The village of Fionnphort which means 'Port of the White Sands' in Gaelic and is pronounced something like 'fin-ny-firt'  is on the south west peninsula of Mull, known as the Ross of Mull. ('Ross' is the Scottish word for peninsula). Fionnphort takes its name from the splendid white sandy bay which is overlooked by Seaview providing a wonderful foreground to the Isle of Iona and its many stunning sunsets. Many of our guests comment on the views we have from Seaview and they often tell us that by staying with us they have the best of both worlds – not least our very welcoming hospitality but also the amazing views they have of the Sound of Iona and the Abbey, whilst enjoying breakfast and dinner. We agree with them – as inviting as Iona is, the view from Iona back across the water to Fionnphort isn’t quite the same!

Fionnphort today

Fionnphort is a small thriving community and is more than just a passing through point for the ferry across to Iona and the boat trips out to the Treshnish Isles – it is also the home and workplace to approximately 100 people. With only 45 homes in the village, Fionnphort and her residents support an astonishing number of visitors from around the world who travel through Glen More from Craignure to the Ross of Mull, whatever the weather, 365 days a year. The land and coastal waters around the Ross of Mull, (including other out lying villages and communities) supports the traditional farming, crofting, fishing (lobsters, crabs and prawns), fish farms (salmon), ferry service and forestry industries as well as the important industries of tourism, hospitality, service and retail which are so vital to the local economy. Further information about the fishing industry

   21^st century Fionnphort

For such a tiny hamlet, Fionnphort is pretty cosmopolitan in its own unique and hardy way. Visitors staying at Seaview come from around the world and despite its island location, our guests have always been delighted at the diverse range of services we personally offer along with the facilities and services offered in and around the village. Fionnphort isn’t chic, trendy or fashionable in a ‘slick city’ kind of way but it has a certain charm and heaps more to offer than one might expect. Long term plans for this small, vibrant and bustling Hebridean community include a harbour as well as forming the epicentre of the UK’s first National Marine Park.

One well known tourist information guide published a rather short sighted comment that Fionnphort was ‘merely for passing through……after all what was there to stop for?’ Had the writer stopped to find out, he or she would have discovered for themselves!

Recent guests of ours commented on the tourist information book referred to above, and told us that she had read the guide and in her view the comments were wrong and the authors clearly hadn't stayed, and that in fact Fionnphort was a gem of a place and well worth stopping for; not just to observe a real Hebridean community at work and at play but a rare opportunity to join in with the island life and sample the warm and friendly hospitality on offer and a unique and memorable experience to take home with them. One can’t receive a better accolade than that.

    Fionnphort Community Life

Our local grocery store The Ferry Shop & Post Office is right next door to Seaview and is owned and run by Alan & Rhona Lindsay who along with their staff sell an amazing array of goods from fresh produce and dried goods right through to fresh bread every morning. A supermarket it isn’t but it offers a diverse range of food items including freshly baked bread & croissants, takeaway coffee, delicatessen products, local cheeses, fresh fish, local meat products and fresh fruit, salad and vegetables. All this, as well as the local post office, newsagent, art, craft & gift shop showcasing local crafts and art work plus an ATM machine in the front foyer. With an impressive range of local history books on offer as well, plus internet, email and fax facilities and a hardware store at the back, there isn’t much that can’t be bought here and service is always with a friendly smile. Alan and Rhona are also very obliging at ordering stock in for you so it would be really great whilst you are here if you could support the local shop Tel: (01681) 700470

The Keel Row Pub & Restaurant is a traditional Hebridean crofters cottage which has been converted into a pub and is owned and run by Marilyn & Brendan along with their staff. The Keel Row offers a warm and inviting welcome to everyone and is family and dog friendly offering a wide and comprehensive menu catering for most tastes and budgets. The pub is open at lunch time for soups and sandwiches and serves evening meals from 6 pm in the restaurant. Reservations cannot be made as a 'first come-first served' system is operated. Food is plentiful and outdoor seating offers the opportunity to watch some spectacular sunsets whilst enjoying a wee dram or two; alternatively a wood burning stove sits tucked away in the fireplace in the pub giving off a cosy heat for those chillier evenings and days. Tel: (01681) 700458

HM Coastguard provides an important role in the community – the building can be found on the left on the way down to the pier. Coastguard callouts for search & rescue teams and medivac operations are all facilitated by local residents who volunteer their services even though they are busy with their businesses and work. The team at Fionnphort are called out several times a year to assist in a number of emergency callouts in all weather and at all times.

