The Secrets of Isle Maree

The Secrets of Isle Maree. Isle Maree is a tiny wooded island on Loch Maree in Wester Ross.   Loch Maree is the largest loch in the North West of Scotland and lies in a glacial trough. There are 66 islands on Loch Maree.

Isle Maree may be one of the smallest islands on the loch but it holds an amazing amount of history and some wonderful legends. The island has been used as a religious site by Christians and Pagans and there are clues that it was even an important Druid site. The selection of trees on the island are different to the other islands, there are many old Oaks and Holly trees whereas the other islands are almost entirely Scots Pine. For an island to have such ancient Oaks and Holly Trees is a sign that this was an important place for Druids.  Also there is evidence of a Druid’s Circle which has been dated to 100 BC on the island.

God Mourie

On the island are the remains of what is believed to be the 8th Century hermitage of Saint Máel Ruba who founded the monastery of Applecross in 672. This is where the name ‘Maree’ and comes from.

The Saint was also spoken about as ‘God Mourie,’ and it is believed that he was actually worshipped in this area. There is also talk about the ‘Cult of God Mourie’, people who continued to worship him and carry out certain rituals after his death.

In the 17th century the Presbytery of Dingwall was disturbed by reports of several rituals, evidently of pagan origin, such as the sacrificing of bulls, on an island in Loch Maree. These were seen as part of a ritual of the cult of ‘God Mourie’. On August 25th is the festival St. Maelrubha’s feast day. The Presbytery of Dingwall reported that people on this day would sacrifice a bull on the island and walk around the chapel performing divination.

Cure for Insanity

Isle Maree also attracted the sick and the insane, who drank from its holy well and who were plunged into the loch three times in the hope of a cure. This was done by a boat circling the island three times, each time as it rounded the island the ‘lunatic’ who had a rope tied around them was dunked into the water. Then the boat would land and the patient would drink from the well, then an offering was made. This process was repeated each day for maybe several weeks, until the person was considered cured.

This dates back to the time of St Maelrubha  and was still being  used up until 1858. Locals say that lunatics are still taken to the island by people looking to cure them, but this is all kept very secret.

The waters in the well dried up after locals say it was desecrated by a man using it to try and cure his mad dog. Supposedly the dog died the next day and a week later so did it’s owner.

This way of ‘curing’ insanity may have evolved from the ritual of sacrificing bulls on the island. As late as 1695, Hector MacKenzie, his son and his grandson sacrificed a bull on the island for the healing of the invalid Christine MacKenzie.

Wishing tree

This ritual only dates to Victorian times and originated with Queen Victoria who visited Isle Maree on the 16th September 1877. Many people say it is a pagan ritual but although there were pagan rituals of giving a gift this one is not that old. Queen Victoria visited Isle Maree and read a short sermon to her Gairloch gillies,  she then fixed her offering in the wishing-tree, a pleasantry which most visitors to the island repeat, it being common report that a wish given when any metal article is attached to the tree will come true. It is said that if any one removes an offering that has been fixed in the tree, some misfortune, probably the taking fire of the house of the desecrator, is sure to follow.

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