selected passages from "THE ANCIENT SUNDIALS OF IRELAND", by M.Arnaldi, edited by B.S.S., London, 1999

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THE GREAT CELTIC SAINTS

Fresco representing Saint Colombanus (parish church of Brugnato - Italy)

Notwithstanding the ancient idolatry which had persisted for so long in their customs, the force of the new faith blazed in the hearts of the insular Celts to such an extent that from the fifth to the end of the seventh century, the monastic movement in Ireland became one of the most powerful sources of religious light and culture in medieval Europe. The first of the local monks preferred an isolated existence far from the centres of habitation and country villages. Their style of life was similar to that of the first Christian monks of the East, living in small cells and existing on roots and herbs; following Apostolic Rules, rejecting wealth. The absolute abandonment of worldly things and constant prayer was the implacable key to the stage of depriving their bodies of sustenance, eventually dying of malnutrition and cold. St. Finian (6th century), for example was noted for the extreme austerity of his habits: he kept to a basic diet, exclusively of stale bread and dirty water, while his disciples were strictly vegetarian and did not use any animals, not even to help in their agricultural labour. Notwithstanding the severe conditions, monastic groups multiplied, with disciples united under a Master, and following his Regula. Some hundreds of small monasteries sprang up, with a maximum of a dozen monks in each, or larger ones which attracted students from every part of the island and sometimes from the rest of Europe too. In the course of these centuries, the birth of the great monastic schools of Clonard, Clonmacnoise, Bangor, Kells, Durrow and others took place. In their sacred fire were forged Masters like St Brendan called the Navigator, St. Columba of Iona, St. Comgall of Bangor; and giants like St. Columbanus. Thousands of enlightened souls were forged in the great abode of the spirit which was the green land of Erin. St Ciarà, St. Declan d' Ardmore, St. Brigid of Kildare, St. Ita of Killeedy, St. Finian of Clonard, St. Gildas, St. Brioc, St. Ciarà of Clonmacnoise, St. Kentigern, St. Aidan of Lindisfarne, St. Colman of Lindisfarne, St. Finnian of Moville; and so many others that it is impossible to record their names in this study. The monastic movement brought to Ireland the art of writing and allowed the recording of the old stories, legends, ancient epics, and sagas on to sheets of parchment which formerly were handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth only. The small isolated monasteries built on deserted moors were ideal places for those dedicated to a life of total renunciation; the great monasteries on the other hand became devoted to art and culture. From the hands of the monastic craftsmen blossomed the most beautiful works of Irish metal art, such as the Reliquary of St. Patrick, and the maximum expression of Celtic painting in the illuminated Book of Kells. The Irish monastic movement is known in this period for a rare missionary programme. Many monks, for instance, such as Gildas, Brioc, Kentighern, and Columcille left their monasteries to propagate the Christian faith in the neighbouring island of Britain, where at this time there resided some Irish colonies.