On Tuesday, 23rd November 2010, at the Park Avenue Hotel in East Belfast, an event took place under the auspices of my Ullans Academy, which had much significance for Northern Ireland. This was the Feast of Columbanus, a celebration of the Life and Work of the Saint. The two guest speakers were the President of Ireland, Her Excellency Mary McAleese and the Lord Bannside PC, Dr Ian Paisley.
Columbanus was a disciple of Comgall of the Cruthin at Bangor, Co. Down. In 589 he left Bangor for Europe to embark on one of the most remarkable journeys in European history. The Roman Empire had collapsed under barbarian invasion, and barbarian kings and dukes now ruled Europe. Order and learning had collapsed and the practice of Christianity had been almost extinguished. Ireland however had been unaffected by these barbarian invasions, so that the Irish Church had survived intact and its traditions of learning had continued unimpaired.
Pope Pius XI has written:
“The more light that is shed by scholars in the period known as the Middle Ages the clearer it becomes that it was thanks to the initiative and labours of Columbanus that the rebirth of Christian virtue and civilisation over a great part of Gaul (France), Germany and Italy took place.”
The French poet Leon Cathlin concluded:
“We must wait the coming of St Bernard to witness ascendancy comparable to his. Saint Columbanus is one of the very great men who have dwelt in this land of France. He is, with Charlemagne, the greatest figure of our Early Middle Ages”,
and Daniel-Rops of the French Academy has said that he was
“a sort of Prophet of Israel, brought back to life in the sixth century, as blunt in his speech as Isaiah or Jeremiah…For fifty years souls were stirred by the influence of Columbanus. His passing through the country started a real contagion of holiness.”
Indeed Columbanus may be considered the Patron Saint of Europe.
The Feast of Columbanus, held on his Feast Day, 23rd November, on the North Down coast from which he left, for an audience of Friends of the Ullans Academy, will be an opportunity for Community Activists from throughout the island of Ireland and beyond to hear more of their shared history and heritage as a prologue to their shared future within these islands.
As reported previously, three television camera crews attended the event, one from the Irish-language News channel, Nuacht24. The last has had made a video report of the event available on its website –
Nuacht24 – Columbanus lunch video
And see links given below.
In the video,you will see English-language interviews with myself as President of the Ullans Academy, and Lord Bannside; and Irish-language interviews with (a) Dr Roger Blaney of the Ullans Academy and (b) Bishop Donal (or Dónal) McKeown.
Dr Blaney goes by the Irish-language name of Ruairí Ó Bléine as well. Nuacht24 has tagged him, however, as de Bléine, where a 'de' often indicates a French or Norman name (a). Dr Blaney has brought up his three children all as native Irish speakers.
Blog links
Columbanus lunch report:
Part 1, Tuesday, November 30. 2010
Part 2, Wednesday, December 1. 2010
Links
Nuacht24 – Columbanus lunch video
Note
(a) Robert Bell's Book of Ulster Surnames (1988) doesn't list 'Blaney', which surprises me. On the other hand Edward MacLysaght in his Guide to Irish Surnames (1964) has –
'BLANEY The Blaneys or Blayneys came from England at the end of the sixteenth century and settled in Co.Monaghan where they gave their name to the town Castleblaney.'