,,the ,,life ,,of ,,saint ,,columba     
,,apostle ,,of ,,scotland  ,,by ,f4,a4  
,,forbes  ,,second ,,edition  ,r4  ,t4  
,,washbourne1 ,,ltd4 ,,paternoster      
,,row1 ,,london ,,and ,,at ,,manchester1
 ,,birmingham1 ,,and ,,glasgow  #aiai   
,all rights reserved  ,nihil ,obstat4   
,,franciscus ,,canonicus ,,wyndham      
,censor ,deputatus  ,imprimatur4  ,,edm4
 ,,can4 ,,surmont ,vic4 ,gen4           
,,westmonasterii1 die #g ,octobris1     
#aiac4    ,,standard-,,bearers ,,of     
,,the ,,faith  ,a ,,series ,,of ,,lives 
,,of ,,the ,,saints ,,for ,,young ,,and 
,,old  ,,saint ,,columba  ,the ,kingdom 
of ,heaven1 ,o man1 requireth no other  
price than thyself3 the value of it is  
thyself3 give thyself for it and thou   
shalt have it4--,,st4 ,,augustine       
,,author',s ,,preface  ,,though more    
than #acjj years have gone by since the 
death of ,st4 ,columba1 there are few   
saints whose memory is so living and so 
strong4 ,this is partly due to his vivid
 and attractive personality1 but in a   

great measure also to the fact that we  
have his ,biography or ,life written at 
great length by ,adamnan1 ninth abbot of
 ,iona1 who was born only twenty-seven  
years after ,columba's death4 ,adamnan1 
who was very young when he entered the  
community at ,iona1 could have gathered 
the materials for his book from the lips
 of those who had personally known the  
great ,apostle of ,scotland1 and who had
 been eye-witnesses of the events       
recorded4 ,we know that these friends   
were many1 and drawn from all classes1  
for ,columbcille1 above all the men of  
his time1 had the gift of being loved1  
and many instances are related of the   
passionate devotion of the monks of     
,iona to their great abbot1 no less than
 that of the multitudes with whom in his
 long and busy life he had come in      
contact4 ,adamnan is considered to be a 
sober and trustworthy author1 and has   
not exaggerated1 as many of the later   
writers undoubtedly have1 the miraculous
 element in the life of the ,saint4     

,carlyle1 who cannot be considered as an
 advocate of the supernatural1 remarks  
of the ,life of ,st4 ,columba3 ,you can 
see that the man who wrote it could tell
 no lie4 ,what he meant you cannot      
always find out2 but it is clear that he
 told things as they appeared to him4   
,there are many interesting relics of   
,columba still in existence4 ,an ancient
 stone chalice which he is said to have 
used at ,mass is still preserved in     
,ireland1 together with the flagstone   
which formed the flooring of ,eithne's  
room the night that he was born4 ,a     
pathetic custom exists amongst the poor 
,irish emigrants of sleeping the night  
before they leave their country on this 
stone1 in the hope that he who made     
himself an exile from his country for   
the love of ,god will by his prayers    
make the burden of their sorrow easier  
to bear4 ,the stone which he used for so
 many years as a pillow is still to be  
seen amongst the ruins of the cathedral 
of ,iona1 which was erected in the      

twelfth century near the site of the old
 abbey church of ,columba's building1   
while the ruins of ,st4 ,oran's chapel  
near at hand enclose the very spot where
 the ,saint breathed his last upon the  
altar steps4  ,but perhaps the most     
interesting of all the ,columban relics 
are the three manuscripts which are said
 to have been written by the ,saint's   
own hand4 ,that ,columbcille was an     
indefatigable scribe we know from the   
witness of many of his contemporaries1  
and one of the greatest of modern       
authorities 7,mr4 ,westwood7 sees no    
reason for setting aside the tradition  
that the ,book of ,kells and the ,book  
of ,durrow are both mainly1 if not      
altogether1 ,columba's work4 ,the ,book 
of ,durrow1 indeed1 bears an inscription
 stating that it was written by ,columba
 the scribe in the space of twelve days1
 while the ,book of ,kells has always   
borne the title of the ,great ,gospel of
 ,columbcille4 ,to the objection that a 
busy man like ,columba would not have   

had leisure to execute the exquisitely  
minute decorations which are the        
astonishment of all admirers of ,celtic 
art1 it can be urged that many old      
manuscripts which still exist in an     
unfinished condition bear witness to the
 fact that it was customary for the     
initial letters and ornamental parts of 
the manuscript to be sketched roughly   
in1 and finished by another hand4 ,this 
is especially to be noted in the ,book  
of ,kells1 the decorative work of which 
is certainly of a later date4 ,both the 
,book of ,durrow and the ,book of ,kells
 are to be seen in the ,library of      
,trinity ,college1 ,dublin4  ,the third 
manuscript1 the famous ,psalter which   
gave ,columbcille to ,scotland and which
 is preserved in the ,royal ,irish      
,academy1 fell1 after the battle of     
,cuil ,dreimhne1 into the hands of the  
,o',donnells1 ,columba's own clan1 who  
treasured it as their most precious     
possession4 ,it was called the ,cathach 
or ,battler1 and if borne into battle by

 one of pure heart and of clean hands   
was believed to ensure them the victory 
over their enemies4 ,it is the least    
ornamental of the three1 and bears      
traces of the haste with which it was   
executed4 ,the existence of these pages1
 written with laborious care by the hand
 which has long since mouldered into    
dust1 makes a living link across the    
centuries with ,columbcille the         
,beloved1 the great ,apostle of         
,scotland4    ,,contents  ,,chap4       
,i4 ,,child ,,of ,,the ,,mountain ,,and 
,,the ,,lake    ,,ii4 ,,the ,,schooling 
,,of ,a ,,saint   ,,iii4 ,,derry ,,and  
,,durrow    ,,iv4 ,,the ,,cow ,,and     
,,the ,,calf     ,v4 ,a ,,bitter        
,,penance    ,,vi4 ,,the ,,isle ,,in    
,,the ,,western ,,seas   ,,vii4 ,,the   
,,apostle ,,of ,,scotland  ,,viii4 ,,the
 ,,convention ,,of ,,drum-,,ceatt       
,,ix4 ,,for ,,christ ,,and ,,his ,,love 
,x4 ,,the ,,gift ,,of ,,vision    ,,xi4 
,,the ,,light ,,eternal    ,,chapter ,i 
,,child ,,of ,,the ,,mountain ,,and     

,,the ,,lake  ,,fourteen hundred years  
ago1 in the sweet days of autumn1 when  
the woods of ,gartan are clothed in     
crimson and gold1 and the still waters  
of ,lough ,veagh reflect the deep blue  
of the skies above1 ,eithne1 the wife of
 ,fedhlimidh1 ,prince of ,tir-,connell1 
had a strange dream4 ,it seemed to her  
that an angel of ,god stood beside her1 
bearing in his hands a veil scattered   
all over with the ,bowers of ,paradise1 
and that1 spreading it out1 he bade her 
admire its beauty4 ,eithne was a        
daughter of kings1 but never before had 
she seen so marvellously fair a web2 she
 stretched out her hands to grasp it1   
but even as she touched it1 it rose and 
fluttered lightly into the air4 ,over   
hill1 mountain1 and lough floated its   
shadowy loveliness1 till it rested at   
last on the moors and mountains of a    
land that lay far away in the moaning   
seas4 ,then ,eithne wept for the loss of
 the beautiful veil1 but the angel      
comforted her4  ,it is but a symbol1 he 

said1 of the son that shall be born to  
thee in the days to come4 ,he shall be a
 prince and a prophet2 the world shall  
be perfumed by his holiness2 and he     
shall bear the flower of the faith among
 the heathen far over land and sea4     
,when morning came ,eithne told her     
husband of the dream1 and the two took  
counsel together4 ,that his son should  
be a great prince in no way surprised   
,fedhlimidh4 ,was not he himself a      
grandson of the great king ,niall of the
 ,nine ,hostages1 so called because he  
had subdued nine ,kings of ,ireland to  
his will and made them his vassals1 and 
was not the reigning king of all        
,ireland his near kinsman8 ,no strange  
thing would it have been in those       
turbulent days1 when the lives of kings 
were short and uncertain1 were the son  
of ,fedhlimidh himself to be set on the 
throne as ,high ,king of ,ireland4  ,but
 ,eithne's dream seemed to point more to
 a heavenly supremacy than an earthly2  
was it an indication of ,god's will that

 they should dedicate their child to    
,him8 ,they thought it was1 and a few   
months later1 when heaven sent them a   
fair and beautiful little son1 they     
earnestly prayed to the ,giver of all   
good gifts that ,he would take the      
child1 if it seemed well to ,him1 for   
,his service4  ,at ,teampall-,douglas1 a
 few miles from ,gartan1 there lived a  
holy old priest called ,cruithnechan2 to
 him they took the babe that it might   
receive at his hands the holy rites of  
,baptism4 ,he was given the name of     
,columba1 a not uncommon name in        
,ireland at the time1 and while yet a   
little child was sent back to the       
saintly ,cruithnechan that the old man  
might train him in the ways of wisdom   
and holiness4  ,in this ,columba's      
parents but followed the custom of the  
time1 for it was usual for the sons of  
chiefs to be brought up from their      
earliest youth by some great bard1      
soldier1 or priest1 according to their  
destination in life2 and it was the duty

 of these foster parents to train their 
charges in all that had to do with their
 future profession4  ,the little        
,columba was an apt pupil4 ,it was his  
delight to accompany his master to the  
,church1 there to listen to the chanting
 of the ,divine ,office2 and so keen of 
ear and quick of memory was the boy that
 he had learnt some of the psalms by    
heart before he could spell them out in 
the ,psalter--the lesson-book of every  
young reader of his time4 ,cruithnechan 
himself was unaware of this until one   
day when he took the child with him on a
 visit to a brother priest near ,derry4 
,the two clerics went together to the   
,church to chant the ,divine ,office1   
and ,columba1 as was his wont1 knelt to 
pray before the altar4  ,now it came to 
pass that ,cruithnechan lost his place1 
and was in great distress because he    
could not find it again4 ,the office    
came to a standstill1 and the pause     
would have been a long one had not the  
boy's clear treble voice taken up the   

psalm ,where the old man had halted1 and
 chanted sweetly the alternate verses   
until the missing place was found4 ,it  
was ,columba's love of the ,church that 
won for him among his companions the    
name by which he became famous in       
after-days-- ,columb-cille or the dove  
of the ,church4 ,he would slip away from
 their games whenever he could1 but they
 always knew where to find him4 ,he     
nestles beside the altar like a dove in 
its nest1 they would say4  ,in spite of 
the boy's name1 however1 underneath the 
strong faith and love1 the true and deep
 devotion that were always his chief    
characteristics1 lay a nature that was  
in no wise dovelike4 ,loyal1            
great-hearted1 and compassionate as he  
undoubtedly was1 the blood of the fierce
 and haughty ,hy-,nialls flowed in his  
veins4 ,to be quick to take offence and 
slow to forgive an injury is a          
characteristic of the ,celtic race all  
the world over1 and ,columba was no     
exception to the rule4 ,long and sharp  

was to be the struggle before that quick
 and imperious nature was wholly        
conquered by the grace of ,god1 but     
great was to be the victory at last4    
,to ,cruithnechan it was evident that   
the blessing of ,god rested in no small 
degree on the child of his fostering4   
,returning home one night he saw his    
house lit up as it were with a great    
fire1 and fearing for the safety of his 
little charge he entered in haste4 ,all 
was in darkness within1 save over the   
head of the sleeping child1 where there 
hung a globe of fire4 ,the old man fell 
on his knees1 not knowing what the      
portent might mean2 but ,god reassured  
him1 showing that the light of ,his     
,holy ,spirit had been poured out       
abundantly upon ,columba1 who was to    
labour fruitfully in ,his service4  ,it 
has always been acknowledged by the     
,celtic races that among the children of
 men there are a chosen few who are     
gifted with the second sight4 ,strange  
instances are given of mortal eyes that 

have seen the invisible1 and of men and 
women who have known things that are not
 to be discerned by the senses4 ,a      
little corner of the veil that hides the
 spiritual world from the world of sense
 has been lifted4 ,from the earliest    
ages1 to those who are exceptionally    
pure of heart and holy1 this contact    
with the spiritual world has been given 
in a supernatural degree4 ,the          
materialist may scoff1 but the voice of 
the ,ages is louder and clearer in our  
ears than his4  ,from his childhood     
,columba seems to have possessed this   
gift in a very marked manner4 ,his      
guardian angel1 we are told by his      
biographers1 appeared to him frequently1
 and the child would talk to him        
familiarly1 and ask him if all the      
spirits in heaven were as radiant and   
beautiful as he4 ,one day the angel bade
 the boy tell him what he would choose  
if any virtue might be his for the      
asking4  ,i would choose purity and     
wisdom1 answered he4  ,well hast thou   

chosen1 ,columba1 said the angel1 they  
shall be thine1 and ,god will add to    
them yet another gift4  ,so it came to  
pass in the course of time that there   
appeared one day before ,columba three  
beautiful maidens1 who would have       
embraced him1 but he pushed them roughly
 away4  ,dost thou not know us1         
,columba8 asked one of them1 and a      
celestial radiance shone from her face  
and garments as she spoke4 ,we are three
 sisters sent to thee from our ,father1 
that we may abide with thee for ever4   
,i know you not1 said ,columba4 ,who is 
your father8  ,our ,father is ,god1 the 
,lord and ,saviour of the world1        
answered the maiden1 and her voice was  
like the music of heaven4  ,truly a     
noble parentage1 said the boy4 ,by what 
names do men call you8  ,our names are  
,purity1 ,prophecy1 and ,wisdom1 she    
answered1 and we have come never to     
leave thee more1 and to love thee with  
an incorruptible love4  ,so among the   
peaceful hills and lakes of ,donegal the

 boy ,columba grew into manhood4 ,tall  
and fair and straight of limb was the   
son of ,eithne and ,fedhlimidh1 with a  
voice clear and sweet as a trumpet-call1
 and a heart that was fearless1 pure1   
and true4 ,cruithnechan had done his    
work well2 he had taught ,columba all   
that he knew of earthly lore and of     
heavenly2 but the time of his fostering 
was over4 ,he must go forth now into the
 great world that lay beyond the quiet  
mountains1 the world of strife and of   
tragedy1 of joy and of sorrow4  ,a      
strange world and one of many contrasts1
 that of ,ireland in the sixth century4 
,to the unanimous voice of ,christianity
 she owed her name of the ,island of the
 ,saints4 ,from the days of ,st4        
,patrick the monastic schools1 veritable
 cities of ,god in the midst of the     
strife and barbarism of those early     
days1 exerted their influence on the    
life around them in favour of piety1    
learning and civilization4 ,here were   
being formed a whole population of      

