STORIES OF HOLY ISLE - By Malcolm Sillars

From: Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald dated Friday 25th December 1964

STORIES OF HOLY ISLE - By Malcolm Sillars

The story of Holy Island, up until the latter half of the 19th century, is a tale of smuggling. Family after family were removed for illicit distilling until the pursuit of the industry became highly dangerous and the ?stuff? became too hot to handle.

I was recently asked why I always use the word ?stuff? when referring to illicitly distilled whisky. Stuff in Gaelic is Stuth, a word which the smugglers and old story tellers always used when they were speaking of the brew.

An Ideal Spot

The isle was a natural place for such things: there were caves in plenty, good water, a fine beach for launching a skiff, and dark nights galore. It was an ideal spot, easy for ships running up from the Isle of Man to land contraband, which they did.

About forty years ago an old lady over 80 came as a guest to Holy Isle to revisit the spot where she and her husband spent their honeymoon over sixty years before. They had stayed in the wee house, and smuggling was going on.

One night some young farmers blind-folded her man in the kitchen and led him outside, a little away from the house.

They took him to their secret hiding place where ?he got enough to make him cheery at least?. The bandage was removed from his eyes until a move was made to return, when it was replaced. He was then turned quickly round, two or three times and led indoors again.

They told him that he could help himself, at any time he felt so inclined, if he could find the place. He never found it.

Asked if her husband had been led out of the present door, the old lady seemed confused, then cried out: ?The door was not there at all; it was there?. And she pointed to the seaward gable where, indeed, there is evidence that a doorway had been built up.

The Old House

The wee house is now only a shell but it has been thought worthy of preservation and has recently been re roofed. It is very old. On one of the sandstone posts of the central door facing south towards the old cemetery, there are some initials which have obviously been re-cut within the last hundred years or so - the date 1376, the initials R.B and over the initials a Fleur-de-lys.

Very faintly over the Fleur-de-lys can be traced, what appears to be a crown. Speaking to folk who have stayed in this house many years ago, and whose parents and grand parents had known it in its ?hey day?, they could tell me nothing of this stone. When the house was occupied the walls would probably be wood lined and the stone would not be visible. It may have come from the nearby graveyard.

South of the house, on the flat plateau above the Rudah Ben there is a cave, the entrance of which is small and very difficult to find. In this dark hole could be seen, carved on the walls, crosses of the same sort that the ancient pilgrims made. I have often wondered what manner of man crawled into this wild beast?s lair, to crouch on his knees and carve, in the dimness, the emblem of his faith. The cave was latterly used by the smugglers, as were many others, some of which are now hidden either by accident or design.

At one time the island was infested with adders and on one occasion corn *stooked in the field harboured so many that stacks had to be burned. I have never seen an adder on Holy Isle in my life, nor have I met anyone who has; the goats have probably killed them for generations.

Buried ?treasures? there are in plenty on this island - at least tradition says so. Later I hope to tell some of the old stories.

*STOOKED: A shock of cut sheaves of corn, ten or twelve, set up to dry in a harvest field.

Scribe Tango?

Clyde puffer MOONLIGHT arrives at Ardrossan Harbour to load Bagged Malt for Isle of Jura

Carebeka's DIEVERTJE arrives in Ardrossan Harbour with a cargo of Barrels from Cadiz (Spain)

A/S Lemkuhl coastal tanker SKODVIK leaves Ardrossan Harbour with a cargo of Britoleum for Dublin

Tug SEAWAY assists at stern to sail Kloster's Tanker VESTVARD from Ardrossan Harbour

   At 0430 Ardrossan tug SEAWAY at the stern

and Steel & Bennie tug CHIEFTAIN at the bow

towed the Norwegian tanker VESTVARD astern 

from the berth 12 Ocean Tanker Berth, Ardrossan

Harbour, through the Harbour entrance to the

Roadstead where the towlines were released

and the tanker left on her 160 miles passage

to the Bar Light Vessel in Liverpool Bay then

to Dingle Oil Terminal in the River Mersey.

Tug CHIEFTAIN assists at bow to sail Kloster's Tanker VESTVARD from Ardrossan Harbour

   At 0430 Ardrossan tug SEAWAY at the stern

and Steel & Bennie tug CHIEFTAIN at the bow

towed the Norwegian tanker VESTVARD astern 

from the berth 12 Ocean Tanker Berth, Ardrossan

Harbour, through the Harbour entrance to the

Roadstead where the towlines were released

and the tanker left on her 160 miles passage

to the Bar Light Vessel in Liverpool Bay then

to Dingle Oil Terminal in the River Mersey.

Kloster's Tanker VESTVARD leaves Ardrossan Harbour for Dingle, River Mersey.

   At 0430 Ardrossan tug SEAWAY at the stern

and Steel & Bennie tug CHIEFTAIN at the bow

towed the Norwegian tanker VESTVARD astern 

from the berth 12 Ocean Tanker Berth, Ardrossan

Harbour, through the Harbour entrance to the

Roadstead where the towlines were released

and the tanker left on her 160 miles passage

to the Bar Light Vessel in Liverpool Bay then

to Dingle Oil Terminal in the River Mersey.

Tug CHIEFTAIN arrives at Ardrossan Harbour and waits to dock Shell Tanker KOROVINA

Tug SEAWAY assists at bow to dock Shell Tanker KOROVINA at Ardrossan Harbour

Shell Tanker KOROVINA arrives at Ardrossan Harbour with petrol and gas oil from Stanlow via Dublin

Tug CHIEFTAIN assists at stern to dock Shell Tanker KOROVINA at Ardrossan Harbour

Tug CHIEFTAIN leaves Ardrossan Harbour after docking Shell Tanker KOROVINA

CLIPPER arrives in Ardrossan Harbour with Containers from Larne

LOCH ETIVE arrives in Ardrossan Harbour with Containers from Larne

Clyde puffer SPARTAN arrives at Ardrossan Harbour to load Bagged Malt for Isle of Islay