Over 250 visitors from France, Italy, Germany and Northern Ireland, along with many more from local counties, are expected to descend on Carlow, as columbanus weekend kicks off.
The gathering honours the life and legacy of St. Columbanus—a 6th century Irish missionary monk born in the shadow of Mount Leinster who had a fundamental impact on European Christian heritage.
Today, there will be a pilgrim walk from the Nine Stones to Myshall on the Columban Way, followed by an address by former President Mary McAleese in the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Speaking on the Saturday Show, Bishop Denis Nulty said that Columbanus is a saint more closely associated with Europe than with Ireland.
“It’s interesting, he spent 45-50 years of his life in Ireland, on the island, and then, the smaller portion of his life was in continental Europe, and that’s where he’s well remembered and regarded, Padraig O’ Riain, one of the great historians of Irish saints, has written a big manual, the dictionary of Irish sants, which doesn’t mention Columbanus at all, because he sees him as a saint from Bobbio, so it’s very interesting.”
