In Spring 2007 An Tobar Art Centre has offered Eduard to make a piece from the old oak, which fall few years ago during a storm in unique oak woodland on Mull and was donated by Forestry to Art Centre.  I guess in one of his previous life Eduard would be happy to use this oak to carve a dozen figures for some gothic cathedral - but at the moment only small part of the majestic oak was used to carve a figure of  St.Columba with his symbol, a dove. The  Isle of Iona  where St.Columba founded his Abbey 1,500 years ago, is just across narrow sound from Mull, so it is quite possible, that the spirit of old man still guards the beautiful islands.

The Sculpture was installed in September 2007.

Find about St.Columba at  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba#Vita_Columbae

From “The Life of Columba, written by Adomnan”

Chapter 24. How our Patron, St. Columba, passed to the Lord

 The old man, worn out with age, went in a cart one day in the month of May, to visit some of the brethren who were at work… Then he turned his face to the east, still seated as he was in his chariot, and blessed the island with its inhabitants; and from that day to the present the venomous reptiles with the three forked tongues could do no manner of harm to man or beast. In the end, the venerable man, went to bless the barn which was near at hand When the saint had entered in and blessed it, and two heaps of winnowed corn that were in it, saying, ‘I heartily congratulate my beloved monks, that this year also, if I am obliged to depart from you, you will have a sufficient supply for the year.’  

After this the saint left the barn, and in going back to the monastery, rested half way... While the saint, as I have said, bowed down with old age, sat there to rest a little, behold, there came up to him a white pack-horse, the same that used, as a willing servant, to carry the milk-vessels from the cowshed to the monastery. It came up to the saint and, strange to say, laid its head on his bosom- and began to utter plaintive cries, and like a human being, to shed copious tears on the saint's bosom, foaming and greatly wailing. The attendant seeing this, began to drive the weeping mourner away, but the saint forbade him, saying: ‘Let it alone, as it is so fond of me, let it pour out its bitter grief into my bosom. The Creator Himself hath evidently in some way made it known that its master is going to leave it.’ And saying this, the saint blessed the work-horse, which turned away from him in sadness. 

‘Then leaving this spot, he ascended the hill that overlooketh the monastery, and stood for some little time on its summit; and as he stood there with both hands uplifted, he blessed his monastery, saying: "Small and mean though this place is, yet it shall be held in great and unusual honour, not only by Scotic kings and people, but also by the rulers of foreign and barbarous nations, and by their subjects; the saints also even of other churches shall regard it with no common reverence.’

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