writers1 theologians1 architects1       
sculptors1 poets1 historians1 and above 
all of missioners and preachers1 who    
were to carry the light of the ,gospel  
far and wide into other lands4 ,the     
founders of these schools were mostly of
 the noblest blood in ,ireland1 and     
kings and princes did not disdain to    
come to them for advice and help1 or    
even to listen to their reproofs4 ,most 
powerful for good was the influence of  
the ,church in ,ireland1 and well for   
her that it was so1 for the times were  
wild and lawless4  ,to the ,hy-,nialls1 
the kinsmen of ,columba1 belonged the   
whole north-west of ,ireland4 ,the      
sovereign rule over the entire country  
was theirs1 in the ,irish colony of     
,dalriada in ,caledonia over the seas1  
as well as in the mother-country of     
,erin4  ,they exercised authority over  
the provincial kings1 but an authority  
that was often hotly contested1 and     
stormily maintained at the cost of much 
bloodshed4 ,the king was elected from   

either branch of the great ,niall family
 or clan1 the ,hy-,nialls of the ,north1
 to which ,columba belonged1 or the     
,hy-,nialls of the ,south1 and the two  
branches were continually at war4 ,into 
the midst of these discordant elements  
the law of ,christ brought peace and    
justice1 and the ,saints of ,ireland    
were the pillars of the law of ,christ4 
,,chapter ,,ii  ,,the ,,schooling ,,of  
,a ,,saint  ,,while ,columba was growing
 into manhood among the mountains of    
,tir-,connell1 ,st4 ,finnian1 ,finnian  
of the ,heart ,devout as the old writers
 love to call him1 was founding his     
great monastic school of ,moville on the
 northern side of ,lough ,cuan4  ,not on
 his piety and sanctity alone did the   
renown of ,finnian rest4 ,he had been   
educated at the famous monastery of     
,whitehorn1 founded by ,st4 ,ninian in  
the fourth century in the ,british      
kingdom of ,galloway across the sea4    
,st4 ,ninian was the friend of ,st4     
,martin of ,tours1 and it was from him  

that he obtained masons to build the    
,candida ,casa or ,white ,house1 the    
first stone church erected in ,britain4 
,later1 ,st4 ,finnian went on pilgrimage
 to ,rome1 a difficult and dangerous    
undertaking in days when ships consisted
 for the most part of a framework of    
willow overstretched with ox-hide2 and  
famine1 pestilence1 wild beasts and     
barbarians were only a few of the perils
 that beset travellers by land4 ,there  
he remained for three months1 when he   
returned to ,ireland1 bringing with him 
a precious and priceless treasure4      
,this was a copy of the sacred          
,scriptures1 translated and corrected by
 the hand of ,st4 ,jerome himself1 and  
formally sanctioned by the ,pope as the 
authentic text4 ,no copy of this first  
edition of the ,vulgate had as yet found
 its way into ,ireland1 and to the      
scholars and scribes of the day it was  
of untold worth4  ,the school of        
,moville was founded in #edj1 and ,st4  
,columba must have been one of its      

earliest scholars1 for he was born in   
the year #eba1 and was about twenty     
years of age when he left ,tir-,connell4
 ,here he was ordained deacon1 and here 
also1 at his prayer1 was worked the     
first of a long series of miracles that 
were to continue throughout his life4   
,one festival day1 to the consternation 
of ,st4 ,finnian1 it was found that     
there was no wine for the ,holy         
,sacrifice4 ,it was the turn of ,columba
 to draw the water that was to be used  
in the sacred mysteries1 and kneeling at
 the brink of the well he prayed        
earnestly to that ,lord who had changed 
water into wine at the marriage feast of
 ,cana to have pity on their distress4  
,his prayer was heard2 even as he       
carried the water to the church the     
miracle was worked4  ,here1 my ,father1 
is wine that ,god has sent us from      
heaven1 said the young deacon1 as he    
gave the vessel to his master1 and      
,finnian marvelled greatly and gave     
praise and glory to ,god4  ,from        

,moville1 ,columba went to the great    
school of ,clonard1 there to pursue his 
studies under another ,st4              
,finnian--,finnian the ,wise1 the ,tutor
 of the ,saints of ,erin4 ,clonard was  
the most famous school in ,ireland at   
the time1 and even bishops and abbots1  
old in years and experience1 did not    
disdain to come to learn wisdom at the  
feet of its holy founder4 ,st4 ,finnian 
of ,clonard had been himself the pupil  
of three great saints1 ,st4 ,david1 ,st4
 ,gildas1 and ,st4 ,cadoc1 at the       
,college of ,llancarvan in ,wales4 ,when
 ,columba came to the school of ,clonard
 it numbered1 as the old writers tell   
us1 three thousand scholars4  ,the      
problem of accommodation was very simple
 in an ,irish school of the sixth       
century4 ,a few precious manuscripts    
formed the whole library4 ,the          
instruction was mostly oral1 and given  
in the green fields round the moat of   
,clonard4 ,a little hill or eminence    
formed the professor's chair1 and the   

scholars sat on the slopes about his    
feet4 ,they built their own little huts 
of clay and wattles in the surrounding  
meadows1 and took their turn at herding 
the sheep and grinding in the quern1 or 
handmill1 the corn for the daily bread4 
,they prayed and studied1 learnt the    
exquisitely fine transcription that gave
 to the world the only books that were  
then to be had1 and listened to the     
interpretation of the ,holy ,scriptures 
expounded by ,st4 ,finnian with a power 
and eloquence that drew men from all    
parts of ,ireland to listen4  ,the son  
of the ,hy-,nialls took his turn with   
the rest at grinding the corn in the    
quern and in the humble daily labours1  
but he accomplished his task so rapidly 
and skilfully that his fellow-scholars1 
who may have heard the story of the     
celestial companion of his boyhood1     
would assert that he had been helped by 
an angel4 ,when the daily work was      
finished1 he was always to be found1 as 
of old1 before the altar1 absorbed in   

prayer4 ,even the elders treated him    
with deference4 ,there was something so 
noble and commanding in his bearing1 so 
high and holy in the glance of his keen 
grey eyes1 so strong and compelling in  
the clear tones of his voice1 that half 
unconsciously men bowed before him4     
,but there was one at ,clonard who long 
withstood his influence4 ,to the        
gentle-hearted ,ciaran ,mac ,in ,tsair1 
or the son of the carpenter1 temptation 
had come in the shape of an envious     
thought4  ,why should ,columba1 he asked
 himself resentfully1 be loved and      
privileged above all the other scholars8
 ,he was the son of the ,prince of      
,tir-,connell it was true1 but in a     
monastic community such as ,clonard were
 not they all equal before ,god8 ,he    
began to be jealous of the influence    
exercised so unconsciously by his young 
companion1 and harboured bitterness in  
his heart4 ,ciaran's guardian angel     
grieved over the havoc that was being   
wrought in that pure and gentle soul4   

,he appeared to him one day in a radiant
 vision1 carrying the tools of a        
carpenter in his hands4  ,see1 ,ciaran1 
said he1 what thou hast left for the    
love of ,god1 to give thyself to ,christ
 in the monastic life2 but ,columba has 
sacrificed the throne which would have  
been his1 had he not1 forsaking the     
world1 chosen rather to follow his ,lord
 in poverty and humiliation4  ,his words
 scattered the mist of envy from the    
heart of the carpenter's son1 who humbly
 asked pardon for his sin4 ,from        
henceforth he became one of the warmest 
friends of ,columba1 who in his turn    
loved the gentle-hearted ,ciaran with a 
true and tender affection4 ,it was while
 the two were at ,clonard together that 
their master ,st4 ,finnian dreamt that  
he saw two moons1 one of gold and one of
 silver1 shining in the sky4 ,the golden
 moon illuminated the north of ,ireland1
 and its beams shone over the sea as far
 as distant ,alba1 while the moon of    
silver shed its soft light in the centre

 of the land4 ,it was made known to     
,finnian that the golden moon           
represented ,columba1 who was to carry  
the light of the ,gospel to another     
people1 while that of silver typified   
,ciaran1 whose holiness was to be a     
light to many in his own country4  ,it  
was at this time that ,columbcille      
showed the first signs of that gift of  
prophecy that was to make him so famous 
in after days4  ,there came to ,clonard 
an old bard called ,gemman1 who was a   
,christian4 ,columba1 who had a         
passionate love for poetry1 put himself 
under his tuition that he might not only
 study the old minstrel lore of         
,ireland1 but learn also to pour out his
 own heart in song4 ,one day when the   
old man sat reading at a little distance
 from his pupil in the green meadows    
near ,clonard1 a young maiden1 crying   
piteously for help1 and hotly pursued by
 one of the bloodthirsty barbarians who 
were the terror of the more peaceful    
inhabitants of the country1 fled towards

 him for protection4 ,gemman called to  
,columba for help1 but it was too late4 
,even as he tried to hide the child     
under the folds of his long cloak her   
savage assailant pierced her to the     
heart with his spear4  ,how long1 ,o    
,lord1 moaned the old man1 as he        
gathered the body of the little maiden  
into his arms1 how long shall the blood 
of this innocent cry unavenged to       
heaven8  ,columba turned to him with    
flashing eyes4  ,thus long1 he cried in 
a voice that rang like the trumpet of   
the avenging angel3  ,thus long1 and no 
longer4 ,the soul of that innocent child
 shall scarcely have entered heaven     
before the soul of her murderer shall be
 cast into eternal fire4  ,the words had
 scarcely left his lips when the        
barbarian1 who was not yet out of sight1
 fell dead1 struck down by the sudden   
judgment of ,god4  ,on leaving ,clonard1
 ,columba went in company with the      
gentle-hearted ,ciaran to visit the     
school of another great master of the   

spiritual life1 ,st4 ,mobhi of          
,glasnevin4 ,there they met ,st4        
,comgall and ,st4 ,cannich1 and formed  
with them a lifelong friendship4 ,it was
 during his stay at ,glasnevin that     
,columba was sent by ,st4 ,mobhi to     
,etchen1 ,bishop of ,clonfad1 to be     
ordained a priest1 and it is            
characteristic of the simplicity of the 
times that the holy bishop1 who was     
,columba's own cousin1 and the son of a 
reigning prince1 was found in the fields
 guiding the oxen of his plough4  ,it   
must have been also about this time that
 ,ciaran and ,columba journeyed together
 to the rocky ,isle of ,aran in the     
west1 to visit ,st4 ,enda the ,holy1 the
 tutor of both ,finnian of ,moville and 
,finnian of ,clonard4 ,aran was indeed a
 very nursery of sanctity1 and ,enda was
 reverenced as a father by all the      
saints of ,ireland4 ,they learnt from   
his lips the virtues and duties of a    
true monk1 but they learnt still more   
from his example4 ,he and his community 

slept on the bare ground in their stone 
cells1 never warmed by a fire even in   
the coldest days of winter4 ,their      
frugal food was the fruit of the labour 
of their hands1 but it was little enough
 that the barren rocks of ,aran could   
furnish4 ,to these men1 whose hearts    
were on fire with the love of ,god1     
their desert island was a little        
paradise1 where they lived in close     
communion with the unseen world1 and    
from whence the voice of praise went up 
incessantly to the throne of ,god4  ,we 
are told that the gentle-hearted        
,ciaran1 the son of the carpenter1 was  
beloved by ,enda above all his          
disciples1 and that when the time came  
for him to leave the ,isle of ,aran to  
found his own great monastery of        
,clonmacnoise on the banks of the       
,shannon1 the old man knelt and wept    
bitterly on the rocky shore4 ,perhaps he
 may have foreseen the early death of   
his beloved pupil1 the sudden quenching 
of that light that was to shine so      

brightly during the few years that      
remained to him of his earthly          
pilgrimage4  ,for a few years after his 
departure from ,aran the holy ,ciaran   
exercised his apostleship in his native 
country1 and then founded the monastery 
of ,clonmacnoise1 which in after days   
was to become the greatest and most     
learned community in ,ireland4 ,four    
months later a terrible pestilence broke
 out1 and the gentle ,ciaran was amongst
 its victims4 ,he asked the brethren to 
take him out into the open air that his 
eyes might see the blue sky once again  
before he died4 ,the skin on which he   
used to sleep was spread on the ground  
and they laid him on it1 weeping        
bitterly the while4 ,the dying man then 
asked to be left alone with ,st4 ,kevin 
of ,glendalough1 his soul's friend 7the 
beautiful old ,celtic name for spiritual
 father--still in use among the         
,catholics of western ,scotland71 who   
blessed him and gave him the ,holy      
,communion4  ,ciaran bade him a tender  

farewell1 for1 says the old chronicle1  
he loved him much4 ,then1 lifting his   
eyes to heaven with a smile on his lips1
 the pure and holy ,ciaran breathed his 
last1 and white angels came and carried 
his soul to ,paradise4    ,,chapter     
,,iii  ,,derry ,,and ,,durrow  ,,the    
terrible outbreak of plague that carried
 off young ,ciaran in the flower of his 
age found ,columba at ,glasnevin4 ,st4  
,mobhi bade his disciples disperse to   
their homes1 and ,columbcille went      
northwards to ,tir-,connell4 ,when he   
reached the stream of ,moyola he prayed 
earnestly that ,god might stay the      
plague on the southern bank of the      
river1 and spare the country of his     
people4 ,his prayer was heard1 and the  
terrible scourge forbore to cross the   
water4  ,columba was now twenty-five    
years of age1 and his friends and       
kinsmen earnestly desired that he should
 found a church and monastery in their  
own country4 ,his cousin the ,prince of 
,ailech even offered him a piece of land

 on the northern coast1 but ,columba was
 deaf to their entreaties4 ,his master1 
,st4 ,mobhi1 had given him no permission
 to found2 and without it1 so great was 
his reverence for the holy old man1 he  
would take no steps in the matter4 ,but 
,mobhi had fallen a victim to the       
pestilence and was sick unto death4 ,one
 of his last acts was to send messengers
 in search of his beloved disciple1 to  
take him his blessing and his girdle in 
token that the time had come for him to 
found his monastery4  ,the spot that    
,ailech had offered to ,columba was     
altogether after his own heart and was  
now most gratefully accepted4 ,the      
so-called island of ,derry or ,daire1   
surrounded as it was on two sides by the
 ,foyle water and on the third by a     
marsh1 consisted of a gently rising     
green hill1 crowned on the summit with a
 beautiful wood of oaks4 ,so dear was   
the oak grove of ,derry to ,columbcille1
 that rather than cut down one of its   
trees1 he preferred to build his church 

in the space that remained between them4
  ,the cells of the monks were placed at
 the foot of the hill by the water's    
edge1 and it was not long before the    
young men of ,tir-,connell came flocking
 to ,daire to give themselves to the    
service of ,god under the rule of their 
young kinsman4  ,it was in this beloved 
church of ,derry that it was given so   
often to ,columba to behold the angels  
adoring their ,lord on ,his altar       
throne1 and to hear the melody of their 
voices as they sang the eternal song of 
praise4  ,prayer1 labour1 and study     
divided the hours of the day1 and young 
as was the abbot1 the hand that         
governed1 though gentle1 was very firm4 
,columba had learnt from his holy       
masters in the spiritual life to lead   
his monks by example even more than by  
precept4 ,he slept on the bare ground1  
with a skin for covering and a stone for
 pillow4 ,three times in the night he   
rose to pray1 and his food was of the   
scantiest and poorest description4      

