St Colmcille and St Finian
- St Finnian lent Colmcille a book of psalms and Colmcille copied it without St Finnian’s permission. St Finnian wanted to get the book back from St Colmcille but he refused to return it to him.
- They went to king Diarmaid to settle the dispute.
- King Diarmaid said “with every book its own book as with every cow her calf”.
- This meant that St Colmcille had to give the book back and he was furious with the decision.
- St Colmcille’s family went into battle against king Diarmaid. Colmcille got involved in this battle because of his hatred of Diarmaid as a result of his ruling on the book.
- This battle was called the battle of Cooldriona.
- 3,000 people died during the battle.
- It was after this battle that St Colmcille went to Iona. He was going to try and save as many souls as had died in the Battle of Cooldriona.
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After the battle of Cooldriona, St Colmcille felt so terrible that three thousand people had died because of him that he left and set sail for Iona with twelve monks.
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In Iona he had “little food, some sleep, early morning rising, frequent prayer, study, work and visiting departed friends in graveyards”. This was how he summed up his life. He only returned to Ireland for the convention of Drumceat and he died on the ninth of June in 597 A.D. in Iona.
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He was brought back to Ireland and is buried in Downpatrick.
