News

BBC ALBA television programme singing praise of Columba. Available on BBC iPlayer.

Iain MacKinnon presents a special mix of hymns, psalms and readings to commemorate the life of Saint Columba. Iain will be introducing hymns in celebration of St Columba – some recorded especially for Alleluia and others taken from the rich collection of previous performances. 

Amongst the singers are Mary Ann Kennedy singing Eadar-Thìr, Eilidh Cormack with her rendition of O, Chaluim Chille and John Joe MacNeil singing Earal Eòdhnain. The Rev Donald Michael MacInnes and Canon Seumas MacNeil will offer guidance through readings and reflections from the scriptures. 

Eighteen projects from across the Council areas of Derry, Strabane and Donegal  celebrating the history, music, drama, literature, art, and folklore of Colmcille, have been successful in securing funding made available as part of the Colmcille 1500 Community Grant Scheme launched in January 2021.

The scheme is part of the Colmcille 1500 year-long commemoration marking the 1500^th anniversary of the birth of Colmcille (also known as Columba). 

The year recognises the importance and legacy of the 6th-century saint, not only for Derry and Donegal but for the island of Ireland, Scotland and across the world.  The year-long celebrations will last from the 7^th December 2020 to 7^th December 2021.

Over 70 applications were received for the grants scheme with the 18 successful applicants each obtaining grants of €2,000 or £1,800 to be part of the 1500^th commemorations taking place during 2021.

Welcoming the allocation of the grant funding, Deirdre Harte, Colmcille 1500 Project Manager said the successful applicants will bring Colmcille’s legacy to life through a range of themes including history, music, drama, literature, art, archaeology, spirituality, storytelling and folklore.

“We are delighted to have awarded funding that allows us to showcase the wealth of talent and creativity in our local communities. It’s a fantastic opportunity to get local people involved in the celebrations and to help us bring  Colmcille to a range of audiences, young and old, in a variety of ways such as through concerts, short films, virtual trails, a walking festival, poetry workshops, art installations, new music compositions and a young ambassadors programme.”

The project is being co-ordinated jointly by Derry City & Strabane District Council and Donegal County Council with the support of key partners including the North West Development Fund, in conjunction with and supported by The Executive Office and The Irish Government.

The programme for the year includes a range of projects, events and activities including the community grants scheme and is being delivered in partnership with a range of local, regional, national and international organisations.

Among the nine Donegal projects that were successful are several that will take place in the Gartan area where Colmcille was born. Donegal Chamber Music Society will perform a special composition ‘Mobhi’s Belt’ based on the very topical story of the dramatic effect of a pandemic on Colmcille’s monastic career. Filmmaker Brenda Kelly will create an original short film ‘Colmcille’s Childhood in Gartan’, showcasing the many historical sites where the saint grew up and the Colmcille Gospel Choir will bring together singers from different generations and areas with well-known musicians and artists to sing in celebration of Colmcille 1500 in Gartan and Glencolmcille.

Oideas Gael secured funding to gather folklore and produce an interactive digital map showcasing the rich tapestry of minor placenames associated with the saint in Gleann Cholm Cille – such as field names and man-made features.

Explore Inishowen will deliver a Colmcille Walking Festival to celebrate his footprint in Inishowen with walks focused around places of interest such as Portcille where Colmcille left from to go to Scotland. While in Fanad, Clondavaddog Parish will commission an icon and publish a brochure mapping key sites and directing people to the unspoken (‘Guth Colmcille’) chapter of the saint’s life, his time in Fanad.

Funding was also secured by Disert Heritage Group to carry out an archaeological excavation at the early medieval church site, graveyard and holy well dedicated to St Colmcille which will inform national and international discussion on the nature of the early Church and the work of Colmcille. Teach na nAmhrán, The Song House Ireland, will deliver online literary events led by Irish and Scottish award winning poets while Beltaine Productions will produce a short film ‘Colmcille, Myths, Legends and Truths’ exploring the Donegal landscape and culture into which the saint was born, presented by Dr. Brian Lacey, one of Ireland’s leading authorities on Colmcille.

