The Monk and the Mermaid is a story from the island of Iona in the Scottish Hebrides. On St Columba’’s Bay at the south end of the island, the beach where the monks first landed in their coracles from Ireland, you can still find the most beautiful green stones, polished by the sea. This is the legend, told for children, of how these wonderful stones came to be, and why they are there to this very day.
Kenneth Steven lives in Dunkeld in Perthshire with his wife and daughter. Iona has been his spiritual home since he was a child; he learned to walk on one of the island’s beaches. His poetry collection Iona – first published in 2000 – remains one of his best known books. For many years now he has led writing retreats on the island.
24 pages with colour illustrations and text