Navigate

Translate Page

Free Newsletter

Signup for our free monthly newsletter and get free jokes, stories, recipes and plenty more right to your email inbox.

Bookmark This Site

Add this site to your browser favorites, email it to a friend, add it to your social networking profile or even print this page for future reading.

saint columba of Iona 512AD - 597AD

Home > History > Ancient Ireland > Christianity > st columba / Columcille

Saint Columba also known as St. Columcille was born on the 7th December 521 in Gartan in Co. Donegal. St. Columba was the founder of the Columban Monks.

Birthplace of St.Columba in County Donegal

Located 6 miles north west of Letterkenny on the road to Kilmacrenan you will see sign posts for Church Hill on the banks of Lough Gartan, here you will find the Colmcille Heritage Centre. Follow the road signs to the actual birthplace.

There is a small car park and you have to walk a short distance on a little track to reach the monument.

There are no amenities here but you will be accompanied by a ram in the field beside you who will follow you as you walk the track and there are signs telling you not to touch him as he does not take kindly to strangers.

The birth place of St Columba To-day, St.Columba's birthplace is marked with a beautifully sculptured stone cross depicting a child kneeling at St.Columba's feet.

The area is a site of a large ancient cairn which was probably of great importance to St. Columbas fathers family.

Just to the right of the monument there is a megalithic stone monument that predates St.Columba by thousands of years and it is now rusted and stained and covered in coins.

Legend states that it has healing powers and if you lay on it you will overcome sorrow, grief and loneliness.

Early Life of Saint Columba

Saint Columba, Apostle to the Picts St.Columba was the great-great grandson of Niall of the nine hostages, an Irish High King in the 5th century. His parents were Pelim and Eithne who were of the royal houses of Aileath and Leinster.

As a young child he spent most of his time at the nearby little church and was nicknamed Colmcille meaning 'little dove' a name he is still known as in Ireland.

The Druidic tradition collapsed in Ireland due to the spread of Christianity and the study of Latin and Christian theology flourished and grew so Columba was sent to study at the monastic school on Clonard Abbey situated on the river Boyne in Co. Meath.

The 12 Apostles of Ireland

During the 6th century most of the significant names in Christianity studied there.

Columba was one of 12 students who studied under St.Finian and became known as the twelve apostles of Ireland.

The Twelve Apostles of Erin, as they were known by old Irish writers, are said to have been:

St. Finian of Moville
St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise
St. Brendan of Birr
St. Brendan of Clonfort
St. Columba of Terryglass
St.Columba of Iona
St. Mobhi of Glasnevin
St. Ruadhain of Lorrha
St. Senan of Iniscathy
St. Ninnidh the saintly of Lough Erne
St. Lasserian mac Nadfraech
St. Canice of Arhaboe
Finnen of Movilla in Co.Down

Columba finished his studies and became a monk and was ordained as a Priest.

Founding the Monastery in Derry

Monastry of St Columba In the 546 Columba was given some land in Derry, Co. Derry in the north west of Northern Ireland. Derry is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in Ireland so he built a monastery there.

According to legend, because of his love of nature, Columba refused to build the Church facing east as was the tradition because he wanted to save as many oak trees as possible.

Battle of Cul Dreimhne

Tradition states that in 560 Columba rowed with St. Finian of Moville over a psalter (a volume containing the book of psalms and other devotional material). Columba had borrowed the book from St. Finian and had copied the manuscript intending to keep it but St. Finian disputed his right to keep the copy.

This dispute led to the Battle of Cul Dremhne in 561 during which many men lost their lives.

Columba was threatened with excommunication by a group of scholars and clerics and would have been only for the intervention of St. Brendan of Birr who spoke on Columba's behalf.

St. Columba was sent into exile and chose to go to Scotland as a missionary swearing to convert as many people as lost their lives in the battle.

In 563, at the age of 42, St.Columba and 12 companions left for Scotland where according to legend he landed at the southern tip of Kintyre near Southend. He moved further North so he could still see his beloved Ireland and was finally granted land on the Isle of Iona off the west coast of Scotland.

In this way Columba felt that he was not leaving his native people as the Irish Gaels had colonized this area for a couple of centuries.

St.Columba's reputation spread not only as a Holy man but as a diplomat between the tribes and he won the respect of the pagan king Bridei in Inverness.

St.Columba founded several churches and monastic schools and transcribes over 300 books and wrote several hymns.

Towards the end of his life St. Columba returned to Ireland to found the monastery in Durrow Co. Offaly.

St Columba died on Iona 597AD and is buried in the abbey he founded there. He is credited with being a leading figure in the revitalization of Monasticism and in bringing about the revival of Christianity to western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

St. Columba is a patron of Ireland, Scotland, floods, bookbinders and poets.

St Columba's Well

The church of St Columba in County Donegal St. Columba's legacy lives on and to-day you can still see remains of the abbeys and monasteries that he built one of which is situated near to St. Columba's birthplace at Gartan in County Donegal. It is situated between Letterkenny and Glenveagh National Park near Church Hill.

The original site was given to St.Columba by his kinfolk to build a monastery on the boundaries of which are marked with stone crosses. Since then an abbey was built there in the 10th century and a church in the 16th century.

There is a certain sense of peace about the place and the views over Lough Gartan are breathtaking. You can walk up through the graveyard and see some of the old tombs and crosses that date back hundreds of years.

The Well of St Columba A short walk down the hill on the right you will find St. Columba's Holy well. The well is surrounded by a low wall and there is a little stone seat in it as visitors are said to bathe their feet while saying prayers.