Sugar Babies From Iona, Nova Scotia

Sugar babies are women who provide intimate relationships or simple companionships to men in exchange for monetary favors or gifts. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement that can work for both those who need companionship and those who desire nice things or money. It is a type of relationship, not a business transaction, unlike other methods of garnering companionship in exchange for money. Sugar babies are not stereotypical "gold diggers." They come in all shapes and sizes and can be any type of woman in Iona, Nova Scotia.

A sugar baby may be a college student who is paying her way through college, has some spare time to commit to a sugar baby/sugar daddy relationship and enjoys nice things. She may be intelligent, self-sufficient and classy. She may also be the opposite. The thing to remember is that sugar daddies are looking for different things. Therefore, sugar babies can be any combination of those things.

Sugar babies can also be independently successful women. They may have money of their own, spend time traveling as an executive for a big company, be a business owner or be perpetrator of any number of successful business endeavors. This type of sugar baby may find excitement in this sort of relationship. She may not need anything monetary or nice gifts from her partner. She may just enjoy having a man spend money on her, despite having plenty of money of her own. Many men find success attractive in a woman. Therefore, certain sugar daddies may have exactly this type of woman in mind when they seek to initiate a relationship with a sugar baby.

Monetary success and intelligence or lack thereof are not the only things in which sugar babies differ. A sugar baby's appearance is another area that may differ in Iona, Nova Scotia due to cultural expectations or simply differ by personal preference. One sugar daddy may like a classic trophy girlfriend. He may want her to be young and very attentive to her looks on a superficial level. Another sugar daddy may not care how his sugar baby dresses but wants her to be athletic. Yet another sugar daddy may not care about looks at all and simply wants a woman who is entertaining.

When one envisions a sugar baby, the image of a young woman typically comes to mind. This is not always the case. Sugar babies may be older women because older and younger sugar daddies alike may prefer older women. Older women may also seek a life of relative luxury in their later years. It is a good way to have fun, receive gifts and take a break from the hustle of life.

The diversity in sugar babies also applies to ethnicity and weight. There is no set standard for any of these things when it comes to sugar babies. Any woman can strive to be a sugar baby and find the right sugar daddy for her. She can be tattooed and pierced or girl next door sweet. She can be funny or serious. She can be a lover of the arts or a computer geek. In short, sugar baby is as diverse a word as the word woman.

Description

Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility and natural beauty. Its modern Gaelic name is ÃŒ or ÃŒ Chaluim Chille (pronounced [iː xalˠ̪əmˈçiÊŽÉ™]) meaning "Iona of Saint Columba" (formerly anglicised "Icolmkill").

Etymology

The Hebrides have been occupied by the speakers of at least four languages since the Iron Age, and as a result many of the names of these islands have more than one possible meaning. Nonetheless few, if any, can have accumulated so many different names over the centuries as the island now known in English as "Iona". The earliest forms of the name enabled place-name scholar William J. Watson to show that the name originally meant something like "yew-place".[4] The element Ivo-, denoting "yew", occurs in Ogham inscriptions (Iva-cattos [genitive], Iva-geni [genitive]) and in Gaulish names (Ivo-rix, Ivo-magus) and may form the basis of early Gaelic names like Eogan (ogham: Ivo-genos).[5] It is possible that the name is related to the mythological figure, Fer hÍ mac Eogabail, foster-son of Manannan, the forename meaning "man of the yew".[6] Mac an Tàilleir (2003) lists the more recent Gaelic names of Ì[7], Ì Chaluim Chille and Eilean Idhe noting that the first named is "generally lengthened to avoid confusion" to the second, which means "Calum's (i.e. in latinised form "Columba's") Iona" or "island of Calum's monastery".[8][9] The possible confusion results from "ì", despite its original etymology, becoming a Gaelic noun (now obsolete) meaning simply "island".[10] Eilean Idhe means "the isle of Iona", also known as "Ì nam ban bòidheach ("the isle of beautiful women"). The modern English name comes from an 18th century misreading of yet another variant, Ioua,[8][9] which was either just Adomnán's attempt to make the Gaelic name fit Latin grammar or else a genuine derivative from Ivova ("yew place").[11] Ioua's change to Iona results from a transcription mistake resulting from the similarity of "n" and "u" in Insular Minuscule.[12] Despite the continuity of forms in Gaelic between the pre-Norse and post-Norse eras, Haswell-Smith (2004) speculates that the name may have a Norse connection, Hiōe meaning "island of the den of the brown bear".[9] The medieval English language version was "Icolmkill" (and variants thereof).[9]

