It was inspired by one of Mendelssohn's trips to the British Isles, specifically an 1829 excursion to the Scottish island of Staffa, with its basalt sea cave known as Fingal's Cave. It was reported that the composer immediately jotted down the opening theme for his composition after seeing the island. He at first called the work "To the Lonely Island" or "Zur einsamen Insel", but then settled on the present title. However, in 1834, the year after the first publication, Breitkopf & Härtel issued an edition with the name "Fingalshöhle" (Fingal's Cave) and this title stuck, causing some confusion.