St. Colmcille of Ireland

One of Ireland's greatest saints is Colmcille (also spelled Columbkille, Colum, Columba, and a half dozen other ways), who lived in the 6th century of the Christian era (born c. 521 in Donegal, Ireland; died 597 on the island of Iona, now Scotland). This period in Ireland is marked by wondrous stories of magic and miracles, and Colmcille is no exception. One legend says that the fingers of his left hand gave off light so that Colmcille could copy manuscripts in the dark. Below is a poem that I wrote about the great saint:

"St. Colmcille’s Illumination"

In medieval Ireland
The miraculous happened every day:

St. Colmcille loved books so much
He “borrowed” his master’s illuminated psalter,
And in the dark began to copy it
By hand, ink against vellum.

Starlight, moonlight, and the
Five fingers of the saint’s left hand glowed--

Illuminating his right hand as he copied down,
In his beautiful Irish hand,
The precious psalms.

Brought before King Diarmait
For this little indiscretion, the King ruled:

“To every cow her calf . . .

To every book its copy.”

(based on a passage from Thomas Cahill’s
“How the Irish Saved Civilization”)

The image at the above-left is of the monastery at Iona, founded by Colmcille. The image above-right is a Celtic Cross at Kells in Ireland.