The RNLI are equally important and is a charity well supported by the village and the community on the Ross of Mull through fund raising events and a very popular book stall located in the garage of Trevor & Lorna. (You can find it on the right on your way from the Columba Centre car park). Other facilities in the village include the Calmac ticket office for the ferry across to Iona, and the ferry terminal with a tea room as well as public toilet facilities.

    Wild Fionnphort

Along with the many white sandy beaches, coves and bays offering visitors hours of beachcombing and discovery, the surrounding area has bird life galore, flora and fauna, walks for the uninitiated and the more experienced, and stunning views and scenery waiting to capture your heart and hopefully some amazing photographs too. The folks back home just won’t believe the beauty of the place.

Marine life is also abundant – Sammy the seal can often be seen in the bay especially when the fishing boats are in and landing their catch of lobsters, crabs and fish. Hand fed by the fisherman, Sammy sometimes appears with another seal but we don’t know if he’s a pal or a girlfriend. We are still waiting for a baby Sammy. Dolphins, porpoise and basking sharks have all been seen in the waters around Fionnphort swimming up and down the Sound of Iona; line fishing for crab and mackerel are enjoyed by youngsters (old and young) on the pier – freshly caught mackerel grilled on the BBQ on the beach is something else.

Here at Seaview we work on ‘Mull’ time – the pace of life is a lot slower and much more relaxed. When we are asked what time it is – we often say with tongue in cheek ‘light o’clock’, ‘dark o’clock’, ‘eat o’clock’ or ‘sleep o’clock’– time isn’t really that important to us and we try to enjoy each moment each day. If we are asked what day it is, we say “We don’t know but it ends in the letter ‘y’”. We aren’t being cheeky when we say this, we just believe that there are other choices to how one can live their life and we choose to prioritise ‘differently’ to some other folk. It may sound quirky but it suits us and our guests appreciate our approach as it helps them to relax, unwind and enjoy their time on the island – and very often when checking out, guests discover they have ‘lost’ a day or two!

Fionnphort Granite

Fionnphort is the home of the world famous Red Granite.  From this robust and decorative material many important civil engineering works were constructed and across the Sound of Iona is a lasting monument and tribute to this material…………..Iona Abbey.

Half a mile north across the moor land heather is the Tor Mor Quarry which once produced the unique red granite building blocks. Our home, Seaview is constructed of this granite and the superb workmanship of past local stonemasons can be seen on the front face of the house. The stone was popular because it was free of flaws and grain and would take intricate carving as well as a good polish – an excellent example of this can be found on the Seaview nameplate on the pillar at the front gate.

Other more auspicious building works that have used Fionnphort Granite include Blackfriars Bridge, Holburn Viaduct and the Albert Memorial in London, along with buildings in New York and Liverpool docks, Manchester City Hall and many others. 

Near to the quarry on the Mull side of the Sound of Iona is the small island of Eilean nam Ban or ‘Island of the Women’. It is widely believed that when St. Columba founded Iona he banished the women to this island – little did he realize what good swimmers the men were!

One of Fionnphort's most recognisable landmarks is the huge split rock on the beach - it's very impressive and can't be missed. Legend has it that Finn McCool (Fionn mac Cumhail) an Irish Giant lived on an Antrim headland and one day when going about his daily business a Scottish Giant named Fingal began to shout insults and hurl abuse from across the channel. In anger Finn lifted a clod of earth and threw it at the giant as a challenge, the earth landed in the sea. Fingal retaliated with a rock thrown back at Finn and shouted that Finn was lucky that he wasn't a strong swimmer or he would have made sure he could never fight again.