For further details about activities planned for Colmcille 1500 visit www.colmcille1500.com

The Turas Colmcille committee in Donegal and Derry is seeking to develop Slí Cholmcille as a network of walking trails linking the main Columban Heritage sites across the two counties. The Camino-style walk across Donegal and Derry will take twelve to fourteen days. There has already been significant community engagement. A ‘proof of concept’ walk to destination in 2020. The committee seeks tenders for a Development Marketing and Business Plan. The deadline for tenders is the 24th May 2021 and the details can be found here.

There is much to learn from Colmcille and the legacy of his communities, and there are also materials to draw on:

Learning materials and competition from Donegal:

Maureen Curran of Loretto Community School, Milford, Donegal, has developed cross-curricular educational materials. It is linked to sites associated with Colmcille or Columba, and provides a model which can be adapted for use in many places. A competition based on the materials is being organised by Maureen with the Diocese of Raphoe, in conjunction with Claire Murray at the Church of Ireland National School in Gartan, birthplace of St Columba. The deadline for submissions has now been extended to the 15th October 2021.

The primary material can be downloaded here. and post-primary here.

Range of resources on padlet

Maureen and Claire have been part of a working group along with Gabrielle Fitzsimons and Gráinne Duggan who teaches at Rathdonnell National School near Gartan. Gráinne has compiled a range of other educational and heritage resources from a range of institutions and organisations which can be accessed online here.

Donegal County Council has developed a range of materials for other commemorative events, including the Flight of the Earls and 1916. The Council is preparing an educational pack and colouring book which will be available in the spring 2021.

In Northern Ireland CCEA has a range of materials in Irish and English:

It includes striking material on the book of Kells available here and here. An overview of the CCEA materials can be seen here and here. : https://stcolumbaheritage.com/index.php/home

Scripture Union NI has produced material entitled “The Way of the Peacemaker” for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in NI which explore “the life of Colmcille and the Biblical principles of peace.” It consists of videoas available here , and worksheets which are available from Rachel Millar.

Áras Cholmcille in Derry has learning materials available here .

As part of its multi-faceted commemoration of the 1500th anniversary of Colm Cille’s birth, the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) has commissioned seven new artworks. The commissions are in the visual arts, music and literature and have been commissioned by the RIA with the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The artists carrying out the commissions are:

• Timothy O’Neill, a master calligrapher, will celebrate Colm Cille’s work as a scribe in an artwork reflecting his contribution to the manuscript tradition.

• Róisín de Buitléar, an award-winning glass artist, will draw her inspiration from Colm Cille’s belief that there are ‘three ways to draw people to belief’.

• Internationally celebrated musicians and singers, Julie Fowlis, Éamon Doorley, Zoë Conway and John McIntyre, will – as a music collective – compose a new song inspired by Colm Cille’s life and work.

• Biddy Jenkinson, a prominent Irish-language poet and dramatist, will write a drama titled ‘Iona’ which will reflect on the dilemmas Colm Cille faced when called to make his most important decisions.

• Proinsias Mac a’ Bhaird, a prolific Irish-language writer, will produce a novel that re-imagines Colm Cille’s youth in Ireland and the circumstances that led to his departure to Iona.

• Sandy NicDhòmhnaill Jones, who currently holds the title of Crowned Gaelic Bard in Scotland, will work on a suite of poems based on Colm Cille’s experiences and the influence and legacy of his life.

• Simon Ó Faoláin, an accomplished poet, is working on a series of poems looking at the various and contrasting stages of the life of Colm Cille.

The artworks are due to be completed around the time of Colm Cille’s feast day on 9 June and will be unveiled later in the year. The Royal Irish Academy will also host a public lecture series in the autumn, which it is hoped to make available subsequently as a series of podcasts. Supported by the Irish-Scottish partnership, Colmcille.net, this series will be accompanied by a digital exhibition.