,though my devotion is great1 he would  
say1 ,i sit in a chair of glass1 for ,i 
am frail and fleshly4 ,no work was too  
menial for him1 and he would carry the  
sacks of grain on his strong shoulders  
from the mill to the kitchen like the   
humblest brother4 ,his austerities were 
the admiration of his monks1 who strove 
in all things to follow the example set 
before them4  ,of all the foundations of
 ,columba1 and we are told of no less   
than thirty-seven1 ,derry was the one   
that remained always the dearest to his 
heart1 and many of the sweet songs of   
his making celebrate its praises4       
,the reason ,i love ,daire is     ,for  
its peace and its purity1     ,and for  
its crowds of white angels     ,from one
 end to the other4      ,my ,daire1 my  
little oak grove1     ,my dwelling1 my  
dear little cell2     ,o ,eternal ,god  
in ,heaven above1     ,woe be to him who
 violates it1  sings the ,saint in the  
soft ,erse or ,gaelic of his native     
land4 ,on every leaf of the oaks of     

,derry1 he would say1 there sits a white
 angel listening to the brethren as they
 sing the praises of ,god4  ,the dear   
oak trees of ,derry were never to be cut
 down1 and if one were uprooted by the  
storm it was to lie for nine days before
 it was divided between the poor and the
 guest-house of the monastery4  ,there  
was a hamlet on the northern side of the
 hill1 and a hundred poor were fed every
 day by the monks of ,derry4 ,once      
during a thunderstorm some of the       
wretched little houses caught tire4 ,the
 people hastened to ,columba1 who went  
at once to the church4 ,there with      
outstretched arms he poured forth his   
soul in supplication before the altar1  
and the fire ceased at his prayer4  ,a  
fragment of the rule in use amongst the 
old ,celtic monasteries has been        
preserved1 in which we can see the      
spirit of the monks of ,columba's time3 
,yield submission to every rule--that is
 devotion4  ,a mind prepared for red    
martyrdom--that is death for the faith4 

,a mind fortified and steadfast for     
white martyrdom--that is the trials and 
mortifications and crosses of earthly   
life4  ,forgiveness from the heart to   
everyone4  ,constant prayers for those  
who trouble thee4  ,love ,god with all  
thy heart and all thy strength1 and love
 thy neighbour as thyself4  ,strong and 
simple1 like the saints of the time1 to 
whom the red martyrdom might come at any
 moment1 and to whose fiery natures the 
forgiveness of injuries was not always  
the easiest of precepts4  ,but ,derry1  
with its oak grove and its angels1 was  
not the only spot that was dear to      
,columba4  ,foremost in his affections  
amongst the other religious houses of   
his founding was ,durrow--in ,irish     
,dair-nagh1 or the plain of oaks4 ,it   
was also known as ,druin-,cain1 or the  
beautiful hill1 and well did it deserve 
its name4 ,the land1 as was the case    
with so many of the old monasteries1 had
 been given to ,columba by a reigning   
prince1 probably a kinsman of his own4  

,of ,durrow the story is told that there
 was in the orchard of the monastery an 
apple tree noted for the abundance as   
well as the bitterness of its fruit4    
,but ,columbcille blessed the tree1 and 
thenceforward1 says the old chronicle1  
its apples became sweet and good4       
,while ,columba was at ,durrow he wrote 
the celebrated copy of the ,gospels     
known as the ,book of ,durrow4 ,an      
ardent lover of the ,sacred ,scriptures1
 and a skilful and patient scribe1 he is
 said to have written with his own hand 
no less than thirty copies of the       
,gospels and the ,psalter4 ,the ,book of
 ,durrow is a transcription of the four 
,gospels1 exquisitely illuminated with  
the intricate designs of the ,celtic    
school4 ,on the back is to be deciphered
 a petition for prayers from ,columba   
the scribe1 who wrote this evangel in   
the space of twelve days4  ,the         
poet-saint could sing the charms of     
,durrow as well as those of ,derry3     
,there the wind sings through the oaks  

and the elms1     ,the joyous note of   
the blackbird is heard at dawn1     ,the
 cuckoo chants from tree to tree in that
 noble land4  ,and again he calls it3   
,a city devout with its hundred crosses1
     ,without blemish and without       
transgression4  ,in the years to come1  
when ,columba was in ,iona1 one cold    
winter's day the brethren noticed that  
their beloved abbot was sad and silent4 
,what ails you1 ,father8 asked          
,diarmaid1 his faithful companion4  ,my 
soul is sorrowful1 said ,columbcille1   
for my dear monks of ,durrow4 ,bitter is
 the weather1 and their abbot keeps them
 hard at work1 fasting and a-cold4  ,at 
the same moment ,laisren1 the abbot of  
,durrow1 felt a sudden inspiration to   
bid his monks get their dinner1 and take
 a little rest1 on account of the       
severity of the weather4 ,another day   
about the same time1 when the monks of  
,durrow were building their new church1 
,columba in his cell at ,iona saw one of
 them falling from the roof4 ,he cried  

to ,god for help1 and his guardian      
angel--such is the flashlike speed of an
 angel's flight--caught the monk ere he 
touched the ground4  ,more famous even  
than the ,book of ,durrow is the        
celebrated ,book of ,kells1 the most    
wonderful monument of the art of the    
,sixth ,century that has come down to   
us4 ,it was written also by the hand of 
,columbcille for ,kells1 his third      
foundation1 though some of the          
illustrations were probably added at a  
later date4  ,the story runs that not   
long after the foundation of ,durrow1   
,columba went to ,kells1 one of the     
royal seats of ,diarmaid1 ,high ,king of
 ,ireland4 ,now ,diarmaid belonged to   
the southern branch of the ,hy-,nialls  
and was regarded by the northern branch 
with no great favour4 ,when ,columba    
arrived the ,king was absent1 and the   
,saint was treated with scant ceremony  
by the soldiers of the royal guard1 to  
whom he was probably a stranger4 ,when  
,diarmaid returned and heard of the     

insult that had been offered in his     
royal palace to the greatest and most   
beloved of the ,saints of ,erin1 one of 
the royal blood and his own cousin1 he  
was ready to make atonement by any means
 in his power4 ,he offered to give      
,columba ,kells itself and the          
surrounding country for the founding of 
a monastery and a church4  ,it is       
possible that ,diarmaid1 whose seat on  
the throne was anything but secure at   
the time1 was not unmoved by the thought
 that the powerful clan of the          
,hy-,nialls of ,tir-,connell would not  
be slow in avenging the insult to one of
 their clan4 ,however that may be1      
,columba accepted the gift with         
gratitude1 and so the monastery and the 
church of ,kells came to be built4  ,the
 great ,gospel of ,columbcille1 or the  
,book of ,kells1 has been the admiration
 of all ages4 ,the patience and the     
delicate skill required for such an     
undertaking is to be wondered at4       
,certainly the old monks believed that  

if a thing were worth doing at all it   
was worth doing well1 particularly if   
that thing happened to be a copy of the 
,gospels of ,christ4  ,the untiring zeal
 and the labours of ,columba had indeed 
brought forth fruit throughout the whole
 country4 ,his friends and kinsfolk were
 generous1 and churches and monasteries 
built by the ,saint and owning him as   
their patron and head sprang up in every
 direction4 ,derry1 ,durrow1 ,kells1    
,raphoe1 ,sords1 ,drumcliff1            
,kilmacrenan1 ,drumcolumb1              
,glencolumbcille are but a few of his   
foundations4 ,more than ever might it   
have been said of ,st4 ,columba that he 
was beloved of ,god and of man4  ,but   
,god shows ,his love for ,his ,saints in
 ways which are not the ways of men1 and
 the chastening fires of sorrow and of  
suffering were to purify that ardent and
 impulsive nature4 ,the haughty spirit  
of the descendant of ,niall of the ,nine
 ,hostages had yet to be conformed to   
that of his great ,master ,who is meek  

and humble of heart4    ,,chapter ,,iv  
,,the ,,cow ,,and ,,the ,,calf  ,,we    
have already spoken of the pilgrimage to
 ,rome of ,st4 ,finnian of ,moville1 and
 of the treasure that he had brought    
back with him from over the sea--a copy 
of the ,scriptures translated and       
corrected by the hand of the great ,st4 
,jerome himself4 ,columba1 when at      
,moville1 must often have seen and      
perhaps even have handled the precious  
volume4 ,in later days1 so great was his
 desire that each of his monasteries    
should have its copy of the ,word of    
,god1 that he would seek out and        
transcribe with his own hand all the    
most carefully written and most         
authentic manuscripts to be found in    
,ireland4  ,the love of these old books1
 regarded by the ,saints of ,ireland as 
their most precious treasure1 amounted  
almost to a passion with ,columba1 so   
that we are hardly surprised to find him
 journeying to ,moville to ask          
permission from his old master to make a

 copy of his rare and valuable          
manuscript4 ,but he was met by an       
unexpected rebuff2 ,st4 ,finnian guarded
 his treasure with a jealous eye1 and   
feared to trust it in any hands but his 
own4 ,he firmly refused the request of  
his old pupil1 and no entreaties of     
,columba could move him from his        
decision4 ,but the determination of     
,columbcille was equal to his own1 and  
he resolved to obtain the object of his 
desire in spite of ,st4 ,finnian's      
prohibition4  ,he waited until all had  
gone to rest1 and then1 armed with      
parchment and pigments1 went softly to  
the church1 where the precious book was 
kept4 ,night after night1 in spite of   
weary hand and eye1 he laboured at his  
self-imposed task until the day broke1  
and men began to stir4 ,to undertake the
 transcription of the whole book would  
have been an impossibility1 working thus
 secretly in the night2 he therefore    
confined himself to copying the         
,psalter4 ,to ,columba1 poet as he was  

by nature1 the psalms of the sweet      
singer of ,israel were particularly     
clear1 and the wording of the new       
version gave the force and the melody of
 the original more perfectly than any   
rendering up till then in use4  ,the    
lonely vigils in the church passed      
quickly1 in spite of the weariness that 
assailed but could not daunt the        
enthusiastic scribe4 ,one night1 one of 
the scholars of ,moville1 happening to  
pass the door of the church1 was        
astonished to see a bright light shining
 through the crevices of the door4 ,he  
stooped and looked through the keyhole4 
,keyholes as well as keys were on a     
large scale in the sixth century1 and he
 obtained a good view of the interior1  
and of ,columba bending over the reading
 desk with a pile of parchment before   
him1 copying with skilful hand the      
treasure of ,moville4 ,the whole chancel
 was shining with a brilliant light     
which fell directly across the page on  
which the writer was at work4  ,the     

young man1 awestruck at the sight1 crept
 softly away1 and warned his master of  
what was taking place4 ,st4 ,finnian    
knew ,columba's skill in transcription4 
,he made no move until the ,psalter was 
completed1 and his old pupil was        
preparing to depart4 ,then he accused   
his guest of having taken a copy of his 
book without his permission and against 
his will1 and claimed the work as his   
rightful property4  ,this was to touch  
,columba in a tender spot4 ,his         
nocturnal labours had cost him many     
weary vigils1 but he had borne the      
weariness gladly for the sake of the    
prize--to give up the fruit of so much  
toil was more than could be expected of 
him4 ,he flatly refused to yield to     
,finnian's claim4 ,the old man was      
determined2 ,columba was firm2 neither  
would give way4 ,it was agreed in the   
end to appeal to the ,king at ,tara1 and
 to hold his judgment as final4         
,diarmaid might be considered as a fit  
judge in such a matter4 ,the friend and 

patron of the great monastery of        
,clonmacnoise1 founded by ,ciaran in his
 presence and with his help1 the ,king  
was looked upon by all the ,saints of   
,ireland as their friend4 ,moreover1 he 
was ,columba's own cousin1 and had      
treated him on a former occasion with   
reverence and consideration4 ,columba   
himself had no doubt that the judgment  
would be in his favour1 and went readily
 at ,finnian's suggestion to lay the    
matter before him4  ,but ,diarmaid's    
position on the throne was more secure  
than it had been in former days4 ,he may
 have thought that he had less reason to
 fear the enmity of the ,hy-,nialls of  
,tir-,connell4 ,he had heard much of the
 sanctity of ,columba1 and may have     
supposed that in spite of his high      
lineage he would be ready to bear with  
patience an adverse judgment4 ,he may   
have been actuated by the old enmity    
between the two branches of the family2 
or he may have decided according to his 
own conscience as he thought right and  

just4 ,be that as it may1 the judgment  
came as a thunderclap to ,columbcille4  
,to every cow1 said the ,king1 belongs  
its own calf4 ,since the copy of        
,columba was the son-book of the        
manuscript of ,moville1 it belonged by  
rights to its mother1 and therefore to  
,finnian4  ,columba's indignation knew  
no bounds4 ,the judgment was unfair and 
unjust1 he declared2 ,diarmaid should   
bear the penalty4 ,with dashing eyes and
 burning heart he turned his back on    
,king and courtiers1 and strode from the
 royal presence4  ,he was now a man with
 a grievance1 who considered that he had
 been most unjustly treated1 but the    
resentment which was as yet but         
smouldering in his heart was soon to be 
fanned into a flame4  ,it came to pass  
that ,diarmaid made a great feast at    
,court and invited all the princes and  
nobles of ,erin to attend4 ,games were  
held for several days in the green      
meadows of ,tara1 that the young        
athletes might show their skill in      

