Cathedral Church of St Moluag – now community owned

by Pauline Dowling | 25 Jul 2026 | Blog, Church, History

Thursday 25^th of June 2026 marked a new era for Lismore when the community purchased the Cathedral Church of St Moluag from the Church of Scotland. The Oban Times reporter pictured a small but representative group of islanders, ranging in age from two to 82, standing on the steps and brandishing the ancient key to the front door.

A weekend of celebration followed.

Parish Church from the old graveyard.

Lismore Parish Church

Church Key 2014

A year earlier, islanders had voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move which was organised by Kilmoluag Liosmor, the charity set up to purchase and run the building. A generous islander provided the asking price of £25,000 and a formal offer was put to the Church of Scotland by their deadline. the end of June 2025.

The 25^th of June was also Saint Moluag’s day so what could have been more fitting.

The following day, Friday morning, the Minister, Dugald Cameron, shared St Moluag’s story with the children who then coloured in drawings of Moluag’s boat and added their own hopes for the future of the island. In the afternoon the children went on a nature ramble and picked posies of flowers which were taken to the church along with their pictures as their contribution to the festival.

Flower festival June 2026

Church community owned 25 June 2026

The celebrations also coincided with the annual flower festival in the church which was transformed with flowers, tapestries and pictures representing Lismore Glory – the theme of the Flower Festival. St Moluag’s Bay (Port Moluag) appeared in the gallery window sill and a representation of Moluag the ‘sun in Alba’, below the pulpit fall. Islanders brought arrangements and jugs of flowers from their gardens which filled the window sills, the space before the communion table, the niches and ancient doorways and the porch and anywhere else a vase or two could be inserted. All was just about ready by the stated opening time of the celebrations at 11am on Saturday 20 June.

Islanders and visitors enjoyed the decorations and at 3pm Mairi Campbell performed on her fiddle and viola as well as singing, concentrating on nature and flower themes and even incorporated music into the timeline on the back of the new church leaflet.

Cutting the cake

Iris Smith made a stunning celebratory cake topped with the charity logo of the Grass of Parnassus, being St Moluag’s flower, and edged with pink rose petals. This was ceremoniously cut after Mairi’s recital by the two youngest island school children present, Nora and Hannah Smith and the two oldest islanders present, Archie MacGillivray and Duncan MacGregor. And tea and cake in the aisle was much enjoyed.

At 8pm on Saturday 20 June the first ever Ceilidh was held in the church. Performers appeared with intruments:. Arthur Cross played his pipe and Noelle Odling her fiddle while Mary MacDougall sang in Gaelic and led some community siging. A visitor brought his guitar and offered some short classical pieces including Bach which Mairi had woven into the timeline earlier. Sebastian read a poem he had been commissioned to write for the occasion plus a couple of other pieces, and the session was rounded off with everyone joining in with the hymn sung to the tune of ‘leaving Lismore’.

For a number of years, a special joint service had been held with the congregation of Appin so on Sunday June 25^th 17 Appin folk were transported from the ferry to join the Lismore congregation and visitors for the 2.30 service led by the Minister.

Andreas Wolff from BBC Alba filmed this as he had the previous evening’s ceilidh. Mary MacDougall and Freda Drysdale did Gaelic readings and Katy Crossan sang a beautiful Gaelic song . These were interspersed with relevant hymns and prayers and a thought-provoking sermon. And then there was more tea and cake.

Excerpts were shown on BBC Alba’s An La programme on the Monday 29 June along with interviews in Gaelic with Mary MacDougall and Duncan.MacGregor.

Kilmoluag Liosmor SC 053097

Current trustees: Rosemary Barry, Catherine Forgrieve, Stephen Green, Archie MacGillivray and Mary MacDougall

Words: Rosemary Barry

Images: Rosemary Barry Pauline Dowling