Page 87 - Demo

Chapter three 87 Saint Colm Cille
Saint, scholar, prince, poet, diplomat, Colm Cille, or ‘Columba of the Churches’, as he is also known, the third member of Ireland’s great saintly trinity, was born at Gartan, near Letterkenny in county Donegal in the year 521.
Hailing from the ranks of royalty, Colm was descended through Conal Gulban from Niall of the Nine Hostages, in fact, he was Niall’s great, great, grandson and was also a nephew of Murtagh Mac Erc, the High-King then reigning. One of the ancient chronicles informs us that Colm himself was probably in line for the High-Kingship, and it further claims that “he chose instead to aspire to an heirship in Heaven.”
Colm studied chiely at the celebrated schools of St Finnian at Clonard, modern county Meath and the other St Finian, he of Moville, in modern county Down. Tradition maintains that he acquired his new name, Colm Cille-he had been christened Crimthan (meaning fox), from his fellow-students at Moville, because it is told that in the intervals of his studies, he was always to be found, ‘haunting the church’, hence Colm Cille, which translates as ‘Dove of the Church’.
Colm was one of the twelve brilliant and pious Clonard students who, because of their learning, piety, and great missionary work, became known afterwards as An Dá Aspal Deág na hEireann-‘The Twelve Apostles of Erin.’ The others most notable being, St. Ciaran, St. Kevin, another St. Colm, St. Molaise, St. Mobhi, St. Comhgall, and St. Ruadan, all of whom, as we have already referenced, founded their own monasteries and schools.
It is told that Colm from the north of the country and Ciaran who hailed from the mid- lands, he who would later found Clonmacnoise, became close friends, and that both youths grew in wisdom and piety together, so much so that their teacher, Finian, dreamed a mystic dream, in which he ixed a glorious future for both.
It appeared to Finian in this dream that there arose in the sky a moon of gold from the northern horizon, and a moon of silver from over the midlands. The latter, which represent- ed Ciaran, lit the whole centre of Ireland, but the golden moon from the north, representing Colm, irst lit up all Ireland and Scotland, then the entire western world with its brilliance.
At one time in Ciaran’s school in Clonmacnoise there was as many as six thousand students being educated, including Alcuin, the chief scholar of the court of the Emperor of Charlemange.