We exist...
To Glorify God Who is our Sovereign;
To present Jesus Christ Who is our Saviour;
To keep in step with the Holy Spirit Who is our Sanctifier,
in order to be a light so lovely in the community that all would be drawn into His presence.
Kilmore Parish Church - A History of the Building
By Mr Steve Fennell, Church Elder
A Chill Mhor the great or principal cell or church refers to the old building, now in ruins that is situated to the left and to the rear of the present church of Kilmore. This has been a place of worship and devotion since Christian evangelism of the Western Isles, also surmised to be the site of pagan or Druidical sanctuaries or retreats. The earliest church on the site was built by an ecclesiastic who was chief of the Logan's of Drumderfelt, Ross-shire, a canon of Beauly where he lived and travelled to Skye in the early 13th century.
This church lasted until early in the 17th century when around 1631 this was replaced by the ruined church on the site today. It was built between 1631 and 1691 and was in constant use until 1874 when it was declared to be in a very bad state of disrepair.
The Lord MacDonald was made aware of the situation and explained that he was quite agreeable to erecting a new church seating 600 on the present site we have today. Church music in Kilmore history is pretty thin on the ground but we have a little story that you may enjoy. An organ was first installed we believe, in the mid-thirties and was not accepted by all church members at first. It arrived by boat at Armadale pier and was taken to the church by horse and cart. When it arrived at the church it was carried in by locals, one of whom was anti-organ. He wasn't aware of what was in the box until it was inside the church and the top was opened, he was not amused, but was told, now that you have helped to take it in you can't very well object to it. And it lasted many a year until Lord MacDonald's son did a door-to-door collection in the Parish of Sleat for a new organ. This is the one we have up to this day and we applaud Polly our organist for keeping it in use.
Other items of interest are the four metal standard lamps that were originally paraffin but were adapted when power came to Sleat in the late fifties. There are two Communion tables to be seen. One in the elders' box, which we use today, is original to Kilmore and of the old traditional type. His mother Lady MacDonald donated the small narrow table to the right of the pulpit to St Columba's Mission Church in Isle Ornsay in memory of Archibald Ronald Armadale. Sir Ian Noble later donated it to Kilmore when Duisdale Church was closed.