Folk etymology

Murray (1966) states that the "ancient" Gaelic name was Innis nan Druinich (the isle of Druidic hermits") and repeats an apocryphal Gaelic story that as Columba's coracle first drew close to the island one of his companions cried out "Chì mi i" meaning "I see her" and that Columba's response was "Henceforth we shall call her Ì".[15]

Gallery

The Isle of Mull, showing the location of Iona Ninth century St Martin's Cross Iona Nunnery Iona, showing the location of the Abbey and Dùn Ì Abbey cloisters Looking towards St. Columba's Bay Iona Book Shop

Geography

Iona lies approximately one mile (1.6 km) from the coast of Mull. The island is 1 mile wide (1.6 km) and 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long with a resident population of 125.[16] The island's stone base is covered by a layer of basaltic lava. Like other places swept by ocean breezes, there are few trees with most of these being located around the parish church area. Iona's highest point is Dùn ÃŒ (101 m, 331 ft), an Iron Age hill fort dating from 100 BC – 200 AD. Its geographical features include the Bay at the Back of the Ocean and Càrn Cùl ri Éirinn (the Hill/Cairn of [turning the] Back to Ireland), said to be adjacent to the beach where St. Columba first landed. The main settlement, located at St. Ronan's Bay on the eastern side of the island, is called Baile Mòr and is also known locally as "The Village". The primary school, post office, the island's two hotels, the Bishop's House and the ruins of the Nunnery are here. The Abbey and MacLeod Centre are a short walk to the north.[2][17] Port Bàn (white port) beach on the west side of the island is home of the Iona Beach Party.[18] There are numerous offshore islets and skerries of which Eilean Annraidh (island of storm) and Eilean Chalbha (calf island) to the north, Rèidh Eilean and Stac MhicMhurcaidh to the west and Eilean Mùsimul (mouse holm island) and Soa Island to the south are amongst the largest.[2] The steamer Cathcart Park carrying a cargo of salt from Runcorn to Wick ran aground on Soa on 15 April 1912, the crew of 11 escaping in two boats.[19]

History

Prior to the 6th century, Iona may already have been a sacred island in the pre-Christian traditions of the Iron Age inhabitants of the Hebrides. Though there is no actual physical evidence for this, it would explain why Columba settled on this particular island. In 563 Saint Columba, also known as Colm Cille, was exiled from his native Ireland as a result of his involvement in the Battle of Cul Dreimhne,[20] and founded a monastery on Iona with 12 companions. From there they set about the conversion of pagan Scotland and much of northern England to Christianity. Iona's fame as a place of learning and Christian mission spread throughout Europe and it became a major site of pilgrimage. Iona became a holy island where several kings of Scotland, Ireland and Norway came to be buried. Many believe that the Book of Kells was produced, in whole or in part, on Iona towards the end of the 8th century. A series of Viking raids on the monastery on Iona began in 794, and after its treasures had been plundered many times, Columba’s relics were removed and divided two ways between Scotland and Ireland in 849 as the monastery was abandoned.[21] A convent for the Order of Benedictine Nuns was established in 1208, with Beathag, daughter of Somerled, as first prioress. The present Benedictine abbey was built in 1203. The monastery itself flourished until the Reformation when buildings were demolished and all but three of the 360 carved crosses destroyed.[22] Iona Nunnery survives as a series of 12th-13th century ruins of the church and cloister, and a colourful garden. Unlike the rest of the medieval religious buildings, the nunnery was too fragmentary to restore, though its remains are nevertheless the most complete survival of a medieval nunnery in Scotland. Pebbles of the green-streaked Iona marble, commercially mined in the 19th century in the south east of Iona (the quarry and original machinery survive) can be found on the island's beaches.