wrestling4 ,now brawling and quarrelling
 at these royal games had been strictly 
forbidden by the ,king on account of the
 serious accidents that had happened on 
former occasions4 ,but the blood of     
young ,ireland was hot and              
undisciplined1 and in a moment of anger1
 ,curnan1 the heir of the ,prince of    
,connaught1 struck the son of the       
,king's steward and felled him to the   
ground4 ,the act was altogether         
unpremeditated1 but the blow had struck 
the lad in a vital spot2 when they tried
 to raise him1 they found that he was   
dead4 ,young ,curnan dared not face the 
wrath of ,diarmaid1 and fled for        
protection to ,columba1 who was his     
kinsman4  ,it was an acknowledged thing 
that an abbot or the founder of a       
religious house had the right to give   
sanctuary even to great criminals1 and  
the claim was universally respected4    
,but ,diarmaid was very angry and sent  
messengers who dragged the boy from the 
very presence of ,columba andput him to 

death on the spot4  ,this fresh insult  
was more than ,columbcille could bear4  
,the rights of the ,church had been     
violated in his person4 ,his own people1
 the ,hy-,nialls of the north1 should   
judge between him and ,diarmaid1 he     
declared1 and set forth on his journey  
northwards1 breathing vengeance as he   
went4 ,the ,king himself was not a      
little apprehensive as to what might be 
the results of his arbitrary action2 he 
stationed guards on all the roads that  
led northwards1 and even tried to detain
 the fugitive in prison4 ,but           
,columbcille successfully evaded the    
traps that had been set to catch him1   
and by a lonely path across the         
mountains went his way to ,tir-,connell4
 ,as he journeyed he sang a song of     
confidence in the ,god in whom he       
trusted to protect the right4      ,i am
 alone upon the mountain     ,do ,thou1 
,o ,god1 protect my path4     ,then     
shall ,i have no fear1     ,though six  
thousand men were against me4     ,what 

protection shall guard thee from death8 
,the ,son of ,mary shall cause thee to  
prosper4     ,the ,king who has made our
 bodies     ,he it is in whom ,i        
believe4     ,my ,lord is ,christ the   
,son of ,god1     ,christ1 the ,son of  
,mary1 the great abbot1     ,father1    
,son and ,holy ,ghost4  ,so singing he  
went speedily and in safety to his own  
country1 where he recounted his wrongs  
to the men of his own race4  ,aedh1     
,prince of ,connaught1 the father of the
 lad who had been so cruelly put to     
death1 was already preparing for        
vengeance4 ,the chiefs of ,tir-,connell 
joined him1 hot in ,columba's cause4    
,the men who gathered to avenge the     
insult made a formidable army1 and      
,diarmaid on his side lost no time in   
gathering his forces for battle4  ,the  
encounter took place at ,cuil-dreimhne1 
between ,balbulbin ,mountain and the    
sea1 and the fight was long and bloody4 
,columba1 say some of the old writers1  
was himself present1 and prayed with    

outstretched arms for the victory of his
 people4  ,three thousand of ,diarmaid's
 men fell on the field of battle1 while 
the losses of the ,hy-,nialls of the    
north1 such was the efficacy of the     
prayers of ,columbcille1 were           
comparatively slight4 ,the victory was  
complete1 but ,diarmaid was not the man 
to take his defeat meekly4  ,he appealed
 to the ,church to judge the conduct of 
,columba4 ,did it seem right and good1  
he asked1 that a priest and an abbot1   
the founder of religious houses1 and one
 who had dedicated his life to the      
service of ,christ1 should have provoked
 a bloody war which had been the death  
of thousands of innocent men8 ,the      
churchmen looked grave4 ,the case thus  
stated did not promise well for         
,columba4  ,he was the friend of all3   
the zeal and fervour of his life1 the   
charity and generosity of his heart were
 known throughout the length and breadth
 of ,erin4 ,there was but one weak point
 in that noble nature--the haughty      

spirit that had come to him with the hot
 blood of the ,hy-,nialls2 and certainly
 he had been sorely tried by            
circumstances4 ,yet--the fact was       
incontestable--his conduct as an abbot  
and as a priest was open to the gravest 
censure4 ,he was ordered to appear      
before an ecclesiastical council which  
was summoned to meet at ,teilte in the  
heart of the ,king's domains to hear the
 judgment that should be pronounced upon
 him by the ,saints of ,erin4           
,,chapter ,v  ,a ,,bitter ,,penance     
,,many of the holiest men in ,ireland   
were present at the ,synod of ,teilte4  
,st4 ,enda of ,aran had passed from his 
life of penance to the glory which is   
eternal2 but ,st4 ,brendan of ,birr1 and
 probably his namesake the ,bishop of   
,clonfert1 with his assistant ,st4      
,moinen1 ,oena of ,clonmacnoise1        
successor of the saintly ,ciaran1 and   
,st4 ,kevin of ,glendalough1 formed part
 of the ,council4  ,when ,columba was   
seen approaching in the distance1 ,st4  

,brendan of ,birr alone arose and went  
forward to receive him4 ,the ,fathers   
objected to his action4 ,it was not     
fitting1 they said1 that one who was    
under the grave censure of the ,church  
should be greeted with marks of         
deference and honour4  ,if you saw what 
,i see1 replied the holy ,brendan1 you  
would hasten to do likewise4 ,i see     
,columba1 as he climbs the hill1        
surrounded by a column of light1 and    
angels going before and after him4 ,i   
bow before the ,hand of ,god which      
destines him to convert a whole nation  
to the faith of ,christ4  ,his words    
made a powerful impression on the       
assembly1 for the wisdom of ,brendan was
 known to all2 and there was a deep     
silence as ,columba entered4  ,after a  
short pause one of the elders arose and 
stated the case in words that were brief
 and simple4 ,columba1 he said1 was     
under the censure of his brethren for   
having stirred up strife in the ,king's 
dominions1 which had led to a fierce and

 bloody battle4  ,the ,king's behaviour 
was unjust1 replied ,columba1 and it is 
hard for a man to bear injustice        
patiently4  ,truly1 as you say1 answered
 the speaker1 it is hard for a man to   
bear injustice2 yet judge yourself if it
 is more fitting that one who has       
dedicated his life to the service of    
,christ should bear injuries patiently1 
or that he should avenge them at the    
point of the sword4 ,he went on to speak
 of the duties of a ,christian and of a 
priest2 of the insults and humiliations 
offered to ,jesus ,christ1 their ,master
 and their model4 ,the words were of one
 who had himself striven and            
conquered--of one who had a right to    
speak4 ,the silence deepened1 for the   
,spirit of ,god was with him4  ,alone in
 their midst stood ,columba1 but his    
head was bowed upon his breast1 and the 
grey eyes that had dashed so stormily at
 the ,court of ,tara were dim with      
tears4 ,the cry that burst from his     
heart when the old man ceased to speak  

was the cry of another great            
penitent--one who in spite of human     
frailty had deserved to be called a man 
after ,god's own heart4  ,against ,thee 
only have ,i sinned and done this evil  
in ,thy sight3 ,for ,i acknowledge my   
fault1 and my sin is ever before me4    
,the fault had been great1 but the      
sincerity of the repentance was evident 
to all4  ,go in peace1 was the verdict  
of the ,council1 and for every man that 
fell on the field of ,cuil-dreimhne win 
a soul to the faith of ,christ4         
,sentence had been given1 but ,columba  
was not content4 ,he had grieved that   
,lord ,who from his childhood had been  
the sole love of his heart1 and no      
penance was great enough to satisfy him4
 ,moreover the fate of the men who had  
fallen at ,cuil-dreimhne was an         
intolerable burden on his soul4 ,through
 his fault they had been                
hurried--perhaps altogether             
unprepared--before the judgment-seat of 
,god4 ,the thought that they might be   

lost for all eternity was a perpetual   
torture to him1 and he went from one to 
another of the ,saints of ,erin seeking 
advice and help4  ,in due time he went  
to ,st4 ,abban1 like himself a monk1 and
 the founder of many religious houses4  
,men called him the ,peacemaker1 such   
was his power over turbulent and violent
 men4 ,not long before1 he had gone     
alone and unarmed to meet one of the    
fiercest barbarians of the land1 the    
heathen chief of a reigning clan1 and   
the terror of the surrounding country4  
,such was the influence of ,abban that  
the marauder laid down his arms1 and    
became in course of time not only a     
,christian1 but also a monk of          
exceptionally holy life4  ,columba found
 ,st4 ,abban in the ,church of one of   
his religious foundations1 known amongst
 the people as the ,cell of ,tears on   
account of the contrition of the        
penitents who frequented it4 ,he        
besought the holy abbot to pray for the 
souls of those who through his fault had

 met their death1 and the thought of    
whose fate had destroyed his peace4 ,he 
entreated ,abban also to pray to ,god   
that ,he would reveal to him through the
 angel who spoke to him continually of  
the things of heaven1 whether they were 
saved or lost4  ,the humility of the    
holy abbot would not allow him for a    
long time to accede to this last        
request2 but in the end1 so moved was he
 by the anguish of ,columba1 that he    
fell on his knees and implored of ,god  
to give this comfort to a soul in pain4 
,the knowledge that he asked was given  
him2 he returned with great joy to his  
visitor to tell him that1 through the   
infinite mercy of ,god1 the souls of all
 who had fallen on that fatal day had   
been saved4 ,the chief solicitude of    
,columba was now at rest1 but the future
 was not yet clear before him4 ,how was 
he to mould his life that the days to   
come might be an atonement for the fault
 that was past8 ,he had learnt his own  
weakness1 he must lean more than ever on

 the ,strength that cannot fail1 and the
 desire for a more perfect expiation was
 strong in his heart4 ,he determined to 
seek out ,st4 ,molaise1 his soul's      
friend1 in the lonely isle of           
,inishmurry and to ask his counsel4     
,st4 ,molaise knew well the character of
 his penitent4 ,the penance that would  
satisfy that great heart must be full   
and complete4 ,to ,columba the love of  
country came next to the love of ,god2  
the decision was taken ere the penitent 
had ceased to speak4  ,it had been      
decreed1 said he1 by the ,synod that    
,columba was to win to the faith of     
,christ as many men as had perished at  
the battle of ,cuil-dreimhne4 ,let him  
do so2 but that the atonement might be  
more perfect let him go forth from his  
own people and his own land1 and never  
look upon the hills of ,erin again4     
,columba bowed his head before the      
sentence4 ,it shall be done1 he         
answered1 and none but ,god was to know 
what the doing cost him4 ,it only       

remained to break the news to his       
friends and kinsfolk4 ,a wail of sorrow 
rang through ,tir-,connell at the       
tidings4  ,it is not surprising that the
 land of ,alba over the sea suggested   
itself at once to ,columba as the place 
of his exile4 ,the little kingdom of    
,dalriada on the ,argyllshire coast was 
ruled by one of his own kinsmen1 and    
reports of the condition of the         
surrounding country had possibly reached
 his ears4 ,the ,christianity introduced
 by ,st4 ,ninian two hundred years      
before had almost disappeared4 ,the     
ruling chiefs were completely under the 
influence of the ,druids1 and heathenism
 and idolatry were supreme throughout   
the land4 ,there his apostolic spirit   
would be able to find ample scope4 ,we  
are told by some of the old writers that
 the thought of a missionary journey to 
,caledonia had been for years one of his
 dearest projects4 ,if that were so1 the
 time had now come to put it into       
execution4  ,columba chose the          

companions who were to share in his     
great undertaking from amongst the monks
 of ,derry4 ,two cousins of his own1    
,baithen1 who was to succeed him in     
after years as abbot of ,iona1 and his  
brother ,cobthach1 were amongst the     
number4 ,but the disciple who loved him 
the most was ,mochonna1 son of the ,king
 of ,ulster1 whom ,columba considered   
too young for an enterprise that        
involved so many dangers1 and to whose  
entreaties he refused to yield4 ,it was 
not fitting1 said he1 that the young    
monk should leave the country of his    
birth and the parents to whom he was so 
dear2 but ,mochonna would not be        
gainsaid4  ,thou1 he cried1 art the     
father of my soul1 and ,holy ,church is 
my mother1 and my country is the spot   
where ,i can work most fruitfully for   
,christ4  ,then1 that it might be       
impossible for his beloved master to    
leave him behind1 he made a vow before  
all who were present to quit his native 
land and to follow ,columba to the      

death4 ,it was in this wise that the    
determined and devoted ,mochonna        
overcame all opposition and obtained his
 heart's desire4 ,he was to become one  
of the most active and zealous of the   
little band of missionaries1 in ,alba1  
where he was venerated for many         
centuries under the name of ,st4        
,machor1 as the patron and founder of   
the ,see of ,aberdeen4  ,thus1 with only
 twelve companions1 in the wicker-work  
curraghs covered with oxhide that were  
the only boats of the ,celtic races at  
the time1 the future apostle of         
,scotland set sail from his native land4
 ,a great crowd1 gathered from all the  
surrounding country1 stood on the shore1
 and as the light skiffs sped out into  
the sea1 and the green hill of ,derry   
faded slowly from the eyes of the       
mariners1 the sound of a bitter wailing 
was borne to them on the breeze4 ,the   
best beloved of the ,saints of ,erin had
 left her1 and she mourned for him as   
one lost to her for ever4    ,,chapter  

,,vi  ,,the ,,isle ,,in ,,the ,,western 
,,seas  ,,it must have taken the little 
band of missionaries1 even if the wind  
were in their favour1 fully a day to    
make the coast of ,calyddon or the ,land
 of ,forests1 as ,scotland was then     
called by the ,britons south of the     
,clyde4  ,they landed first1 we are     
told1 on the island of ,oronsay1 but on 
climbing a hill to look out over the    
waste of waters1 ,columba caught sight  
of the far faint coast of ,ireland lying
 like a blue cloud on the horizon4 ,it  
was more than he could bear1 and the    
mariners put out to sea again1 sailing  
northwards till they reached the little 
island of ,hy or ,iona1 off the coast of
 ,mull4 7,hy or ,hii means the island2  
,iona the blessed island47 ,the bay     
where they landed still bears the name  
of ,port'a ,curraigh or the ,bay of the 
,wicker ,boat4 ,no trace of the hills of
 ,erin was to be seen from the low-lying
 rocks of ,iona1 nothing but the blue   
mountains and the dark crags of the     

