Set against the cinematic landscapes of 6th-century Scotland and Ireland, The Chronicles of Iona tells the untold true story of the unlikely bond between Aedan mac Gabran, a hired sword whose kingdom gave rise to the nation of Scotland, and St. Columba, an exiled Irish abbot who founded the monastery of Iona, one of the greatest centres of civilisation in ‘Dark Age’ Europe. It’s like the stories of King Arthur and Merlin, but ‘true’—a world poised between myth and history.
It is 563 A.D.
Exile begins in 563 A.D. The Roman Empire is long gone, freeing the region of Scotland from the threat of imperial rule but opening it to chaos from warring tribes vying for control. Columba, a powerful abbot-prince, is exiled from Ireland to the pagan colony of Dal Riata on Scotland’s west coast for an act of violence. There he encounters Aedan, the down-and-out second son of the colony’s former king, slain by the Picts.
Together, this unlikely pair travels the breadth of a divided realm, each in search of his own kind of unity. Their path is fraught with blood feuds, lost love, treachery, dark gods and monsters, but also with miracles and valour. Beset on all sides, their only hope is to become allies—and to forge a daring alliance with the pagan Picts.
How Columba overcame exile and a crisis of faith to found the famous monastery of Iona (one of the greatest centres of learning in ‘Dark Age’ Europe), and how Aedan avenged his father’s death and became, against all odds, the progenitor of Scottish kings and the greatest warlord of his age, begins here.
For both, what begins as a personal imperative becomes a series of events that lead to the foundation of Iona and the kingdom of Scotland—events that literally change the world.
It is 567 A.D. Four years after journeying with the Scottish warrior Aedan mac Gabran into the land of the wild Picts, Irish abbot-prince Columba is forced back there to seek Aedan’s aid for an epic battle. Aedan must leave his Pictish wife and child and return to his first love, now married to the brother whose princely power he has vowed to help save.
Following the adventures of The Chronicles of Iona: Exile, Columba and Aedan set out on a perilous journey, beset by beasts, miracles, and doubts every step of the way. Yet once home, the friends’ struggle to quell the chaos of the western shores only unearths even more secrets and prophecies that test old loyalties and faiths of all kinds.
While Saxon invaders spread from the east and the Britons’ many kingdoms battle for sovereignty, the Scots’ ancestors from Ireland also enter the fray, and Aedan and Columba must fight enemies both political and personal in a desperate attempt to protect everything they have come to love. As time runs out for the Scots, can they save Dal Riata before it is engulfed in a savage civil war—and before Conall, their king, takes both their heads?
It is 574 A.D. Against all odds and at great personal cost, Aedan mac Gabran, for many years an outcast amongst the barbarous Picts, has become king of the Scots of Dal Riata. With Columba, an exiled Irish prince and now abbot of the young monastery of Iona, he works to restore peace to a nascent kingdom riddled by blood feuds and bitter factions.
Yet, old enemies soon threaten to destroy all these two friends hold most dear, and Aedan is forced to scatter his family and go in search of a fabled lost prince who holds the key to unifying his ancestral homeland in the wilds of Ireland. Guiding him on this perilous mission is Columba who, by returning from exile to his beloved motherland, risks death at every turn. Beset on all sides by hostile Britons, Irish, and Picts, their quest to bring stability to a divided, contentious region comes at an unexpected cost neither is willing to pay.
Island-Pilgrim, the third volume in the epic series The Chronicles of Iona, brings to vivid and striking life the world of 6th-century Scotland and Ireland, a world struggling against forces both intimate and profound to shed the chaos of the Dark Ages for the light of a new age.
It is 574 A.D. Columba and Aedan mac Gabran hunt down their enemies through the wilds of Ireland’s ancient north and west. Their quest? To find Aedan’s lost brother, to unite the warring peoples of Dal Riata, and to defeat once and for all the tyrannical overlord who holds them all hostage.
But an even greater enemy threatens: bubonic plague ravages Europe yet again, bringing the West to its knees—a mortal peril from which none of them may escape.
Ranging across the storied landscapes of early-mediaeval Donegal, Northern Ireland, and the Isle of Man, Cradle of Saints, the timely fourth instalment of this epic series, continues the stirring tale of the two men who helped to found the monastery of Iona and the nascent kingdom of Scotland.
Hi Paula,
Is there going to be a fourth book in the series?
Adam.
Hi Adam,
Thanks for asking. Yes, there will be 8, in fact. I’m working on the 4th now, called “Cradle of Saints”. I’ll keep everyone posted here, but so far so good!
