Roving Reporter | Bun na Mairge

On the windswept shores of Ballycastle stand the ruins of a 15th-Century Franciscan monastery. Here, James Boyce tells the stories of Sorley Boy MacDonnell and the stolen jewelled cross of Columcille. He then visits the graveyard where the remains of many of the MacDonnell clan lie alongside sailors who perished during World War I.

St Columcille founded the monastery at Iona and is associated with the 'Book of Kells', although the origins of the famous illustrated Bible have never been accurately established. Legend also has it that Columcille encountered the Loch Ness Monster and commanded it to return below the water.