Texa

Texa is a small island in the Inner Hebrides, lying 700 metres south of Islay. It reaches 48 metres at its highest point, Ceann Garbh, and belongs to the parish of Kildalton in Argyll and Bute. The island has no permanent residents but is home to wild goats and otters. Nearby on Islay are the distilleries of Laphroaig and Lagavulin, along with the village of Port Ellen. The rock is mainly schist with some hornblende, and fresh water is supplied by Tobar Moireig. Texa may once have been the Oidecha Insula mentioned by St Adomnan. St Cainneach is said to have left his crozier on Iona, which was blessed by St Columba, cast into the sea, and later found on Oidecha. The island was used as an ecclesiastical settlement, and a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was built in the late 14th century by Raghnall of Islay. Remains of the chapel and a cross shaft can still be seen, and the site is commemorated in the names Bàgh na h-Eaglais and Tobar Moireig. Visitors find the remains of the 14th-century chapel and other scattered ruins across the island. The shoreline at Church Bay offers a sheltered anchorage, and several caves once housed anchorites. The island’s history includes visits by the Norse fleet of Somerled in the 13th century and later occupation until the early 19th century. The Statistical Account notes good pasture and a burying-place around the chapel, where parts of the walls still stand.