Last year a Druid circle was discovered at Mr MacDiarmid’s farm in the north part of the island, and that this relic of antiquity has a history is beyond doubt. Last week a grave was discovered at Scarnish, immediately behind the Post Office. It was opened in presence of a company of onlookers and was found to be five feet long by three feet broad, and three foot deep, and was substantially built all round. The bottom was on the solid rock. The bones were there, and the teeth on examination were perfectly fresh and as firm and perfect as life. Who has been buried there is not known, but there is a tradition which is said to belong to it which we reproduce in the words of one of the islanders :
‘Donald, son of John of Jura [a] MacLean, tenant of the farm of Hynish, was drowned on his way to the island of Barra. That his body was washed ashore on the island of Gunna in the Sound of Coll, and identified by Black Donald of Gunna, who placed the body in a sack made of straw ropes, called in Gaelic maorach. When starting for Tiree, the propietrix of Gunna by both ends of Coll hailed him from the Coll side, and wished to be taken across to Tiree, but would not go along with the body. Black Donald refused to go with her till he left the body in Tiree. For this she took offence, and evicted him from Gunna, and he had to build a house in Tiree. The place where the body was landed, at Caolas, Tiree is still marked by a cairn called Donald son of John of Jura’s cairn. Also, the creek where the body was washed ashore is called till this day after him. Argyll had the whole of the island of Tiree, with the exception of the farm of Scarnish owned by MacLean of Drimmer [Drimnin?]. Consequently, Donald of Tiree was buried in Scarnish, but seemingly no one knew of the place. It is supposed to be the grave found by some boys last week on a little knowe called Baca Gobheach. The grave is built with stones … covered with large flat slabs of stones.’ (Oban Times and Argyllshire Advertiser, 6 October 1894, p. 5).
The post office in 1894 was in MacArthur’s shop, the site of the present Coop.
