It somehow missed the destructive attention of John Knox's followers, so the weather alone wrought its ruin. In addition, for some two hundred years the MacNeills of Oronsay cared for it, replacing individual stones as they tumbled from the walls. Well-preserved as it is, however, the Priory is still a ruin. Long-missing roofs let sunbeams and seagulls play among the passages. Tiny white flowers grow in clumps on the walls, as if planted there in window boxes.
Daisies carpet the rooms.
Gulls nest atop walls, calling to each other and screeching at people who come too close. The stones fit together well. These buildings won't come crashing down on some unsuspecting visitor. And a carved Celtic cross still smiles on the scene from a tiny hill to the north. Only one of the Priory's buildings supports a roof.