There is so much story to tell about these two–I wonder if 8 will do it!
Paula
Can’t wait. Do you have an ETA on book 4?
Hi MeeeThreee. Thanks so much for asking! The spring? It’s really coming along. There’s lots to pack into this one–plot strands to resolve, and some really cool historical sites in the North of Ireland and the Isle of Man to weave into the story. This one’s got it all, and then some: battles and intrigue, of course, plus sweet revenge, Columba’s long-lost love (yes, you read that correctly!), and the plague, which hit the British Isles hard in the 570s. That feels especially timely, given COVID-19, and there’s much to explore there.
Anything in particular you’d like to see???
All the best until then. Paula
Thanks for the quick reply. I’m just looking forward to the next book. It sounds great. Can’t wait!
Longer days and “Cradle of Saints” , two things to look forward this spring
What a lovely thought. Thank you Lisa. Working hard on “Cradle”. It’s keeping me sane in the midst of our present madnesses! All the best to you.
Hi Paula, I picked up a copy of the first book in the series from the Abbey on Iona whilst on holiday in Argyll. I’ve subsequently devoured all three books whilst still here and I’ll be visiting Dun Ad before going home to the Midlands of England. I just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed the Chronicles of Iona and that I can’t wait for the “Cradle of Saints”. Reading them here, in Scotland, has been an evocative experience! Thank you so much and best wishes.
Richard–Thanks for this! So happy you’re enjoying them. Did you get to Dunadd?
Hi Paula, I have very much enjoyed the series so far, is there a fifth in progress? and if so, when do you expcet it to be published?
Best Regards
David Hambley
Hi David–that is lovely to hear! Thank you for letting me know that you’re enjoying the series. I’m hard at work on Book 5 now and have about a third of it done. It’s provisionally titled “Orcades” (which will give you a clue as to one of the major new locations that Aedan and Columba get to this time around!). While I’m working towards a Christmas release, it may be finished sooner–I will post on all my socials when it’s done. All the best until then. Paula
Paula, I just finished Cradle of Saints! It’s like a friend! I am so enthralled in the books! So as I see in previous posts there will be 8 books total? I can hardly wait for book 5! My name is Carey MacConaugha! That being said, I read and live my Celtic heritage daily! I love our history and the gifts we have given to so many! Any idea when book 5 will be published? It’s Iona draughtlander instead of Outlander !
Hi Carey! Thanks for this. Love the association with ‘Outlander’ and, yes, I do hope the books make it to the big screen one day! I hope to have more news to share on this soon … In the meantime, I am hard at work on Book 5 with plans for a December launch. I’ll keep everyone posted here. All the best and thanks. Paula
Where I can purchase or access the first of The Chronicles. I have travelled twice to Tiree in the last few year. While on a boat to Staffa I was thinking and fantasizing about Iona and St Colombia.
Sean in Nova Scotia
Hi Sean. Thanks for this! There are 3 ways to buy printed copies of the books. You can buy the first book, ‘The Chronicles of Iona: Exile’, by (1.) requesting a copy from any bookshop, by (2.) clicking the link to the book on this website’s landing page (which will put you through to Amazon), or (3.) through Amazon directly (you can order the book online in any country and it will be printed locally and mailed to you). It’s also available as an e-book through all the majors channels. As for gorgeous Tiree, what a stunning place! I loved it when I was there this spring doing research for Book 5–Columba set up a monastery on Tiree and a large part of the action of the new book takes place there, on other islands in the Hebrides, and in the Orkneys. It’s been hugely satisfying to write. Let me know how you get on with the book and thanks. Paula
Also–a shout-out to our fabulous libraries! If you’d like to borrow a copy rather than buy one, ask at your local library …
My kids were going to buy me the 5th book for Christmas but I guess you were not able to get it out by then. It’s now June and I still can’t buy it. I hope all is well with you and yours.
Hi Deborah,
You have very sweet kids! And I’m so happy you’re enjoying the series. Book 5 is indeed done! I’m adding the final polishes and will get it out as quickly as I can. I’ll keep everyone posted here. Until then, all the best. Paula
I absolutely love this series. Is there an expected release date for Book 5? Thanks!
Thanks James! I’m hard at work at it–plus am nearly finished the first book in another series (an historical-crime series set in Plantagenet England which I’ve had planned for ages …) so expect to get ‘Orcades’ (Book 5) out by the early spring. I will keep you posted here!