Ancient Echoes

The unifying aim of this collection is to present something of the lore and legend of these ordinary yet extraordinary people. The stories of their lives and their failings, their sins and their repentance, and the message they shared needs to be heard afresh in each generation. Looking at events with twenty-first century eyes one cannot help but wonder was the dispute between Columba and Finnian the very first copyright case. Also, the theft of the heart of Laurence O'Toole stolen from Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin and returned in 2018 after an absence of six years would surely have taxed the minds of the Catholic faithful, Hercule Poirot or Father Brown, who would not let the myths which surround the saints detract from their lasting contribution and would remain agnostic about whether or not the exiled Columba came face to face with the Lough Ness monster or whether or not Patrick exiled snakes from Ireland.

Ireland's story is told in myth and legend; it could also be said half-truth and innuendo. The myths and legends aim to add colour to the lives of those called saints but beyond this veneer of spin or sexing-up of the relevant dossiers there are some extremely interesting lives shaped by self-discipline, self-denial, courage and sacrifice. Some people suffered horrendously because of their faith and some walked away from wealth and status for lives of obscurity and austerity - walking away, as they did so, from family life, betrothal and inheritance. The lives of the Irish saints seldom, if ever, need embellishing and often the unvarnished truth is stranger than fiction.