,hebrides and the white-capped waves of 
the sea4 ,here1 therefore1 the          
ambassadors of ,christ resolved to build
 their little monastery and to make     
their home4  ,it was a happy choice4 ,no
 better quarters could have been found  
for a missionary station4 ,iona1        
separated only by a narrow channel from 
the island of ,mull1 lay exactly        
opposite to the friendly kingdom of     
,dalriada1 and the missionaries had only
 to sail up the chain of lochs1 now     
united by artificial means and called   
the ,caledonian ,canal1 to find         
themselves in the heathen country of the
 ,picts4 ,the weird and austere beauty  
of the ,hebrides with their wild rocks  
and foaming seas did not at first appeal
 to the ,gaels of ,ireland1 fresh from  
the green hills and smiling landscapes  
of their native land4 ,the bare crags   
and the dark mountains1 the grey skies  
and the hollow waves that beat          
perpetually on those bleak shores1      
and bring     ,the eternal note of      

sadness in1  the wailing of the wind    
through the caves and the narrow        
channels fretted into weird shapes by   
the ocean tide1 made a music which was  
alien to their ears1 and strangely      
melancholy to their warm ,irish hearts4 
,again and again the passionate note of 
longing for the dear mother-country     
breaks out in the writings of ,columba4 
',twere sweet to sail the white waves   
that break on the shores of ,erin1      
',twere sweet to land 'mid the white    
foam that laps on the shores of         
,erin1     ,my boat would fly were its  
prow once tumed to the dear land of     
,erin1     ,and the sad heart cease to  
bleed4      ,there's a grey eye that    
ever turns with longing look to ,erin1  
,no more in life again to see the men   
and maids of ,erin4     ,there's a mist 
of tears in the melting eye that sadly  
turns to ,erin1     ,where the birds'   
songs are so sweet4  ,hy1 he calls the  
land of ravens2 it was only after many  
years that he was to sing of the place  

of his exile as      ,hy of my love1 ,hy
 of my heart1  dear then as the land of 
his labours and of his apostolate for   
,christ1 and very close in his          
affections to the country of his birth4 
,the poet-heart of ,columbcille could   
sing of his regret for the island of his
 birth2 but he was not the man to let it
 interfere with his work for ,god in the
 island of his adoption4 ,iona consisted
 for the most part of barren and desert 
moor4 ,columba asked and obtained it as 
a gift from ,conal1 ,king of the        
,dalriadan ,scots1 and set his monks at 
once to cultivate the soil4 ,the huts of
 the brethren were built in a circle    
round the church1 with a guest-house and
 a simple refectory adjoining4 ,the     
building was of wood and wattles1 and   
the work proceeded rapidly4 ,the hut of 
,columba was in the most elevated spot  
of the monastic enclosure1 and here1    
during the short intervals between his  
missionary journeys1 he spent his time  
in prayer1 study1 and the transcription 

of the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,iona had its 
writing school for the training of the  
younger monks1 and became famous later  
for the excellence of its scribes4      
,adamnan in his ,life of ,st4 ,columba  
mentions the scriptorium with its waxen 
tablets and the styles for writing1 the 
inkhorns and the pens1 with the brushes 
and the colours for illuminating the    
manuscripts4  ,in all the labours of the
 day ,columba took his part2 no work was
 too humble for the holy abbot1 and he  
exacted from others the same cheerful   
diligence as he himself practised4 ,no  
one was allowed to be idle1 there was   
work enough for all1 and each was       
expected to take his share4 ,when the   
manual labours were ended for the day1  
the monks betook themselves to prayer1  
reading1 or writing1 while the less     
expert could always employ themselves in
 works of charity for the common good4  
,even while the brethren were engaged in
 active labour1 they strove to occupy   
their minds with thoughts of ,god1 so   

that their work might be hallowed by    
prayer and bring its blessings on their 
mission4 ,when the toils of the day were
 at an end they took their rest on their
 hard pallets of straw2 but ,columba    
slept on the bare ground with a stone   
for pillow1 as had been his custom from 
his earliest years4  ,the rule of a     
,celtic community recommended           
hospitality to guests as strongly as    
personal austerity1 and nowhere was this
 rule more faithfully observed than at  
,iona4 ,no sooner were the monks settled
 in their new home1 than pilgrims came  
from every quarter to ask counsel of    
,columba or to embrace the religious    
life under his direction4 ,the holy     
abbot1 who sought in every action of his
 life to make atonement by true humility
 for the movement of pride that had cost
 him so dear1 would go himself to meet  
them4 ,kneeling before them he would    
loosen their sandals and wash their     
feet1 which he kissed with reverent     
devotion2 performing for them1 in       

imitation of his ,divine ,master1 this  
lowliest of services4 ,at every hour of 
the day or night shouts might be heard  
across the narrow channel that divided  
,iona from the island of ,mull4 ,at this
 signal the brethren would leave their  
work to go down to the shore where1     
stepping into their curraghs1 they would
 row across the ,sound to fetch the     
pilgrims4  ,some of these were merely   
moved by a desire to see and speak to   
the holy man whose fame had already     
reached their ears4 ,some were in need  
of advice1 some of material help4 ,some 
had a load of sin and sorrow on their   
souls1 and desired the ,saint's         
absolution2 some were suffering from    
diseases1 and sought his prayers and    
blessing2 while others wished to leave  
the world and join the brethren in their
 life of penance4 ,there was no sorrow  
to which the loving sympathy of         
,columbcille did not extend1 no         
necessity which did not appeal to his   
charity4 ,he dealt with them all in     

turn1 and gave to each according to his 
need4  ,it was on one of these occasions
 that ,columba1 engaged at the moment in
 transcribing the ,scriptures1 foretold 
sadly that one of the pilgrims who was  
heard shouting lustily on the seashore1 
would shortly upset his inkhorn4 ,the   
visitor1 a too enthusiastic admirer1 in 
his eagerness to embrace the ,saint1    
fulfilled the prediction to the letter4 
,luckily the sleeve of ,columba's tunic 
was the only thing that suffered4 ,he   
had probably put the precious manuscript
 in a place of safety4  ,he was careful 
with those who desired to embrace the   
religious life1 and would make trial of 
their vocation with wise severity4 ,he  
knew well that in those wild days it was
 no uncommon thing for men who had led  
evil lives to desire to make atonement  
for their sins in a monastery4 ,given   
that the repentance were sincere1 he    
wholly approved their design1 for many  
of the ,saints of the ,church have been 
converted sinners4 ,but he knew also the

 weakness of human nature and the       
strength of the evil habits of a        
lifetime1 and demanded that such        
penitents should go through a long      
probation and prove their sincerity by  
humility and obedience to those in      
charge of them before they were admitted
 to the religious life4  ,for these     
would-be monks he founded communities on
 some of the neighbouring islands1 where
 wise and saintly men might try their   
virtue by a probation which lasted      
sometimes for seven years or even longer
 when necessary4  ,on one occasion when 
,columba was visiting one of these      
foundations on the island of ,himba1 he 
ordered that in honour of his presence1 
some savoury addition should be made to 
the frugal midday meal4 ,the brethren   
gratefully partook of the holiday fare  
in the spirit in which it was           
given--with one exception4 ,this was one
 of the penitents who was undergoing his
 probation and who seemed to think it   
more perfect to refuse the proffered    

dainty4 ,columba with kindly insistence 
offered the dish with his own hands to  
the reluctant brother1 and pressed him  
to partake of it1 thinking that some    
scruple might be distressing him4 ,but  
he was met with an abrupt refusal4 ,for 
a moment ,columbcille was silent1 then  
looking at the man sternly he said3 ,you
 refuse the comfort which ,i and your   
superior think it right to offer you4   
,the time will come when you will become
 a thief again as you were of old1 and  
will steal venison for your own pleasure
 in the forests of your native place4   
,the prophecy was fulfilled4 ,not long  
after1 the man returned to his evil     
life1 and died unrepentant in his own   
country4  ,in spite of these precautions
 the community at ,iona increased so    
rapidly that the island soon became too 
small to hold it1 and little bands of   
devoted men were sent forth to found    
other monasteries on the mainland1 to   
spread the faith and love of ,christ4   
,there are more than ninety churches in 

,scotland that can trace their          
foundation to the time of ,columba2 and 
each church1 according to the custom of 
the time1 had its neighbouring          
monastery4  ,the first missionary       
journey of ,columba was to the ,scots of
 ,dalriada4 ,they were ,christians it is
 true1 but living as they did surrounded
 on all sides by a heathen population1  
they were apt to be influenced more or  
less by the customs of their neighbours4
 ,it was necessary that friendly        
relations should be established with    
these men1 themselves originally of     
,irish extraction1 before attempting the
 conversion of the ,picts4 ,the monks of
 ,iona were hardy mariners as well as   
tillers of the soil4 ,the holy island   
had its little fleet of curraghs which  
varied in size according to the number  
of ox-hides used in their construction4 
,in these frail barks the missionaries  
would brave the stormy seas of the      
,hebrides and all the dangers of the    
deep1 secure in their trust in ,god and 

the prayers of their holy abbot4 ,there 
were sharks1 and whales too1 on the     
coasts of ,caledonia in those days1 and 
the curraghs were small protection      
against such monsters2 but the hearts of
 the mariners were stout and their faith
 was strong4 ,they sailed northwards to 
far ,st4 ,kilda and the ,orkney and     
,shetland ,isles1 where the ruins are   
still to be seen of churches which they 
founded4  ,the holy abbot would take his
 turn at the oars with the rest1 and    
when he was not with the missioners on  
their travels would follow them in      
spirit from his cell at ,iona1 shielding
 and protecting them by his prayers4 ,he
 knew by the supernatural light that    
,god had given him when they were in    
danger1 and suffered with them in all   
the hardships they endured4 ,the        
interests of the last and least of them 
were as dear to him as his own4 ,small  
wonder then that the memory of the holy 
life lived more than thirteen hundred   
years ago is fragrant and living still1 

and that the name of ,columba is        
cherished in the land of his adoption   
even to the present day4    ,,chapter   
,,vii  ,,the ,,apostle ,,of ,,scotland  
,,in the mountain fastnesses of         
,caledonia beyond the ,grampian ,hills1 
lived a wild and hardy race of men known
 to their ,british neighbours as the    
,picts or ,painted ,people4 ,the name   
had originally been bestowed on them by 
the ,romans in allusion to their habit  
of going into battle with their bodies  
tattooed all over with strange devices4 
,they were a brave and warlike tribe1   
who had resisted the landing of         
,agricola and his legions1 and after    
several pitched battles had driven the  
,roman eagles triumphantly before them  
to the sea4 ,in later days they became  
the terror of the ,britons of           
,strathclyde and ,northumbria1          
descending upon them in wild hordes and 
raiding their country without mercy4    
,these men were the original ancestors  
of the ,highlanders of ,scotland1 in    

whom the courage and the fighting       
spirit1 typical of the race1 have       
survived through all the vicissitudes of
 their country1 and who to this day are 
acknowledged to be the bravest and      
hardiest of the soldiers of the ,empire4
  ,it was to this people1 like himself  
of ,celtic origin1 that ,columba was to 
carry the priceless gift of the faith1  
entering with a handful of unarmed men  
into the heart of the country which the 
,roman legions had feared to penetrate4 
,brude or ,bmidh1 the ,pictish ,king1   
was entrenched in his fortress on a     
rocky hill near the site of ,inverness4 
,the little band of missionaries wound  
their way up the hill1 chanting as they 
went a psalm of confidence in ,god4 ,at 
their head was ,columba1 bearing aloft  
the cross4 ,the tidings of their        
approach was brought to the ,pictish    
,king1 who ordered that the gates of the
 fortress should be barred against them 
and admittance refused4  ,broichem1 the 
high-priest of the ,druids1 the         

foster-father and chief adviser of ,king
 ,brude1 was probably responsible for   
the order1 for1 the ,christians once    
admitted1 he feared that his influence  
would be no longer supreme4 ,columba1   
however1 was not in the least daunted by
 this inhospitable reception4 ,he made  
the sign of the ,cross before the barred
 gates and struck them strongly with his
 clenched fist4 ,bolts and bars shot    
back at his touch1 and silently the     
great gates rolled open to give the     
,saint and his companions passage4 ,the 
,king1 who had seen the marvel together 
with all his ,court1 was struck with    
fear1 and went to meet ,columba with    
fair and peaceful words4 ,from          
henceforth he treated him with reverence
 and courtesy1 confirming to him the    
gift of ,iona1 which might be considered
 to lie as much in his territory as in  
that of the ,dalriadan king1 and        
remaining throughout his lifetime a true
 friend and protector4  ,it was not     
until some time later that he became a  

