22 October - part 2: Kirkwall, seen through Norwegian eyes

From the Italian Chapel we drove to Kirkwall and Saint Magnus Cathedral.

Saint Magnus Cathedral

Saint Magnus Cathedral was founded in 1137 by Earl Rognvald, in honour of his uncle Saint Magnus.
Saint Magnus was Earl of Orkney, reigning jointly with his cousin Haakon, who also was Earl of Orkney. At first he relationship between the two earls was good. Their reign, from 1105 until 1114, was said to be a just and pleasant one.

The Orkneyinga Saga is not clear on why the cousins turned on each other, but the result was that they were prepared to fight. Battle was averted and the two earls were persuaded to make peace. However, at the meeting where they were to finalise their treaty, Haakon betrayed Magnus and had him executed.

After his death a bright, heavenly light was said to have been seen above Magnus' grave, accompained by a "heavenly fragrance". Soon the cult of Magnus grew and stories about miraculous happenings around the Earl's gravesite began to spread. 21 years after his burial, Magnus was proclaimed a saint.

The Norwegian connection

As you may have guessed, both Saint Magnus and Rognvald were Norwegian. Rognvald was born in Agder, Norway, around 1100 AD and received earldom from the Norwegian king, Sigurd the Crusader, in 1129.

However, Rognvald did nothing about claiming his share, until King Harald, Sigurd’s successor, ratified the claim. Rognvald then assembled a fleet and set sail for Orkney, with the intention of overthrowing Paul Hakonsson, the existing earl of Orkney.

Naturally, Paul would not give up his earldom without a fight. After meeting fierce resistance, Rognvald's father instructed Rognvald to tell the people of Orkney that once he became earl, he would raise the finest church the north had ever seen. This church was to be in memory of his saintly uncle, Magnus, a man whom the islanders regarded with great respect.

While Rognvald was capturing the hearts of the Orcadian people, behind the scenes he had Earl Paul kidnapped in Rousay. Even though his exact fate is unknown, he disappeared completely and the cathedral was erected.

Orkney under Norwegian archbishop

Between 1154 and 1472, Orkney was ecclesiastically under the Norwegian archbishop of Nidaros (Trondheim).

Inside the cathedral we found a statue of Saint Olaf, which was a replica of one modeled for the Cathedral of Nidaros. The statue was gifted by The Church of Norway in 1937, celebrating the cathedral's 800th anniversary.

We also found a Norwegian flag, a magnificent Norwegian bible and tapestry given by the Hordaland Council, Norway.

Orkney Museum

Having indulged in the significance of our forefathers on the history of Orkney, we proceeded to the Orkney museum to find more connections to Norway. The museum contained many interesting facts, covering a large time span.

After having covered so many historic sites in Orkney, a lot of the information about the early days was old news to us by now, and we also found it more inspiring to read about these things at the historic sites. With this said, I do have to emphasise that the museum gave a good summary and gives an excellent overview for those who don't have the time to travel to all the individual sites.

For us, the newer parts of the exhibition were more interesting, especially the parts from the 19th and 20th centuries. Once again we could see parallels to Norway in the way the Orcadians knit and how they too found oil.

The Earls Palace and The Bishops Palace

Moving on we took a look at The Earls Palace and The Bishops Palace. Both were closed for the season, but we enjoyed admiring them from the outside.

The Bishop's Palace is the older of the two ruined palaces. The palace was built in the mid-12th century for Bishop William the Old, a friend and crusading companion of Earl Rognvald, the cathedral’s founder.

The palace was originally intended to provide accommodation for Bishop William and his entourage. Shortly after the construction work on the cathedral began, the Bishop and his staff moved from their old seat of power in Birsay to their new home in Kirkwall.

In 1568, the ownership of the palace passed to Earl Robert Stewart. Patrick Stewart, Robert's son, later planned to include the structure in his scheme to build the Earl's Palace, a massive residence in Kirkwall.  Known as ‘Black Patie’, the tyrannical Patrick ruled the Northern Isles with an iron fist from 1592 until his execution 23 years later. It was declared at his trial that he used slave labour to build his residences.

After Earl Patrick's death the palaces continued to be the residence of the Bishops of Orkney sporadically until 1688, when they became the property of the Crown. By 1705, the palace had fallen into disrepair and was no longer fit for habitation. By 1745, the roof had been stripped and the slates sold. The structure has remained roofless ever since.

Mass football in the streets of Kirkwall

After a day packed with history, we had dinner at Judith Glue Shop and Real Food Cafe/Restaurant. The food was great, and both before and after our meal we enjoyed looking around the lovely little shop.

On the wall of the cafe was information about the Kirkwall Ba' Game. The Ba' is played every Christmas and New Year's Day in Kirkwall. It is a traditional game of mass football which is played in the streets of the town between the Uppies and the Doonies. Up to 200 players participate.

The Ba' disappears into the scrum, before it suddenly appears out of the scrum and someone makes a dash through the crowds of spectators. To the casual onlooker this can happen at any moment, but the seasoned Ba'- watcher can often see what is happening long before the Ba' suddenly erupts.

The town takes on an appearance of seige during the period of the Ba', with shutters and barricades on all the shops and houses on possible Ba' routes. Young children and elderly people are well advised to keep clear.

The game is not as dangerous as it may seem: "However, due to the great sense of the camaraderie of the game, very few players get hurt badly so that if the scrum collapses, or someone is hurt, or passes out, the game stops to allow them to be extricated." Well, that was a relief.