The Island of Saints and Scholars

`There was a time when this country deserved the title ‘Island of Saints and Scholars’. We had never been part of the Roman Empire so were not affected by its collapse.
When Europe entered a dark age with the collapse of religion and learning, the great monasteries and their attached schools continued to flourish in Ireland. Our learned men and priests then began to travel outside Ireland spreading Christianity back where it had been lost. First to Scotland, St Colmcille, then England, St Aidan and the continent. The great evangelist to the continent was St Columbanus.
Columbanus was born near the Carlow-Wexford border in 543 and, according to a biography written within a few years of his death, Columbanus was a “noble youth beloved by all”.
His biographer said he aroused, “the lust of lascivious maidens, especially of those whose fine figure and superficial beauty are wont to enkindle mad desires in the minds of wretched men”.
A local hermit advised him to flee and he decided to enter the monastic life. His mother was said to be so upset that she stood in the doorway to stop him but Columbanus jumped over her and left.
His first teacher was Sinell, Abbott of Cluaininis in Lough Erne and then he moved to Bangor in Down where he studied under St Comhgall who was noted for his austerity. Columbanus embraced the life and organised two sets of extremely harsh rules, one for monasteries and one for hermits. He was ordained by Comhgall and, around the age of 40, he was moved by the word of God to travel to foreign lands to spread the gospel.
He and 12 companions travelled to eastern France and started a monastery at Annegray. Stories of their strict lifestyle spread and pilgrims flocked to them. Such were the numbers that two other monasteries are added at Luxeuil and Fantaine.
The monks adhered to the Irish customs particularly in regard to Easter and this did not endear them to the local bishops. When Columbanus also fell out with the local king they moved on leaving flourishing monasteries behind.
They spent quite a number of years preaching along the Rhine, in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. He then decided to travel to Italy but some of his companions disagreed. Columbanus was not adverse to falling out with his own followers and when St Gall refused to go to Italy, Columbanus forbade him to say mass, while he, Columbanus, was still alive. St Gall remained in Switzerland where he founded the monastery on the shores of Lake Constance that still bears his name, St Gallen.
When Columbanus reached Lombardy he started yet another monastery at Bobbio. It was the last of his great monasteries and where he died. As he neared his end, there was only one remaining missionary from the original group which left Bangor, St Gall.
As a sign of forgiveness, he ordered that his staff be brought back to Switzerland and given to St Gall. It is estimated that Columbanus and his followers founded upwards of 100 monasteries all over Europe.
St Columbanus, a man who truly earned for Ireland the title of Island of Saints and Scholars died in his monastery at Bobbio on November 23, 615 – 1,496 years ago this week.