COLUMBA, Saint, apostle of the northern Picts of Caledonia and founder of numerous monasteries in the Hebrides and the Scottish mainland: b. 7 Dec. 521 in the territory of the Kinel-Conal, modern Donegal. He was a scion of the illustrious race of Conal and was thus of kin to the northern princes of Ireland and of the Gaelic princes of Scotland. Whether his name, or surname, Columba, is Latin or a Latin modification of a Gaelic name cannot be deter mined; it appears also in the form Colm (whence the name Malcolm, servant or devotee of Columba); and the saint is also known as Columldlle (Columba of the churches, or celiac, the c in Gaelic being equal to k); because of the great number of churches and monasteries he founded both in Ireland and in Scotland and the isles. He became a monk in his youth in the monastery of Moville in Donegal, and at the age of 30 was a priest. Among the monas tic establishments founded by him in Ireland are those of Daire-Calgaich (Calgach's oak grove), the site of the famous city of Derry or Londonderry; and Dair-mach(oak of the plain) where now is Darrow. This was the greatest of all his Irish monasteries. It is worthy of note that after his migration to Scot land, he and his immediate successors in Iona exercised jurisdiction over these Irish monas teries. About the year 563, being then under .....xcommunication for the part he had taken in the bloody battle of Cooldrevny, he set sail for North Britain with a band of his monks to preach the Christian religion to the still pagan Picts of northern Caledonia. He was enter tained hospitably by his kinsman, Conal, king of the Scots in Argyll (Airer-Gzdhill, land of the Gall) who gave hiM for his residence the island in the Hebrides later called I, or Iona and I-Columkille. Having established in Iona a monastery and training-school of mission aries, he crossed over to the country of the northern Picts — the southern Picts had already been converted to Christianity—and to them preached the gospel with such effect that their king Brude and the whole people embraced the faith. Before Columba's death all northern
Caledonia was Christian and monasteries were very numerous whether on the Mainland or in the islands. Iona was the mother house, and thence Columba and his successors, abbots of Iona, governed not onlythe monastic houses but the churches also; and though there were bishops for the special functions of the episco pate—the ordering of priests, for example, the administering of confirmation, the consecrating of churches and the like—those bishops were subject to the authority of the abbot of Iona, though he was never more than a presbyter in ecclesiastical order. What time was at his disposal amid the many cares of his station, Columba devoted to study and to transcription of the Scriptures. On 8 June 597 he was em ployed in this labor, transcribing the psalm Benedicamus Domino (the 33d in the Septua gint and the Vulgate, but the 34th in the au thorized English version); after penning the words °Inquirentes autem Dominum non mints entur omni bono" — they who seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good. °Here," he said, °I must stop; what follows let Baithen write," and laid down the pen. At the midnight hour he was in choir for the office of Matins, having come to the church unaided and knelt at the altar; through sleep he in a few moments passed to death. Three Latin hymns are attributed to him, and, in ad dition, some Celtic poems. The story of his life and miracles was told first by Cuimine Ailbhe, who was also abbot at Iona (printed at London 1789 and at Paisley 1889). Based on this account Adamnan, the ninth abbot, wrote another 'Vita Sancti Columba;' (edited by Reeves, Dublin 1857; J. T. Fowler, London 1894-95). Consult Troup, 'Saint Columba; the Lord's Song in a Strange Land' (London 1913).