Preservation Award for Medieval Western Isles Church

The Teampull na Trionaid a ruined church on Uist in the Western Isles has been given a grant of £200,000 in order to make it safe for visitors. The building was founded in 1200 as a college for Priests. The site also contains a graveyard calledTeampull Clann a'Phiocair (Church of the MacVicars) where this clan are reported to have buried their dead after the church fell into disrepair.


Near to this spot is the site of theThe Battle of Cairinis in 1601. It has been said that this was the last battle fought in Scotland using traditional weapons. The Battle was the result of a dispute between Clan MacDonald and Clan Macleod from Harris. One of the MacDonalds had decided to divorce his wife, a Macleod. This angered the MacLeods and the formed a raiding party to Uist to attack the MacDonalds. Initially the MacDonalds attempted to use the Teampull na Trionaid as a sanctuary but later achieved the upper hand and won the day. Indeed a nearby feature known as the "ditch of blood' testifies to the ferocity of the encounter