top of page
The Celtic Papar
The name Papa Stour comes from the Norse Papey Stora, meaning ‘Big island of Priests’ The priests were the Celtic missionaries who came to Shetland probably from Ireland and the West Coast of Scotland. When the Vikings came to Papa, they found the monks there, and they named the island after them. There has been a lot of archaeological research on the Papar in Shetland and on Papa Stour itself, and the links below give valuable information.
bottom of page