Finn was enraged and began lifting huge clumps of earth from the shore, throwing them so as to make a pathway for the Scottish giant to come and face him. However by the time he finished making the crossing he had not slept for a week and so instead devised a cunning plan to fool the Scot. Finn disguised himself as a baby in a cot and when his adversary came to face him Finn's wife told the Giant that Finn was away but showed him his son sleeping in the cradle. The Scottish giant became apprehensive, for if the son was so huge, what size would the father be?

In his haste to escape Fingal sped back along the causeway Finn had built, tearing it up as he went. He is said to have fled to a cave on Staffa which is to this day named 'Fingal's Cave'. 'Local legend' has it that the boulder on Fionnphort beach is one of the stones thrown in the heated exchanges between the two giants and this is where one of them landed!

Tormore Granite Quarry

The most dominant feature of the lower end of the Ross of Mull is its red and pink, rounded granite landscape.  The area starts just to the west of Bunessan and finishes out at sea as the Torran rocks. 

The attractive colouring of the rock and its tough qualities have been recognised by man since early times and its exploitation as a decorative, durable building material, was inevitable. 

On the Ross of Mull several economic factors came together to make commercial quarrying a reality.   Firstly, the rock is extensive and of a particularly high, attractive quality.  Secondly, it was in close proximity to several large civil engineering projects like the lighthouses, and in earlier times Iona Abbey and its monastery.  Finally, the most important economic factor of all was its close proximity to the sea and transport.  Tormore Quarry fulfils all the factors required for economic extraction and was used for many years to decorate and construct many famous buildings. 

The description and basic qualities of the finished stone is as follows: (taken from the publicity material produced by "Scottish Natural Stones".) 

Type: Biotite Microcline Granite; Colour and texture: Warm Pink/Red with pale Grey/Brown felspars - medium texture; Crushing Strength: 200 MN/m.sq (29,000lbf/in.sq);
Weight: 2,819Kg/cubic meter(179lbs/cubic foot)

To go into the full history of Tormore Quarry would be too extensive to reproduce on an introductory webpage, and, so I would strongly recommend that if you wish to read more about this subject that you buy the definitive book by Joan Faithfull entitled "The Ross of Mull Granite Quarries" published by The New Iona Press  ISBN 0 9516283 6 4   This book is available for purchase in the book section of The Ferry Shop next to Seaview. The author has a cottage in the Tormore quarry and her family visit in the Summer. 

Anyway, a quick history in brief.  Opened in 1831 for commercial extraction and quarrying ceased in 1910.  Reopened by "Scottish Natural Stones" in 1985.  Stone is only rarely extracted now. 1990 was the last really busy period when I used to see lorry load after lorry load of large unshaped Granite blocks leaving the island on the back of articulated wagons.  Cranes and quarry equipment lies derelict in the working area today (2007). 

The stone that was produced was shipped to many places in the world, particularly America.  Its use for monumental construction has meant that pieces of Ross of Mull Granite have turned up as far away as China, and in graveyards throughout the world.  The list of some of the more well known structures is shown below.  It has been compiled from Joan Faithfull's book and "Scottish monumental stone's" catalogue.  Some of the structures were made from Granite from other local quarries in combination.

Iona Abbey; Columns for the  Glasgow General post office and University; Dunrobin Castle, Golspie; Manchester Town Hall; St. George's Hall, Liverpool; Argyll car factory in Alexandria and more recently the Halifax Building Society in  Kilmarnock; Compaq Computer Facility in Erskine; Sun Alliance Offices in Edinburgh and the High Commissioner's House in Wellington, New Zealand (foyer and lift area).  The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens; Royal Mausoleum, Frogmore, London; Eric Liddell Memorial in China; the Skerryvore, Ardnamurchan, Dhu Hartach and Hyskeir Lighthouses; Blackfriars, Westminster, and Holburn Viaduct bridges in London; Jamaica and Kirklee bridges in Glasgow; New York, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Barrow, docks and numerous piers. 

For the complete list then have a look at Joan Faithfull's book - it really is worthwhile.