,christian1 but the ,druids could       
foresee the results of his friendly     
intercourse with the missionaries1 and  
resolved not to lose their influence    
without a struggle4 ,their bitter enmity
 was to follow ,columba for years1 and  
to be the chief hindrance to his work   
amongst the ,picts4  ,the religion of   
the ,druids of ,caledonia differed in   
some degree from that of the ,druids of 
,britain4 ,the people were taught to    
worship the sun1 the rivers and the     
forests4 ,certain of the streams and    
wells which were1 said the ,druid       
priests1 under the influence of a       
beneficent spirit1 were wholesome and   
good to drink1 while to taste of others 
which they declared to be under the rule
 of evil spirits1 would be followed by  
instant death4  ,the first thing to be  
done was to convince the people of the  
falsity of their belief and to make them
 cease the idolatrous practices         
connected with it4 ,columba drank in    
their presence of the water that was    

supposed to be deadly1 to prove to them 
that no evil effects would follow4 ,the 
,druids pursued him wherever he went1   
interrupting him continually in his     
preaching1 holding him up to the        
derision of the people1 and             
misrepresenting what he said4 ,columba  
bore all their insults with patience2   
but when it came to trying to drown the 
missionaries' voices in the singing of  
the psalms of the ,church with shouts   
and mocking cries1 his zeal for ,god's  
glory overcame for once his meekness1   
and he intoned the holy chant in such a 
voice of thunder that his adversaries   
were silenced1 and the ,king and his    
people trembled with fear4  ,in spite of
 the ,druids1 crowds flocked to hear the
 preaching of ,columba1 and many were   
converted to the faith4 ,on one         
occasion1 shortly after the conversion  
to ,christianity of a whole family1 the 
eldest son fell ill and died4 ,the      
,druids were of course at hand to assure
 the sorrowing father that the loss of  

his child was a well-merited punishment 
indicted by the gods of his country in  
consequence of his apostasy4 ,the man's 
faith wavered1 but ,columba was watching
 over his converts2 and after doing what
 he could to console the grief of the   
boy's parents1 asked to be left alone   
beside the bier to pray4 ,with tears and
 entreaties he besought of ,god to show 
forth ,his almighty power1 and the      
,heavenly ,father heard the prayer of   
,his servant and raised the child to    
life4 ,columba led him to his parents1  
and their faith in the true ,god was    
confirmed for ever4 ,the prayer of      
,columbcille1 says ,adamnan his         
biographer1 was as powerful with ,god as
 that of ,elias and ,eliseus in the old 
law1 and ,peter1 ,john1 and ,paul in the
 new4  ,one day when the ,saint was     
preaching the ,gospel in the island of  
,skye1 he had one of those flashes of   
supernatural insight of which we have   
spoken several times before4 ,he told   
his companions that there would come to 

them that very day an old ,pictish chief
 who was at the point of death1 and who 
had tried to lead a good life according 
to the natural law of ,god and the light
 of his own conscience4  ,it happened as
 he had foretold4 ,towards evening a    
boat was seen approaching the coast of  
,skye1 manned by ,pictish warriors      
supporting in their arms an old man     
whose trappings proclaimed him to be of 
noble birth4 ,drawing their boat to the 
shore1 they landed and formed a rude    
litter with their shields1 on which they
 carried the old chieftain up the hill  
and laid him down at ,columba's feet4   
,the ,saint spoke to the dying man of   
the faith of ,christ and baptized him1  
and shortly afterwards he gave up his   
soul to ,god4  ,on another occasion when
 they were crossing the mountains1      
,columba saw a vision of angels1 and    
exhorted his companions to hasten on    
their way4 ,for1 said he1 there is a man
 of good and honest life waiting beyond 
the hills to receive baptism before he  

dies4 ,they quickened their pace1 and   
when they reached ,glen ,urquhart1      
found1 as ,columba had predicted1 an old
 man awaiting their arrival4 ,the holy  
abbot baptized him and bade him depart  
in peace1 and the angels whom he had    
seen on the mountains carried his soul  
to heaven4  ,the chief ,druid ,broichem 
had a young ,irish slave-girl1 taken    
captive in time of war1 for whose       
freedom ,columba had several times      
petitioned4 ,the ,druid1 who was not    
likely to look favourably on any request
 of the great ,christian missionary1    
even refused to accept the ransom       
offered for the girl1 though she was    
pining her heart out for her family and 
her home4  ,columbcille warned him that 
if he persistently refused to show mercy
 to his captive1 the punishment of ,god 
would overtake him1 and he would die    
before ,columba himself left the        
country1 but ,broichem was not to be    
moved4 ,not long afterwards ,columba set
 out on his return journey to ,iona1 but

 he had hardly reached ,loch ,ness when 
he was overtaken by two messengers from 
the high-priest beseeching him to take  
pity on their master1 who had been      
suddenly taken ill and was in danger of 
death4  ,they were assured that the     
,druid would recover1 but only on       
condition that he set the ,irish maiden 
at liberty4 ,she was at once sent to    
,columba1 who found means for her return
 to her country and her people4 ,as for 
,broichem1 he was more incensed than    
ever against the ,christians1 and       
considered how he could best check their
 growing influence with the people4     
,the ,druids seem to have had a certain 
power over the elements1 perhaps through
 the evil spirits whom they worshipped4 
,they had heard of and seen the miracles
 worked by ,columba1 and resolved to    
show how superior their powers of magic 
were to his4  ,on the day fixed for the 
departure of the missionaries1 ,broichem
 threatened that he would cause a thick 
fog and a contrary wind to arise1 so    

that it would be impossible for them to 
embark4  ,the people were gathered in   
crowds to bid farewell to ,columba1 when
 to their great consternation the       
,druid's threat was fulfilled4 ,the fog 
was dense and the unfavourable wind blew
 stormily4 ,this time at least they had 
triumphed1 or so they thought1 and they 
did not attempt to conceal their joy4   
,but ,columba1 nothing daunted1 bade the
 mariners spread their sails1 and the   
awe-stricken crowd on the shore beheld  
the boat flying swiftly westwards to    
,iona in the teeth of the contrary wind1
 as if it had been altogether in their  
favour4  ,the departure was not to be   
for long4 ,again and again ,columba     
revisited the mainland to strengthen and
 confirm the faith of his converts2 and 
in course of time churches and          
monasteries sprang up amongst the       
forests and the mountains of ,caledonia1
 little strongholds of ,christianity the
 beneficent influence of which was soon 
to penetrate throughout the length and  

breadth of the land4  ,columba had many 
faithful helpers in his missionary      
labours4 ,malruve1 a kinsman and        
countryman of his own1 soon followed him
 to ,iona to share in his work among the
 ,picts4 ,he became abbot of            
,appercrossan1 now ,applecross1 on the  
north-west coast of ,caledonia1 and     
suffered the red martyrdom some years   
after the death of ,columbcille1 at the 
hands of ,norwegian pirates4 ,st4       
,canice1 the companion of ,columba and  
,ciaran at ,clonard and ,glasnevin1 also
 followed his old friend across the sea4
 ,he founded a monastery and a church on
 the shore of ,loch ,lagan1 and another 
in ,fifeshire4 ,st4 ,kenneth1 as the    
,scotch called him1 was noted for his   
eloquence and learning1 and wrote a     
commentary on the four ,gospels which   
was much valued in his day4  ,drostan1  
one of the most beloved of the first    
companions of ,columba1 was chosen to   
govern a monastery founded on the east  
coast in the present district of        

,buchan4 ,when he realized that the     
breadth of ,scotland would henceforward 
separate him from the brethren whom he  
loved1 and the father of his soul1 he   
wept so bitterly that ,columba declared 
that the new foundation should be called
 the place of tears1 and ,dear 7,deer7  
it remains to this day1 to prove to us  
that the religious life has not the     
effect1 as some people suppose1 of      
hardening the hearts and freezing the   
affections of those who embrace it1 but 
asks only that love go hand in hand with
 sacrifice in order that it may be      
conformed to the love of ,christ4       
,,chapter ,,viii  ,,the ,,convention    
,,of ,,drum-,,ceatt  ,,columba had been 
eleven years at ,iona when ,conal1 the  
,king of the ,scottish ,dalriada1 died4 
,he was succeeded by ,aidan1 his cousin1
 whose love and veneration for          
,columbcille led him to choose him for  
his soul's friend1 and to beg him to    
come himself to place the crown upon his
 head and to pray that the grace of ,god

 might be with him in his governing4    
,columba assented to his request1 and so
 it came to pass that the solemn rite of
 the consecration of a king was         
performed for the first time in the     
,british ,isles4  ,aidan was crowned on 
the famous ,stone of ,destiny which was 
afterwards removed to ,scone and was    
used as the coronation chair for the    
,kings of ,scotland1 until ,edward ,i1  
the ,hammer of the ,scots1 carried it   
away and set it up in ,westminster      
,abbey4 ,perhaps it was as well for the 
peace of mind of the ruthless oppressor 
that he could not look into the future1 
and see how the royal line of ,scotland 
would in course of time follow the      
,stone of ,destiny1 and1 crowned once   
more upon it1 rule over the ,united     
,kingdom4  ,for ,aidan was the ancestor 
of ,macbeth and ,malcolm ,canmore1 and  
through the female line1 of the ,bruces 
and the ,stuarts1 while many of the old 
,highland families1 such as the         
,mackenzies1 ,mac,kinnons1              

,mackintoshes1 ,macgregors1 ,macleans   
and ,macnabs1 count their descent from  
the ,dalriadan kinsmen of ,columba4     
,the little kingdom had become powerful1
 and the yearly tribute to ,ireland was 
galling to the pride of the ,scots4     
,they would fain have cast off the      
,irish yoke1 and were quite ready to    
fight for their independence1 but       
,columba bade them have patience1 and   
all would be well4 ,diarmaid1 his old   
enemy1 had died a violent death1 and    
,aedh ,mac,ainmire1 who was of          
,columba's own branch of the            
,hy-,nialls1 now sat on the throne of   
,ireland3 the time seemed ripe for the  
,saint to use his influence on behalf of
 ,dalriada4  ,a large assembly or       
convention was about to be held at      
,drum-ceatt near ,derry1 to decide      
several important questions1 some of    
which interested ,columba nearly4 ,it   
was a fitting moment1 he thought1 to    
obtain what they desired2 and taking the
 ,king of ,dalriada with him he set sail

 for ,ireland4  ,the chief question     
which the ,irish parliament had met to  
discuss1 was the abolition or the       
banishment of the ,bards4 ,this ancient 
order of national poets dated from the  
earliest times1 and in olden days had   
shared the power of the ,druids4 ,they  
were the guardians of the poetry1 the   
history and the music of ,ireland1 and  
were held in such honour that the first 
place at table1 after that reserved for 
the ,king1 was theirs by right4 ,a chief
 poet was entitled to a retinue of      
thirty men1 and the ,bards of a lower   
grade to fifteen4 ,they had been loaded 
with honours by those of the princes and
 kings of ,ireland who desired to have  
their brave deeds in battle handed down 
to their children or held up to the     
admiration of their rivals in the songs 
of the country4  ,many abuses had arisen
 from such an exercise of power4 ,the   
,bards in course of time had become     
thoroughly unpopular1 and had only      
themselves to blame for the change of   

feeling towards them1 for even their    
best friends could not defend their     
conduct4 ,people had grown weary of an  
insolence that refused to sing the      
praises of the heroes and warriors of   
,erin unless at a price that few could  
afford to pay1 and the ,bards threatened
 to hold up those who displeased them to
 the contempt and ridicule of the       
nation4  ,the ,king went so far as to   
drive them from his palace1 but so      
secure were they of their own power that
 they had the boldness to come back1 and
 to demand of him the royal brooch that 
he wore upon his breast1 the very token 
of his kingship4 ,beside himself with   
anger1 the ,king announced his intention
 of doing away completely with the order
 of the ,bards at the great ,convention 
which was about to be held at           
,drum-ceatt1 and their enemies1 who were
 not few1 resolved to see the threat    
carried out4  ,the ,bards realized at   
last that they had gone too far1 they   
could scarcely find a friend to speak   

for them1 the situation was wellnigh    
hopeless4 ,in their distress they       
thought of ,columba1 who had always     
befriended their order1 and sent him a  
piteous message that their ruin was     
certain unless he would use his         
influence in their favour4  ,the        
,convention was largely attended4 ,the  
two kings presided1 and the presence of 
,columba1 in company with many other    
abbots and bishops1 gave dignity and    
order to the councils4 ,the first       
question raised was that of the         
supremacy of ,ireland over the ,scots of
 ,dalriada4 ,columba was asked to give  
his opinion1 but fearful of being unduly
 influenced by his affection for ,aidan1
 he asked his friend ,st4 ,colman to    
plead the cause of liberty4 ,it was     
decided that ,dalriada should cease to  
pay tribute and become an independent   
kingdom1 on the condition that she      
promised a perpetual alliance with      
,ireland4 ,the great question of the    
,bards came next1 and on this subject   

the ,king himself was the first to      
speak4 ,their insolence1 their idleness1
 and their greed1 he said1 had made them
 odious in the eyes of the whole nation4
 ,he therefore appealed to the assembly 
to banish them and to do away with all  
their privileges4  ,not a voice was     
raised in their defence1 and in another 
moment their fate would have been       
decided1 when ,columba rose to speak4   
,the whole assembly did him reverence1  
and his clear voice rang out with all   
its old charm over the hearts of his    
countrymen4  ,it was true1 he said1 that
 the ,bards had greatly abused their    
power2 let therefore the abuses be      
corrected1 let their power be           
diminished1 let the guilty be punished4 
,but if the great ,bardic order were    
abolished1 who would be left to make the
 records of the nation1 to sing the     
noble deeds of its heroes or to lament  
the death of the brave8 ,where would be 
the glory of ,erin8 ,why should the good
 grain be torn up with the tares8 ,the  

poetry of ,ireland1 which was dear to   
her as her life1 would perish for ever1 
were the order of poets to be destroyed4
  ,the eloquent pleading of ,columba    
carried all before it4 ,it was decreed  
that the order should be reformed and   
that regular schools should be founded  
for the study of the literature of the  
nation1 where the young poets might be  
brought up to devote their lives to     
their art1 and to avoid the bad habits  
that had made the order so unpopular    
with the people4 ,the ,bards1 who were  
themselves present at the assembly under
 the leadership of their chief1 ,dallan 
,forgaill1 showed their gratitude to    
,columba by composing a poem in his     
praise4 ,they wisely allowed themselves 
to be guided by his advice in their     
plans for reform1 and in the            
establishment of the schools to which   
,ireland owes the preservation of the   
old chronicles and of the ancient       
literature in which she is so rich4     
,they justified the plea of their       

protector and became faithful           
auxiliaries of the clergy1 singing in   
the times of persecution the glory of   
the heroes and the ,saints of ,erin1 and
 the beauty of the ancient faith4  ,when
 the assembly broke up1 ,columba paid a 
visit to ,aedh in his royal palace1 when
 he sought and obtained the freedom of  
,scandlan ,mor1 son of the ,king of     
,ossory1 whom the ,high ,king of        
,ireland had unjustly detained in       
prison4 ,the eldest son of ,aedh was    
perhaps a little uneasy at the prospect 
of the visit1 for he had received a     
severe reproof from the ,saint for      
holding the monks of ,iona up to        
ridicule2 but ,domnal1 his younger      
brother1 attached himself to            
,columbcille with a boy's enthusiastic  
admiration for all that is great and    
noble4 ,columba was delighted with the  
manly young prince1 and prophesied that 
his reign would be a long and happy one1
 on condition that he received the ,holy
 ,communion every week1 and tried to    

keep his promises4 ,he would also1 he   
said1 die on his own feather-bed1 a rare
 enough thing in the days when a ,king  
of ,ireland was pretty sure to fall on  
the field of battle or to perish by the 
hand of an assassin4  ,aedh himself had 
reason to be uneasy about the state of  
his soul1 and asked ,columba if any of  
the princes who had died during his     
reign were in heaven4 ,he was told that 
three only had escaped the pains of     
purgatory and had entered into          
everlasting bliss4  ,and ,i1 asked the  
,king1 shall ,i save my soul8  ,not     
unless you repent heartily of all your  
sins and lead a better life1 replied    
,columba2 and ,aedh resolved to take his
 advice4  ,to all the princes of        
,ireland1 especially to those who were  
of his own blood1 ,columbcille preached 
compassion and mercy towards their      
enemies1 the forgiveness of injuries1   
and the recall of exiles4 ,many of the  
latter had passed by ,iona as they went 
to seek shelter in a strange land1 and  

