Give an account of the contribution made by Colmcille (Columba) to the development of the Catholic Celtic Church (35 marks)

Colmcille sold from Ireland to Iona in 563.  It is unclear of his exact reason for doing so, but there are a few suggestions as to why.  According to Adomnán, a hagiographer at the time, and author of Colmcille’s Life, Colmcille left planning a voluntary exile with Christ.  This information though, could be said to be unreliable, as it was the job of the hagiographer to paint the Saint in the best possible light, and therefore they would not say something that would make them look bad.

An other possible reason for the departure of Colmcille is that he copied a book that Finnian had managed to ship over from Wales.  In the time of Columba, beautiful books containing psalms were often made, they took a long time to make, but were beautifully decorated.  Having asked Finnain, and been refused, Colmcille decided to take the book anyway, and every night he copied Finnian’s work by hand, until

eventually he was finished.  When Finnian found this out he was furious, and demanded that he get it back.  When Colmcille refused, the issue was taken up with King Diarmuit of Tara, who said “To every cow belongs her calf, to every book its copy”.  This is one of the possible reasons that led to the Battle of Cúl Dreimne, which was said to be Colmcille’s first move into politics.  Colmcille was victorious in this battle, but during the battle, 3000 people died.  This resulted in Colmcille being expelled from Ireland, to try and convert as many souls as he had killed.  This was seen as some sort of penance.  This theory has been disputed by Skene, who said it was inconsistent.  However, even Adomnán, who usually paints Colmcille in a good light, has admitted to Colmcille being to blame “for some venial and quite excusable causes.”

Another possibility for the Battle of Cúl Dreimne starting, and perhaps being Colmcille’s reason for leaving, was because of the games at Tara.  While Curnan was competing, he caused the death of his opponent, and was so snatched by king Diarmuit of Tara.  Colmcille felt “duty-bound” to avenge his death, and he did this by rising against King Diarmuit.  It says in the Annals of Tigernach, that Colmcille’s reason for departure was more politically motivated.

The final suggested reason for the involvement of Colmcille in the Battle of Cúl Dreimne, is that during Diarmuits inauguration to King, Colmcille observed pagan rituals that angered him.  So to eradicate these practices fully, Colmcille may have felt it necessary to take part in the Battle, to ensure Diarmuit was defeated.

The foundation at Iona was very significant territory.  It lay between Irish and Pict territory, and in a religious and political sense, Colmcille would have placed himself in a very good position to evangelise the people.  We have observed that while Colmcille may have had mixed motives for leaving Ireland, he did not go further abroad like his fellow monks, for example Columbanus, who travelled to Europe. Rather, Colmcille stayed with the Irish in Iona.  John Ryan said on the matter “it was an obvious duty of an Irish Churchman to minister spirituality to their own   countrymen, who had settled beyond the sea.”  The Dal Riata, who had settled in this area, had been militarily and politically challenged by the Picts.  Both the Picts and Dal Riata claimed to own Iona, and because of this, the Picts had tried to isolate the Dal Riata.  It is possible that Colmcille may have seen this as an extra added responsibility, and another challenge.  Finlay suggested that Colmcille spent two years in the mainland, converting the tribes as he went along, before finally taking up the occupancy of Iona.  We can see the clear political sensitivity and foresight of Columba, as the foundation of Iona lay in a very politically sensitive area.

Many historians would be in disagreement over the nature and extent to Colmcille’s career.  It is certain that his mission was a most challenging and difficult one, with Columba experiencing language barriers, and although Colmcille brought with him to Iona, the identity of an Uí Neill, undoubtedly, he would not have the same political power he would have had in Ireland.  In the 34 years that Colmcille spent at Iona, it is difficult to figure out exactly what happened, as there are no surviving documents, and therefore the details are very scarce.