Earl's Bu' and Round Church

This is my third time in Orkney and the first time I was finally able to locate the Earl's Bu' and Round Church in Orphir. 

According to the Orkneyinga Saga (an oral history of the history of Orkney and Shetland) there was a great yule feast hosted by Earl Paul at his residence in Orphir. The Saga describes a great drinking hall next to a "magnificent church" The remains of the foundation of the Bu' (residence) can still be seen quite clearly. This dates to about 1136.

The church beside the great drinking hall is a unique example of a round church. This is the only one of its kind still in existence in Scotland. The medieval church was dedicated to St Nicholas

As with any church, there was a large graveyard next to it and, of course, any graveyard is like a playground for genealogists

The visit to the Earl's Bu' and the Round Church was quite informative. It was topped off by a magnificent rainbow over Orphir