Columban…Columbanus…Colmcille,
father of Cummain…he
was the ancient hero
Cu Chulhainn
wanderer,
druid, magi and sage
Columba was born into a leading
family
He was of the Dál
Riata in the kingdom of Ulster
the
abbot of Iona, patron saint of Derry…and poets
The Irish call him Colmcille
What we know of the
saint has been magnified by myth
His hagiography is embedded
with Celtic lore
mixing-it-up,
in a Christian world
Columban…Columbanus…Colmcille,
father of Cummain…the
ancient hero
Cu Chulhainn
wanderer, druid, magi and sage
He was famous in his
day for his missionary work
Building monasteries
in Scotland when he dwelt among the Pict
He did the same in Burgundia
and Frankia, in Lombardy and Provence
He laid foundations throughout old
Gaul
Colmcille was Ireland’s saint
before Patrick
He was born when Arthur
reigned in Camelot
His lineage reached
back to the heroes of yore
He was given the moniker,
Dove of the Church
He was seen as presiding
over its rebirth
He evangelized Europe
when the empire was falling
He set out from Ireland
with twelve companions
presenting
the wisdom of a Celtic Christian
They built monasteries,
which were markets
with
granaries, guilds and trade
He travelled with his
son…if you believe it
some
say they are one and the same
Columbanus the elder, Columbanus
the younger
Became known by the
name of Cummain…Cu Chullhain
like old king Co’el, the ancient of
days
On the Isle of Iona…where
Arthur’s armor was buried
They built an abbey with
un-mortared stone
They wrote poetry, two
of his poems have survived
They practiced kenosis…they
emptied themselves
preserving
language and literature and myth
Columban…Columbanus…Colmcille,
father of Cummain…the
ancient hero
Cu Chulhainn
wanderer, druid…magi and sage
