THE President, Mrs Robinson, will begin a three day tour of the Western Isles in Scotland tomorrow to officially open a number of St Colmcille exhibitions to commemorate the 1,400th anniversary of his death and acknowledge his work as one of the greatest missionaries of the Catholic Church.
Arriving by helicopter on the island of Iona, Mrs Robinson will read a lesson at a multi denominational service at Iona Abbey tomorrow morning.
Before touring the abbey and visiting ancient and religious sites, she will lay flowers on the grave of the late British Labour leader, Mr John Smith, who is buried in St Oran's church. Several Scottish kings, including Macbeth and Duncan, are also believed to be buried there.
In the afternoon, Mrs Robinson will sail to the Isle of Mull, where she will officially open the island's St Columba exhibition and welcome centre. After unveiling the plaque, she will be presented with jewellery made by a local silver smith and a piece of St Columba tartan.
On Monday morning the President will fly to Stornoway to open the "Colm Cille" exhibition at Museum nan Eilean, which is the centrepiece of Scotland's celebration of the anniversary. It will focus on St Colmcille's life and the rise of Christianity on the Western Isles.
That afternoon Mrs Robinson will fly to the Isle of Skye to deliver the Sabhal Mor Ostaig lecture in which she will highlight cultural and social links between Scotland and Ireland. The lecture, inaugurated in 1990, was devised as a frank and creative" forum to discuss Gaelic and island issues.
On Tuesday morning the President will have breakfast with Scottish businessmen at the Hilton Hotel, Glasgow, before addressing the prestigious West of Scotland Newspaper Fund lunch.