Kirkapol Church
Postcard of Kirkapol Church
Courtesy of Mrs Ishobel MacDonald
Built in 1842, Kirkapol Church serves the eastern half of Tiree. It is almost square and resembles a typical non-conformist chapel in design. The masonry is local rubble with sandstone dressings and quoins of pink granite brought from the Ross of Mull.
The church contains a memorial to the Rev. Hector MacKinnon, a native of Tiree, who began his ministry here (1892-94) and later became so powerful a preacher he was called the ‘Spurgeon of the North’.
Nearby are the remains of a former parish church dating from the 14th century dedicated to St Columba and a smaller 13th century chapel, both probably built on the sites of earlier churches. The name Kirkapol derives from the Norse for Church Town.
Black and white postcard of Kirkapol Church.
Postcard of Kirkapol Church in the 1950s. (Original in Filing Cabinet 5 drawer 1)