his heart had grieved with them in their
 sorrow4  ,he resolved also to visit his
 religious foundations in ,ireland      
before he returned to the country of his
 adoption1 and we can imagine the joy of
 the monks of ,derry and ,durrow who had
 never thought to look upon their       
beloved father's face again4 ,the people
 came out in crowds to welcome him and  
carried a canopy of green branches over 
his head4 ,adamnan tells us of the      
miracles worked by the ,saint on his    
journey1 and how the labourers would    
leave their work as he passed and go    
before him singing hymns of joy4  ,as he
 was about to enter one of the          
monasteries1 a poor little boy1 who was 
looked upon by everybody as an idiot on 
account of his stammering tongue and    
vacant eye1 crept through the crowd and 
took hold of the border of ,columba's   
cloak4 ,the ,saint turned round1 and    
taking the child in his arms embraced   
him tenderly4  ,show me your tongue1 he 
said to the little boy1 who was         

trembling with fear2 and then1 making   
the sign of the ,cross over him1 he     
turned to the bystanders1 who were vexed
 that he should pay so much attention to
 an idiot4  ,this child whom you despise
 so much1 he said1 will grow daily in   
wisdom and virtue2 ,god will give to him
 eloquence and power2 and when he has   
grown to man's estate he will be counted
 amongst the great ones of his country4 
,the ,saint's prophecy came true4 ,the  
little idiot boy grew into the great    
,st4 ,ernan1 venerated both in ,ireland 
and ,scotland2 and it was he himself who
 told the story to the abbot ,adamnan   
who wrote the great life of             
,columbcille4    ,,chapter ,,ix  ,,for  
,,christ ,,and ,,his ,,love  ,,the      
visitation of the ,irish monasteries    
completed1 ,columba returned to ,iona4  
,but it was no longer as an exile that  
he left the shores of ,erin4 ,this time 
it was to ,hy of his love1 and ,hy of   
his heart that he was bound--to the     
country that had become dear to him as  

the land of his adoption and of his     
mission2 where he had suffered and      
striven for his ,master's sake1 and     
where his work had been blessed beyond  
all that he had hoped or dreamed4  ,it  
is especially during the last few years 
of ,columba's life on earth that we can 
see how the natural fire and arrogance  
of his nature had been gradually        
transformed into the gentleness and     
charity of ,christ4 ,it was not without 
many a struggle that the transformation 
took place2 but ,columbcille was a man  
of great heart and of determined will2  
what he set himself to do was sure to be
 done4 ,now he had set himself--with    
,god's grace--to self-conquest1 and the 
work1 though not to be completed in a   
day nor yet in a year1 was at last by   
dint of prayer and patience gloriously  
achieved4 ,the gentleness of a naturally
 strong and fiery temperament won--so to
 speak--at the sword's point1 is always 
an extraordinary force in the world1 and
 we find the power of ,columba over his 

fellow-men and his influence with them  
for good increasing every year4  ,st4   
,fintan1 one of the ,saint's first      
companions in ,iona1 was asked once     
towards the end of ,columba's life to   
describe him to one who had heard much  
of his holiness1 but who did not know   
him4  ,he is a king amongst kings1      
answered ,fintan1 a sage amongst wise   
men1 a monk amongst monks4 ,he is poor  
with ,god's poor2 a mourner with those  
who weep1 and joyful with those who     
rejoice4 ,yet amidst all the gifts of   
nature and of grace that have been so   
liberally showered on him by ,god1 the  
true humility of ,christ is as royally  
rooted in his heart as if it were its   
natural home4  ,he was the father1 the  
brother and the friend of all who were  
in want or distress2 the dauntless      
champion of the oppressed and of the    
weak1 the avenger of all who suffered   
wrong4 ,his prayers and blessing were   
sought by all the navigators of the     
stormy seas of the ,hebrides as a       

defence against the dangers of the deep2
 while during his journeys on the       
mainland the people would bring out     
their sick and lay them in his path1    
that they might touch the hem of his    
cloak or receive his benediction as he  
passed4 ,their simple faith was not in  
vain3 many were the miraculous cures    
wrought by the ,saint1 whose prayers    
were as powerful with ,god as those of  
,st4 ,peter and ,st4 ,john1 and with    
whom he might have said silver and gold 
,i have none1 but what ,i have ,i give  
thee4  ,he would visit rich and poor    
alike1 and it was often in the houses of
 the latter that he met with the truest 
hospitality4 ,he would find out with    
gentle tact what were the means of his  
humble hosts1 and plan ways of          
increasing their little store4 ,once    
when he was passing through ,lochaber on
 his way to visit ,king ,bruidh in his  
royal palace1 he was offered a lodging  
in the house of a poor peasant and      
kindly entertained with the best that   

the poverty of the house could furnish4 
,in the morning when the little         
,highland cows of his host were being   
driven out to pasture1 ,columbcille     
blessed them1 and foretold that they    
would increase until in course of time  
they would number five hundred1 and that
 the blessing of a grateful traveller   
would rest upon the man and his family4 
,columba took an observant interest in  
all the things of nature1 and was often 
able to advise the peasants how to      
improve the simple methods of farming1  
hunting1 and fishing on which their     
daily food depended4 ,on one occasion he
 profited by the hospitality shown to   
him by a rich ,highland chief to put an 
end to a deadly feud which in true      
,highland fashion had existed for many  
years between his host and one of his   
neighbours4 ,the enemies were           
reconciled1 and both became fast friends
 of the peacemaker4  ,tender-hearted as 
,columba was to all who were in sorrow  
and distress1 to none did his ready     

sympathy extend more fully than to those
 who were exiles from their native land1
 for he remembered the early days of his
 own sojourn in ,iona4 ,one of his      
special friends was a ,pictish chief of 
noble birth who had received him on the 
occasion of his first missionary journey
 to ,caledonia and treated him with     
generous hospitality4 ,some time after  
he fell into disgrace and was banished  
from the country4 ,columba appealed in  
his favour to ,feradagh1 the chief of   
the island of ,islay1 whom he begged to 
give shelter and protection to the      
exile1 while he tried what his influence
 could do with the ,pictish king to     
obtain his friend's recall4 ,feradagh1  
after promising hospitality to the      
fugitive1 murdered him treacherously for
 the sake of his possessions4 ,the news 
was brought to ,columbcille1 who cried  
out in indignation that the punishment  
of ,god would overtake the traitor      
before he had tasted of the flesh of the
 boars that he was fattening for his    

table4  ,feradagh laughed at the threat 
but was not a little uneasy1 for he had 
heard of the strange way in which       
,columba's prophecies were wont to come 
true4 ,he had a boar killed without loss
 of time and roasted1 in order to       
reassure himself that this time at least
 the ,saint had been wrong4 ,as he sat  
down to table1 he fell down from his    
seat and died1 to the fear and          
consternation of his followers4  ,a     
certain chief named ,donnell1 who with  
his sons and followers feared neither   
,god nor man1 was the terror of all the 
neighbouring country4 ,although he could
 claim kinship with the ,king of        
,dalriada1 ,columba excommunicated him  
for his deeds of violence1 and he and   
his family vowed vengeance on the       
,saint4 ,taking advantage of a journey  
that ,columba was making to a           
neighbouring island with only one or two
 companions1 one of the sons of ,donnell
 resolved to murder him as he slept4    
,but one of ,columbcille's companions1 a

 monk named ,finn ,lugh1 was beset that 
night with an unaccountable fear for the
 safety of his holy abbot1 and begged   
him to lend him his cowl1 in which he   
wrapped himself and lay down to sleep4  
,in the dead of night the assassin crept
 upon the little band of travellers1    
and1 seeking out the monk who wore the  
abbot's cowl1 stabbed him1 and fled to a
 place of safety4 ,but the garment of   
the ,saint protected the man who was    
ready to give his life for his master1  
and ,finn ,lugh escaped without a wound4
  ,another lawless member of the same   
family fell upon and robbed a man who   
lived upon the rocky peninsula of       
,ardnamurchan1 and had constantly shown 
hospitality to ,columba on his journeys4
 ,the blessing of the ,saint had brought
 him good fortune1 and his little       
patrimony had increased year by year4   
,the people1 in honour of the affection 
shown him by the holy abbot1 called him 
,columbain or the friend of ,columba4   
,as the robber was returning1 laden with

 the spoils of the poor man1 to the boat
 that was awaiting him at the water's   
edge1 he met ,columba himself1 whom he  
had supposed to be safely distant at    
,iona4 ,the ,saint reproved him sternly 
for his crimes1 and bade him restore the
 goods that he had stolen4 ,the robber  
chief maintained a grim silence until he
 was safely in his boat and well out    
from the shore4 ,then he stood up1 and  
bursting into a storm of insults and    
evil words1 shouted defiance and        
derision at ,columbcille as long as his 
voice could be heard4 ,the oppression of
 the helpless never failed to rouse     
,columba's wrath4 ,he strode out into   
the water after the retreating boat1    
and1 raising his arms to heaven1 prayed 
that justice might be done on the       
robber4 ,then returning quietly to his  
companions he said to them1 ,that wicked
 man who despises ,christ in ,his poor  
will return no more to these shores4    
,the cup of his iniquity is full4       
,shortly afterwards a storm arose1 and  

the boat with all that were in it sank  
like a stone between ,mull and          
,colonsay4  ,but it was not only to the 
poor and the oppressed that ,columba's  
charity was shown4 ,we find him at the  
,court of ,king ,aidan1 holding his     
young son ,hector the ,blond in his arms
 and praying that his life might be as  
fair as his features4 ,to the nobles who
 kept the laws of ,god he was as devoted
 a friend as he was a steadfast opponent
 of those who outraged them4 ,to the    
penitent he was full of mercy and hope1 
and many sinners were persuaded by his  
eloquence and power to forsake their    
evil ways4  ,but nowhere was his charity
 more clearly shown than with his own   
community at ,iona4 ,he foresaw the     
needs of all1 and watched over his      
spiritual sons with a fatherly love and 
care4 ,during one of the last summers of
 his life when the monks were coming    
back in the evening after a day of      
harvesting1 they stopped short at a     
little distance from the monastery to   

enjoy the sense of peace and consolation
 that seemed to come to meet them as    
they approached their home4  ,how is it1
 asked one of the younger brethren1 that
 at this spot every night when we return
 from our daily labours1 our hearts     
rejoice1 our burdens grow light1 and the
 very perfume of heaven seems borne to  
us on the breeze8  ,i will tell you1    
said ,baithen1 the beloved friend and   
successor of ,columba4 ,our saintly     
abbot1 whose heart is with us in our    
work1 is praying for us and longing for 
our safe return4 ,his heart is heavy    
with our weariness1 and1 having no      
longer the strength to come in the body 
to meet us and help us with our burdens1
 he sends forth the blessing and the    
prayer of his soul to refresh and       
console us on our way4  ,not only his   
fellow-men but all the creatures of ,god
 were dear to ,columba for their        
,creator's sake4 ,one day he bade a     
certain monk at ,iona go down to the    
seashore and watch4  ,for1 said the     

,saint1 ere the night falls a weary     
guest will arrive to us from ,ireland1  
faint and ready to die4 ,succour her and
 tend her carefully for three days1 and 
when she is rested and refreshed let her
 go1 that she may return once more to   
her native land4 ,the guest was a poor  
storm-driven crane which fell on the    
shore exhausted at the brother's feet4  
,he bore it tenderly to the monastery   
and cared for it as his master had      
bidden4 ,in the evening ,columba met the
 monk and blessed him for his compassion
 to the weary stranger2 and1 as he had  
foretold1 on the third day1 strengthened
 and refreshed the bird took its flight 
back to ,erin4    ,,chapter ,x  ,,the   
,,gift ,,of ,,vision  ,,we have already 
seen how it was often given to ,st4     
,columba to know of events that were    
happening far away from the place where 
he might be1 and how by his gift of     
prophecy he could sometimes foretell    
what would come to pass in the future4  
,as he grew older it seemed to those who

 knew him intimately that these flashes 
of supernatural insight became more     
frequent1 and that the things of the    
next world were growing daily more      
familiar to him as the time of his      
earthly pilgrimage drew to an end4 ,many
 instances of this have been recorded by
 his biographers4  ,one morning at ,iona
 when the ,mass was about to be         
celebrated1 ,columba sent word to the   
priest whose turn it was to offer the   
,holy ,sacrifice that day1 to do it in  
honour of the glorious birthday of ,st4 
,brendan4 ,the monk could not understand
 his abbot's behest as no word had      
reached ,iona of the holy ,brendan's    
death4 ,columba then told him that      
during the night he had seen in a vision
 the soul of ,brendan ascending to      
heaven surrounded by a great company of 
rejoicing angels2 he knew therefore that
 he had entered into his rest4  ,on     
another occasion he ordered that the    
,mass for the feast of a bishop should  
be sung4 ,now there was no feast marked 

in the calendar for that day1 and the   
monks asked their holy abbot to tell    
them the name of the bishop in whose    
honour the ,holy ,mysteries were to be  
celebrated4  ,last night1 he replied1 ,i
 saw the soul of ,columban1 the ,bishop 
of ,leinster1 in heaven1 surrounded with
 the glory of the blessed2 it is in his 
honour that we must offer the ,holy     
,sacrifice to-day4  ,columba had a deep 
love and reverence for all honest labour
 done for ,god4 ,one night he told his  
monks that he had just seen entering    
into heaven the soul of a blacksmith    
whom he had known long ago in ,ireland4 
,he has bought eternal life1 he said1   
with the labours of the earthly4 ,he was
 charitable and gave of his poverty to  
the poor1 therefore the ,lord of the    
,poor has rewarded him4  ,in the course 
of his travels in the ,highlands he met 
one day in a lonely gorge a countryman  
in great distress4 ,he was returning    
from a journey1 and had heard that      
during his absence from home1 a band of 

