Hinba: The Lost Isle of St Columba
Date: 28 November 2025
Venue: Glenelly Room, Derry City and Strabane District Council Offices, 47 Derry Road, Strabane, Tyrone, BT82 8DY
Poet Alan Millar explores the shared Columban heritage which exists in both Ireland and Scotland and shares newly-written poems in Ulster-Scots to mark Leid Week 2025.
Join Alan as he recounts his 2024, ACNI-assisted journey to the southern Hebridean island of Colonsay, in search of his Mesolithic ancestors, only to be astounded and delighted by how powerfully fellow Donegal man St. Columba still resonates through this region. How he heard, for the first time, of the lost island of Hinba, with its monastic settlement, linked to Iona. Greatly inspired, Alan started work on his own modern take on St Columba and Hinba with poems exploring the past, present, landscape and shared heritage of the wild western coasts of Scotland and northern coasts of Ireland, with their interconnected themes provoked by the mysterious 'Hinba the Lost Isle of St Columba'. Hear about his journey in creating the poems, interspersed with recitals written, in Ulster-Scots, about an iconic figure of Gaelic heritage, with English translations. Alan concludes by outlining his own journey back home to Donegal with his reinvigorated vision of St Columba and to Sligo where the great battle of Cúl Dreimhne, still known as The Battle of the Book, remains, for many, at the heart of the story of St. Columba.
Admission Free / Light refreshments provided from 12:30pm
To book your place contact T: 028 71 376 579 or email [email protected]