Iona Abbey

Iona Abbey, now an ecumenical church, is of particular historical and religious interest to pilgrims and visitors alike. It is the most elaborate and best-preserved ecclesiastical building surviving from the Middle Ages in the Western Isles of Scotland. Though modest in scale in comparison to medieval abbeys elsewhere in Western Europe, it has a wealth of fine architectural detail, and monuments of many periods. In front of the Abbey stands the 9th century St Martin's Cross, one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses in the British Isles, and a replica of the 8th century St John's Cross (original fragments in the Abbey museum). The ancient burial ground, called the Rèilig Odhrain (Eng: Oran's "burial place" or "cemetery"), contains the 12th century chapel of St Odhrán (said to be Columba's uncle), restored at the same time as the Abbey itself. It contains a number of medieval grave monuments. The abbey graveyard contains the graves of many early Scottish Kings, as well as kings from Ireland, Norway and France. Iona became the burial site for the kings of Dál Riata and their successors. Notable burials there include: * Cináed mac Ailpín, king of the Picts (also known today as "Kenneth I of Scotland") * Domnall mac Causantín, alternatively "king of the Picts" or "king of Alba" (i.e. Scotland; known as "Donald II") * Máel Coluim mac Domnaill, king of Scotland ("Malcolm I") * Donnchad mac Crínáin, king of Scotland ("Duncan I") * Mac Bethad mac Findlaích, king of Scotland ("Macbeth") * Domnall mac Donnchada, king of Scotland ("Domnall Bán" or "Donald III") In 1549 an inventory of 48 Scottish, 8 Norwegian and 4 Irish kings was recorded. None of these graves are now identifiable (their inscriptions were reported to have worn away at the end of the 17th century). Saint Baithin and Saint Failbhe may also be buried on the island. The Abbey graveyard is also the final resting place of John Smith, the former Labour Party leader, who loved Iona. His grave is marked with an epitaph quoting Alexander Pope: "An honest man's the noblest work of God".[23] Other early Christian and medieval monuments have been removed for preservation to the cloister arcade of the Abbey, and the Abbey museum (in the medieval infirmary). The ancient buildings of Iona Abbey are now cared for by Historic Scotland.

Iona Community

In 1938 George MacLeod founded the Iona Community, an ecumenical Christian community of men and women from different walks of life and different traditions in the Christian church committed to seeking new ways of living the gospel of Jesus in today's world. This community is a leading force in the present Celtic Christianity revival. The Iona Community runs 3 residential centres on the Isle of Iona and on Mull. These are places of welcome and engagement giving a unique opportunity to live together in community with people of every background from all over the world. Weeks at the centres often follow a programme related to the concerns of the Iona Community. The 8 tonne Fallen Christ sculpture by Ronald Rae was permanently situated outside the MacLeod Centre in 2008.[24]

Media and the arts

"Peace of Iona" is a song written my Mike Scott that appears on the solo album Universal Hall and on the live recording Karma to Burn by The Waterboys. Kenneth C. Steven published an anthology of poetry entitled Iona: Poems in 2000 inspired by his association with the island and the surrounding area.

References

* Dwelly, Edward (1911) Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic- English Dictionary. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 1874744041 * Fraser, James E. (2009), From Caledonia to Pictland: Scotland to 795, The New Edinburgh History of Scotland, 1, Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, ISBN 0-7486-1232-1  * Haswell-Smith, Hamish (2004). The Scottish Islands. Edinburgh: Canongate. ISBN 1841954543.  * Mac an Tàilleir, Iain (2003) Placenames" (pdf) Pàrlamaid na h-Alba. Edinburgh. Retrieved 23 July 2007. * Marsden, John (1995) The Illustrated Life of Columba. Edinburgh. Floris Books. ISBN 0863152112 * Murray, W.H. (1966) The Hebrides. London. Heinemann. * Watson, W.J., The History of the Celtic Place-names of Scotland. Reprinted with an introduction by Simon Taylor, Birlinn, Edinburgh, 2004. ISBN 1-84158-323-5

See also

* Clann-an-oistir * Dál Riata

Transport

Visitors can reach Iona by the 10-minute ferry trip across the Sound of Iona from Fionnphort on Mull. The most common route is via Oban in Argyll and Bute. Regular ferries connect to Craignure on Mull, from where the scenic road runs 37 miles to Fionnphort. Tourist coaches and local bus services meet the ferries. There are very few cars on the island, as they are tightly regulated and vehicular access is not allowed for non-residents, who have to leave their car in Fionnphort. Bike hire is available at the pier, and on Mull.