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THE IONA CROSS (S96+R96) 6C Sq. (5s face 1s & 6s face 3s) John W Mitchell  Whetherly Book 17 Dance 3 times Strathspey & 3 times Reel: -  1- 8 1s+5s+6s+3s dance parallel RSh reels of 4 up/down set  9-16 1s+5s & 6s+3s dance DoSiDo as 2s & 4s Adv+Ret, 1s+5s & 6s+3s dance ½ R&L (1s & 3s end facing side couples) 17-24 2s & facing couple (1L+3M) with 4s & facing couple (1M+3L) dance parallel RSh reels of 4 across set 25-32 Each centre dancer (1s & 3s) dances RH across with nearest 2 corner dancers, centre dancers dance LH across once round in the centre as outside couples (5s+2s+6s+4s) circle 8H round (or chase) to left ¾ way (quickly) to new positions with 2s at top, 6s in 2 nd  place, 4s in 3 rd  place & 5s in 4 th  place Dance notes: 25-28 1s & 3s each dance RH across with the two opposite gender dancers to his/her right in the corner of the set 29-32 This chase is almost impossibly difficult in only 4 bars with consequential damage to bars 1-8 of the next repeat; a chase of ¼   followed by 4s 5s 2s 6s set on the sides is much more comfortable.

Iona (Ì Chaluim Chille in Gaelic) is a small island in the Inner Hebrides off the western coast of Scotland. St. Columba, an Irish Prince, chose to establish his mission on Iona in 563 AD and the religious community he founded quickly became a place of pilgrimage and Christian learning that was renowned throughout Europe. The Abbey, whose earliest parts date back to the 11th century, produced some of the most beautiful and intricately carved "Celtic" crosses in Scotland - Islay's Kildalton Cross, ornately carved in the 7th century from a single slab of rock, was probably by a sculptor from Iona - and it is thought that the famous Book of Kells may have been partly written on the island. Today only 3 early free standing High Crosses remain on Iona out of over 1,000 that existed here in the Middle Ages. The surviving crosses are St. John's Cross, St. Martin's Cross and St. Matthew's Cross, all of which are found west of the Abbey. The remains of the original 8th century St. John's Cross are preserved and it is a replica (erected in 1970) which now stands outside St Columba’s Shrine. All of these crosses were constructed from large pieces of granite slotted together with mortis-and-tenon joints. The sides of the crosses are elaborately decorated with vines, ornamental circles, flowers and scenes from the gospels. The west face of the St. Martin's Cross depicts Daniel in the Lion's Den, while the east face of the St. Mathew's Cross shows the temptation of Adam and Eve. Clearly in an age where books were expensive and rare, high stone crosses served to communicate the gospel to a largely illiterate population. The remains of two other early crosses, the St. Odran's Cross and the stem of an unknown cross can be seen in the Nunnery Museum.