by Louise Doyle
WITH Donegal County Council set to ask the government to establish a public holiday in honour of St Colmcille, the move has been resoundingly welcomed in Letterkenny.
St Colmcille was born at Gartan, near Letterkenny, in 521 and established over 50 Christian sites throughout Ireland.
He was also known as Columba, a Latin version of Colum, which was his baptismal name. The ‘cille’ that was added to the end of his name means ‘of the churches’.
His father was a great grandson of King Niall of the Nine Hostages.
His mother was a daughter of the King of Leinster.
In the English language, Colmcille translates as ‘Dove of the Church’. St Colmcille is widely regarded as one the three patrons saint of Ireland, alongside St Patrick and St Brigid.
He is also known as the patron saint of Derry – Doire Cholmcille, meaning ‘oakwood of Colmcille’.
St Colmcille was a significant historical figure in the spreading of Christianity in Britain. One of his most important monasteries was in Iona, off the coast of Scotland.
Currently, Ireland has 10 public holidays per year. St Brigid’s Day was the most recent addition to the list in 2023.
Councillor Jimmy Kavanagh is leading calls for the provision of the public holiday in honour of St Colmcille. He raised the issue at the latest meeting of Donegal County Council, highlighting that Ireland is two days behind the European average of 12 public holiday days a year.
Cllr Kavanagh said that St Colmcille should be recognised in the same way as St Patrick and St Brigid with a public holiday to take place in the month of July.
His motion was backed, and reaction to it since has been far-reaching making headlines on the national news as well as being discussed on RTÉ 2fm Drive with Doireann Garrihy.
The Donegal News took to the streets of Letterkenny this week to find out reactions locally to the move. And, unsurprisingly, it is being hugely welcomed.
Jim Toner.
Jim Toner said: “I think it’s a great idea. He’s a well-known saint in this county, we shouldn’t be selfish and keep him to ourselves,” he laughed.
“St Colmcille has done a lot for religion here.”
Seamus McBride.
Seamus McBride said: “It’s a great idea but I think it should be linked in with the Scottish Executive and the Irish Government to do a joint bank holiday because of the connections.
St Columba was both Scottish and Irish, there is the connection between the two countries and I think it would be much better for everyone concerned if there was a bank holiday in both countries.
“I hope eventually that it will come about because of the opportunities that St Colmcille presents for both the rural parts of Scotland and the rural parts of Ireland, it could be immense for the development of St Colmcille.”
Ethna Wallace and Ian McLoughlin.
Ethna Wallace said: “I think it’s a good idea. He has done so much for the county. I’d love to see it for both St Colmcille, and to have the public holiday.”
Ian McLoughlin said: “We’re behind on the number of bank holidays we have compared with Europe. I’d definitely love to see it. He’s a good saint and we’re very proud of him in Donegal. It will put us more on the map too.”
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