Saint Columba
St. Columba (Colm Cille) abbot and missionary, secondary patron
of Ireland, was born at Gartan in Co. Donegal in 7th December 521.
The son of a chief related to several of the princes then reigning
in Ireland and in the west of Scotland, his father, Fedhlimidh,
or Phelim, was great-grandson to Niall of the Nine Hostages, Overlord
of Ireland, and connected with the Dalriada princes of southwest
Scotland; his mother, Eithne, was descended from a king of Leinster.
Saint Columba studied under St. Finian of Moville and St. Finian
of Clonard and founded monasteries at Durrow, Derry Swords, Drumcliff
and possible Kells. As he spent most of his free time in the Church
visiting the Blessed Sacrament his fellow students gave him the
name Colmcille (Dove of the Church). Colmcille made friends with
many of the men who were later to become great missionaries, (The
Twelve Apostles of Ireland as they were called). In 546 Echen Bishop
of Clonfada ordained Colmcille a priest. It is said that Colmcille
was given a grant of land by the Prince of Tir Conaill, and later
that year he founded his first monastery in Derry.
| St. Columba's Church Derry,
where the original monastery was thought to have been built
by St. Columba. |
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Colmcille, a renowned scribe, spent the next seventeen years travelling
throughout Ireland preaching and teaching, trained his monks to
become expert scribes. It was Colmcille's monks who many years later
produced the Book of Kells.
In 561 accompanied by his twelve disciples, he left Ireland for
the little island of Hy (Iona) and founded a monastery there in
563. Many people were attracted by the lives of the monks on Iona
and all kinds of people came to Colmcille for advice. Colmcille
and his monks built a fleet of boats and in these they set out in
all directions from Iona. They travelled to the mainland and the
nearby Scottish islands and the north of England teaching and preaching,
building 56 Churches and schools. For this reason Colmcille is called
the Apostle of Scotland. Colmcille had a powerful influence on the
lives of the people he served. In Scotland he was given the role
of naming the king and the coronation ceremony was held in the Church
of Iona.
During all these years Colmcille kept close contact with Ireland.
He ruled his monasteries at home from Iona or sometimes came to
visit them. In 575 the Ard Ri of Ireland requested Colmcille to
attend and advise the convention of Druimceatt in Derry, a gathering
of all the bishops, kings and princes of Ireland. Colmcille returned
to Iona, but his health began to fail in 593, and he died June 9th,
597.
He is noted for his great love for people and all living creatures.
His Feast day is 9th June and
he is the Patron Saint of Derry. There are numerous churches in
Ireland names after St. Columba.
| In Moville the story goes, that on his way to
Iona Saint Columba stopped off in Moville took a drink of water
from the well (now named after him) on the shore and waved goodbye
to Derry. |
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Iona is a small island of the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast
of Scotland. In the year 563 AD, it was part of the kingdom called
Dal Riada, a Gaelic speaking realm, stretching from the west of
Scotland to the northeast of Ireland. The king of Dal Riada was
Conall MacComhgall.
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