Keils
Today the community of
Keils is generally known as a crofting community, though in actuality
even that terminology is somewhat misappropriate in that very little
traditional crofting agriculture is carried out there.
Historically the community may have considerable undiscovered fame in
its association with the nearby cemetary of Kilearnadil (Cille
Earnadail), which may contain the remains of St. Ernan, the uncle of
St. Columba, Scotland's first patron saint. Keils in of itself
means, "cell", as in the well-known shape of the huts inhabited by the
early Christian mystics; these huts originally were constructed of
wattle and mud, while later, and more commonly known, were the stone
constructions known as "bee-hive" cells. While neither of these
forms of buildings have been found at Keils, no serious archaeological
survey has been carried out there either.