На острове Барра торжественно откроют новую бронзовую статую святого Финбара

A new statue depicting the Irish patron saint of the Hebridean Isle of Barra will be unveiled next month, 1400 years after his death, after a fundraising target was smashed years ahead of schedule. The island community will gather to see a new bronze statue of Saint Barr unveiled and blessed on Friday September 25, the annual Feast Day of the sixth century saint. In 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 Irish saint died in 623AD. A saint’s Feast Day is a special day dedicated to honouring and celebrating the life and works of that individual. It is typically held on the date of their death. 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. However, over time its condition had deteriorated badly. The exposed sea location and the Hebridean weather meant it was showing signs of extensive damage. In July 2024 the Saint Barr’s Statue Fundraising Group launched a campaign to raise £100,000 to replace Margaret Somerville’s original with a 50% larger replica made of hard wearing bronze. That target was met in September 2025 following some local fundraising and a significant donation of £85,000 from Barra-raised Captain Iain Macneil and his wife Kat Heathcote Macneil MBE. Crown Estate Scotland also donated to the cause. This saw the project brought forward several years and meant the group was able to move straight to the design and bronze casting stage, as well as careful removal of the original statue in the hope what is left can be preserved as a part of the island’s story. The group worked with sculptor Stephen Tinney, who has family links to Barra. He used the existing sculpture as the basis for the new larger one so it is more visible from the shore. Stephen has been working with Black Isle Bronze in the Highlands to cast and build the statue. The new statue is still in separate pieces and will be delivered to the island a week before it is unveiled. Next month’s celebratory Mass, unveiling and blessing will be presided over by local parish priest Canon John Paul MacKinnon. Also attending will be Jerry O’Donovan, the Consul General of Ireland in Edinburgh who is himself a native of West Cork. The Consul General’s attendance reaffirms the centuries old historical links between Barra, County Cork, and Saint Finbarr. The ceremony will see the island’s school children coming together to perform some specially composed music and creating Saint Barr themed artworks to celebrate the occasion. Read more: - The New Highland Clearances: Find every article in the series here - Loganair news, interviews and updates on the regional airline - Historic island castle reopens to visitors after six-year closure Micheal Iain MacKinnon, chair of the Saint Barr’s Statue Fundraising Group said: “I can’t quite believe that we are preparing to unveil the new statue of Saint Barr just over two years after we launched our campaign. "We are looking forward to a great day for our island community which will not only celebrate our heritage through the story of the saint who gives Barra its name, but also points to our future by having the island’s young people as a key part of the day. “We are incredibly grateful to all who have supported the fundraising in any way they could, especially Captain Iain Macneil and Kat Heathcote Macneil who were so generous in their support. We are delighted that they will join us on the day and carry out the unveiling.” Jerry O’Donovan, the Consul General of Ireland in Edinburgh, added: "The deep ties that bind us today are built upon the historic movements of people between these islands. 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.” Barra’s parish priest Canon John Paul MacKinnon said: "Saint Barr is an important feature in the island’s story and makes us who we are as a community, therefore having a renewed statue of this key figure is emblematic of a place that wears its faith firmly on its sleeve." The group will continue to fundraise to provide lighting for the statue so it can be illuminated in a second phase of the project.