in preserving the monument and the work, supported by substantial grant aid, is now on site and due to be completed by October. This important part of Hebridean heritage will soon be more safely accessible to visitors.