,saxon marauders had laid waste his     
little farm and burnt his house to the  
ground4 ,he was in an anguish of fear   
lest his wife and children should have  
perished4 ,columba comforted him with   
kind words4  ,go in peace1 my good man1 
he said1 your cattle and all your       
possessions have1 it is true1 been      
carried off by the robbers2 but ,god has
 been merciful4 ,your dear little family
 is safe2 go1 for your loved ones are   
waiting for you1 and comfort their      
sorrowing hearts4  ,again1 a year after 
the attempt had been made to murder     
,columba and the monk ,finn ,lugh had   
saved his life1 the ,saint asked his    
companion if he remembered the          
occurrence4  ,it is just a year ago     
to-day1 he said1 since ,donnell tried to
 murder me1 and our dear ,finn ,lugh    
would have given his life for mine4 ,at 
this very moment the would-be murderer  
has been struck down by an enemy in     
punishment for his evil deeds4  ,one of 
the ,saxon converts of the ,saint had   

joined the community at ,iona1 and had  
been given charge of the bakehouse4     
,columba would often go to encourage him
 in his labours and to speak to him of  
the things of ,god4 ,one day the ,saxon 
saw him suddenly raise his eyes to      
heaven and join his hands in prayer4    
,happy1 happy woman1 he cried1 to whom  
it is given to enter into the heavenly  
kingdom1 carried by the hands of the    
angels4  ,a year afterwards when        
speaking to the same man1 he said to    
him1 ,do you remember the woman whose   
soul ,i saw a year ago ascending into   
heaven8 ,i see her now coming to fetch  
the soul of her husband who is just     
dead4 ,she is fighting with her prayers 
for that beloved soul against the powers
 of evil1 and the angels are praying    
with her4 ,see6 she conquers1 she bears 
him off1 for he has led a good and      
upright life1 and the two who loved each
 other so dearly on this earth are      
united for ever in the joy and glory of 
heaven4  ,columbcille seems indeed to   

have had some such intimation from ,god 
of the death of the greater number of   
his friends2 a vision of the glory of   
that celestial country into which he was
 himself soon to enter1 and after which 
he sighed with such ardent longing4 ,if 
the angels had been with him in his     
youth1 much more did they surround him  
in his later years4  ,many stories are  
told of his celestial visions as he     
prayed in the forests of ,skye1 dear to 
him for their loneliness and silence4   
,one dy1 when he was at ,iona he went   
out1 giving orders that no one was to   
follow him4 ,he was going to pray1 he   
said1 on a little hill to the west of   
,iona1 which was one of his favourite   
retreats4 ,one young brother1 more      
curious than the rest1 had heard strange
 tales about the holy abbot1 and        
followed him carefully from afar to see 
what was going to happen4 ,when he had  
come within a short distance of the     
place of prayer1 he saw the ,saint      
standing with arms raised to heaven1    

surrounded by a troop of white-robed    
angels4 ,the young monk1 trembling lest 
he should be discovered1 made his way   
back to the monastery as quickly as he  
could4  ,when ,columba rose during the  
night as was his habit to kneel in      
prayer on the cold floor of his cell1   
his heavenly visitors would throng      
around him1 mingling their praise with  
his4 ,it was not surprising that the    
things of heaven should be so near to   
one who cared so little for the things  
of earth4 ,he would go out on a winter's
 night1 says his biographer1 and stand  
in the waters of an icy stream during   
the time it took him to recite the      
,psalter1 that he might obtain grace by 
his sufferings for the souls of the     
obstinate sinners who refused to amend  
their lives4 ,one day when he was       
praying in a lonely spot1 a poor woman  
came in sight gathering wild herbs and  
nettles4 ,columba spoke to her and asked
 her what she was doing4  ,i am         
gathering herbs for food1 she replied1  

for ,i have but one cow and it gives no 
milk2 the poor must live as they can4   
,columba reproached himself bitterly    
that this poor woman should fare worse  
than he did4 ,we seek to win heaven1 he 
cried1 by our austerities1 and this poor
 woman1 who is under no such obligation1
 outdoes us4 ,henceforward he declared  
he would make his meal of the wild herbs
 and nettles that he had seen her       
gathering1 and gave strict orders that  
nothing else should be served to him4   
,he even reproved ,baithen1 whom he so  
dearly loved1 with unwonted severity1   
because1 unable to bear the sight of his
 abbot's wretched fare1 he had put a    
little piece of butter into the pot in  
which it was being cooked4  ,the        
heavenly light that the holy ,brendan   
had seen surrounding ,columba on that   
memorable day at ,teilte was now        
frequently beheld by his companions4 ,at
 night it could be seen shining through 
the chinks in the rough door of his     
little cell when all was in darkness1   

and the silence of the night was only   
broken by the voice of the holy abbot   
praying and singing the praises of ,god4
  ,one winter's night1 one of the       
younger brethren had remained in the    
church to pray after all had gone to    
rest4 ,at midnight the door opened      
softly and ,columba entered4 ,a glory of
 golden light came with him1            
illuminating the church from wall to    
wall and from floor to roof4 ,the little
 chapel where the brother knelt was     
flooded with the strange radiance and   
his soul was filled with a heavenly     
consolation4 ,columba knelt for many    
hours in prayer1 and still the heavenly 
light shone round him as he prayed2     
while the brother watched him awestruck1
 scarcely daring to move for fear of    
being heard4 ,the next day he was sent  
for by the abbot1 who blessed him and   
gently bade him say nothing of what he  
had seen during the night4  ,two of his 
religious1 ,baithen the beloved1 and    
,diarmaid his faithful attendant1 who   

were often in his cell to help him with 
his work and to carry out his           
instructions1 noticed one day a sudden  
ray of joy shining from their master's  
eyes4 ,a moment later the joyful        
expression gave place to one of intense 
sadness1 and they begged ,columba to    
reveal to them what it was that caused  
him grief4  ,my children1 said the      
,saint1 it is twenty years to-day since 
,i first set foot in ,caledonia4        
,earnestly ,i have been beseeching our  
,heavenly ,father to bring my days of   
exile to an end1 and to receive me into 
the heavenly country after which our    
hearts must ever yearn4 ,it seemed to me
 that ,god had heard my prayer1 and that
 ,i already saw the holy angels coming  
to bear my soul to its eternal ,home1   
when suddenly they faded from my sight1 
and ,i saw them no more4 ,it has been   
revealed to me that by reason of the    
prayers of those who love me on earth1  
the time of my sojourning has been      
prolonged4 ,therefore am ,i sad1 beloved

 of my heart1 because four long years   
must elapse before those heavenly       
messengers return4 ,then they will come 
once more and ,i shall depart with them 
to rejoice for ever in the presence of  
my ,god4    ,,chapter ,,xi  ,,the       
,,light ,,eternal  ,,it was towards the 
end of ,may1 when the late northern     
springtime was casting its veil of      
beauty over the rugged islands of the   
,hebrides1 that ,columbcille knew that  
the time of his departure was at hand4  
,he bade his faithful attendant         
,diarmaid harness the oxen into the rude
 wooden cart of the monastery1 and      
taking his seat in it set out for the   
fields that lay to the west of the      
island where all the monks were working4
 ,at the sight of the abbot in his      
humble chariot they left their work and 
crowded round him1 and the old man      
addressed them tenderly with touching   
words of affection4  ,a month ago1 he   
said1 ,i had a great desire to depart   
from this earth1 that ,i might keep the 

happy festival of ,easter in heaven2    
but1 unwilling to cast a gloom over your
 joy at that glad time1 ,i was content  
to remain with you a little longer4 ,but
 now the time of my earthly pilgrimage  
draws near its end4 ,at these words the 
monks broke into bitter weeping1 for the
 thought of losing their beloved father 
was more than they could bear1 and      
,columba tried to comfort them4 ,then   
standing erect in the waggon he raised  
his hands and blessed the island1 the   
monastery and all its inhabitants4  ,a  
few days later1 leaning on ,diarmaid's  
arm1 he went to the barn and rejoiced to
 see the great heaps of corn laid up for
 the winter4 ,it is a comfort to me to  
know1 he said1 that when ,i am no longer
 there my children will not go hungry4  
,for this year at least there is        
plentiful provision4  ,why do you break 
our hearts1 dear ,father1 in this sweet 
season of the year1 said ,diarmaid1 by  
speaking so often of your departure from
 us8 ,god will surely suffer us to keep 

you with us yet awhile4  ,i will tell   
you a secret1 ,diarmaid1 replied the old
 man2 but first you must promise to keep
 it faithfully till ,i am dead4  ,and   
when ,diarmaid had promised1 kneeling at
 the abbot's feet1 ,to-morrow1 ,sunday1 
is the day of rest1 he said1 but before 
the dawning of that day1 ,i shall have  
entered into the rest which is eternal4 
,to-night at midnight ,i shall depart   
from this world2 it has been revealed to
 me by our ,lord ,jesus ,christ         
,himself4  ,then ,diarmaid could no     
longer control his grief and wept aloud 
while the ,saint did his best to comfort
 him1 speaking words of hope and        
consolation4 ,on their way home from the
 barn to the monastery ,columba grew    
weary1 and sat down to rest by the      
wayside1 at a spot where there is now a 
great stone cross4 ,as he sat there     
waiting until he should have strength to
 continue his journey1 the old white    
horse that used to carry the milk pails 
from the farm to the monastery came up  

and laid its head upon the ,saint's     
shoulder1 looking at him as if he knew  
that it was for the last time1 with eyes
 so full of dumb grief that they seemed 
to be shedding tears4 ,diarmaid would   
have driven him away1 but ,columba      
checked him4  ,let him be1 he said2 he  
is wiser than you1 ,diarmaid1 for he    
knows by instinct that ,i shall never   
pass by this way again4 ,the old horse  
loves me1 let him grieve for his friend4
  ,then the faithful animal nestled his 
head closer against the shoulder of the 
old man1 who caressed him gently and    
gave him his blessing4 ,it is ,god1 he  
said1 who has made known to this poor   
beast that he will see me no more4 ,when
 continuing their journey they had      
reached the little hill that overlooked 
the monastery1 ,columba raised his hands
 in blessing over his beloved island    
home4  ,this place will be famous in the
 days to come1 he said1 and saints and  
kings will come from other lands to do  
it honour4  ,when he reached his cell he

 sat down to write the copy of the      
,psalter on which he was engaged1 for   
the old man's hand had not lost its     
skill4 ,he wrote until the church bell  
rang for the first vespers of the       
,sunday2 then1 having reached the verse 
in the thirty-third ,psalm where it is  
written ,they that seek the ,lord shall 
not be deprived of any good1 he laid    
down the pen4  ,let ,baithen write the  
rest1 he said4  ,baithen was the cousin 
of ,columba1 and one of the monks who   
had come with him from ,derry4 ,he had  
been his pupil1 and was scarcely less   
skilful with the pen than his master4   
,holy1 charitable1 and beloved by all1  
he was chosen to succeed ,columbcille as
 abbot of ,iona4 ,when he took up the   
pen that the ,saint had laid down to go 
on with the work of transcription1 the  
words that came next were1 ,come ye     
children1 hearken unto me1 and ,i will  
teach you the fear of the ,lord1 with   
which words he began his ministry as    
abbot4  ,when ,vespers were over1       

,columba went back to his cell and      
sitting down upon his bed--the naked    
rock with a stone for a pillow that was 
still the only couch on which this monk 
of seventy-seven would rest his aged    
limbs--he bade ,diarmaid listen while he
 gave him his last instructions for the 
brethren4  ,my last words to you are    
these1 said he4 ,cherish true and       
unfeigned charity ever amongst          
yourselves1 and ,god will never leave   
you in need1 but will give you all that 
is necessary for your welfare in this   
world1 and ,his glory in that which is  
to come4  ,after these words he was     
silent1 and seemed to be lost in the    
contemplation of the glory of which he  
had spoken1 and ,diarmaid forbore to    
interrupt his prayer4 ,when the bell    
rang for matins shortly before midnight1
 ,columba arose1 and went swiftly to the
 church4 ,diarmaid followed more slowly1
 and as he approached the door1 the     
whole church seemed to him to be lit up 
with a strangely radiant light which    

vanished as he entered4 ,where are you1 
,father8 he whispered1 struck with a    
sudden fear1 as he groped his way       
through the building4 ,there was no     
answer4 ,he made his way through the    
darkness as best he could to the altar4 
,there in his accustomed place of prayer
 was the holy abbot1 but stretched      
apparently lifeless on the ground4      
,diarmaid raised him in his arms1 and   
sitting down beside him laid the beloved
 head upon his shoulder4 ,presently the 
brethren came in with lights1 and broke 
into bitter lamentation at the scene    
before them4 ,columba lay on the altar  
steps leaning on ,diarmaid's breast1 his
 eyes raised to heaven1 and his face    
shining with a wondrous joy as if he    
already saw its gates opening before    
him4 ,diarmaid then raised his master's 
right hand1 and for the last time the   
holy abbot blessed his little flock who 
knelt weeping round him1 while his eyes 
spoke the words that his voice was too  
weak to utter4 ,then with one last      

upward look his head sank gently back on
 ,diarmaid's shoulder and he gave up his
 pure soul to ,god4 ,they could scarcely
 believe that he was dead1 for his face 
was still so bright with joy that he    
looked like one who rested in a happy   
and peaceful sleep4 ,the matins for that
 ,sunday were sung with bursting hearts1
 for the strong clear voice that had    
always been foremost in the holy chant  
was silent for ever 4444  ,during that  
night a vision came to a holy old man in
 one of the monasteries of ,ireland4 ,he
 saw the island of ,iona all aflame with
 a glorious light and a multitude of    
angels descending from the skies4 ,he   
heard them singing as they bore the     
blessed soul of ,columbcille back with  
them into heaven1 and the celestial     
melody filled his heart with joy4  ,at  
the same hour a boy named ,ernene who   
was fishing by night in the ,river ,finn
 in ,donegal saw the whole sky suddenly 
break into light4 ,in the east where    
,iona lay1 there rose a great pillar of 

fire1 so that for one moment the night  
was as bright as the noonday when the   
sun is shining4 ,then it vanished into  
the heavens and all was dark again4  ,it
 might have been expected that the      
little island would be crowded with men 
thronging from all directions to the    
funeral of ,columbcille1 but it was not 
so4 ,while the ,saint was yet alive one 
of the monks had said to him that ,iona 
would be scarcely large enough to hold  
the numbers that would come to pay him  
the last honours4  ,no1 my son1 replied 
,columba1 no one will be there but those
 of our own household2 and so it came to
 pass4  ,on the night of the ,saint's   
death a violent storm arose1 and        
continued until the burial was over2 the
 sea was so wild that no boat could put 
out from the mainland or the surrounding
 islands4 ,the simple rites were        
performed in the presence of the monks  
of ,iona alone1 to the sound of the     
wailing of the wind and the moaning of  
the sea4 ,was it the last revenge of the

 evil one1 they asked themselves1 on the
 ,saint who had torn a nation from his  
grasp8  ,but ,columbcille had passed    
,to where beyond these voices there is  
peace4