Adomnán of Iona | |
|---|---|
 St. Eunan,Raphoe Cathedral | |
| Born | c. 624 County Donegal,Ulster,Ireland |
| Died | 704 (aged c. 80) Iona,Scotland |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Scottish Episcopal Church[1] |
| Canonized | Pre-Congregation |
| Feast | 23 September |
| Patronage | Roman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe |
Adomnán orAdamnán of Iona (Old Irish:[ˈaðəṽˌnaːn];Latin:Adamnanus,Adomnanus;c. 624 – 704), also known asEunan (/ˈjuːnən/YOO-nən; fromNaomh Adhamhnán), was anabbot ofIona Abbey (r. 679–704),hagiographer, statesman, canon jurist, andsaint. He was the author of theLife of Columba (Latin:Vita Columbae), probably written between 697 and 700. This biography is by far the most important surviving work written in early-medieval Scotland, and is a vital source for our knowledge of thePicts, and an insight into the life ofIona and the early-medievalGaelic monk.
Adomnán promulgated theLaw of Adomnán or "Law of Innocents" (Latin:Lex Innocentium). He also wrote the treatiseDe Locis Sanctis ('On Holy Places'), an account of the great Christian holy places and centres of pilgrimage. Adomnán got much of his information from aFrankish bishop calledArculf, who had personally visitedEgypt,Rome,Constantinople and theHoly Land, and visited Iona afterwards.
Adomnán was born about 624, a relative on his father's side of Columba.[2] He was a member of theNorthern Uí Néill lineageCenél Conaill.[3] He was the son of Rónán mac Tinne by Ronat, a woman from anotherNorthern Uí Néill lineage known as the Cenél nÉnda. Adomnán's birthplace was probably in or nearRaphoe, a town in what later becameTír Chonaill (now mainlyCounty Donegal), inUlster in the north ofIreland. Some of Adomnán's childhood anecdotes seem to confirm at least an upbringing in this fertile eastern part of present-day County Donegal, not far from the modern city ofDerry.
It is thought that Adomnán may have begun his monastic career at a Columban monastery called Druim Tuamma, but any Columban foundation in northernIreland orDál Riata is a possibility, although Durrow is a stronger possibility than most. He probably joined the Columbanfamilia (i.e. the federation of monasteries under the leadership ofIona Abbey) around the year 640. Some modern commentators believe that he could not have come to Iona until sometime after the year 669, the year of the accession ofFáilbe mac Pípáin, the first abbot of whom Adomnán gives any information. However, Richard Sharpe argues that he probably came to Iona during the abbacy ofSégéne (d. 652). Whenever or wherever Adomnán received his education, Adomnán attained a level of learning rare inearly-medieval Northern Europe. It has been suggested by Alfred Smyth that Adomnán spent some years teaching and studying at Durrow,[4] and while this is not accepted by all scholars, it remains a strong possibility.
In 679, Adomnán became the ninth abbot of Iona after Columba.[5] Abbot Adomnán enjoyed a friendship with KingAldfrith of Northumbria. In 684, Aldfrith had been staying with Adomnán in Iona. In 686, after the death of Aldfrith's brother KingEcgfrith of Northumbria and Aldfrith's succession to the kingship, Adomnán was in theKingdom of Northumbria on the request of KingFínsnechta Fledach ofBrega in order to gain the freedom of sixtyGaels who had been captured in a Northumbrian raid two years before.[4]
Adomnán, in keeping with Ionan tradition, made several more trips to the lands of the English during his abbacy, including one the following year. It is sometimes thought, after theaccount given byBede, that it was during his visits to Northumbria, under the influence of AbbotCeolfrith, that Adomnán decided to adopt the Roman dating ofEaster that had been agreed some years before at theSynod of Whitby. Bede implies that this led to a schism at Iona, whereby Adomnán became alienated from the Iona brethren and went to Ireland to convince the Irish of the Roman dating. Jeffrey Wetherill sees Adomnán's long absences from Iona as having led to something of an undermining of his authority; he was thus unable to persuade the monks to adopt the Roman dating of Easter, let alone the tonsure.[2] It is clear that Adomnán did adopt that Roman dating and, moreover, probably did argue the case for it in Ireland.[5]
For many years, the people of Leinster made a triennial tribute payment, called theBorumha, to the Uí Néill. The payment was made largely in cattle. Around 692, the King of Leinster was prepared to go to war over the payment, but first sent a delegation led bySaint Moling to ask for its remittance.Fínsnechta Fledach agreed to remit payment "for a day and a night". Moling argued that "All time is day and night; thou canst never reimpose this tax." Although this was not the king's intention, Moling held him to his word, promising him heaven if he kept it, and the reverse if he did not. When Adomnán learned of this he left Iona to see the king and scolded him soundly for yielding the rights of the Uí Néill.[6]
It is generally believed that in 697, Adomnán promulgated theCáin Adomnáin, meaning literally the "Canons" or "Law of Adomnán". TheCáin Adomnáin was promulgated amongst a gathering ofIrish, Dál Riatan andPictish notables at theSynod of Birr in 697.[7] It is a set of laws designed, among other things, to guarantee the safety and immunity of various types of non-combatants in warfare. For this reason it is also known as theLex Innocentium (Law of Innocents).
Adomnán's most important work, and the one for which he is best known, is theVita Columbae ("Life of Columba"), a hagiography ofIona's founder,Columba,[8] probably written between 697 and 700. The format borrows to some extent fromSulpicius Severus'Life of SaintMartin of Tours.[9] Adomnán adapted traditional forms of Christian biography to group stories about Columba thematically rather than chronologically,[10] and present Columba as comparable to a hero in Gaelic mythology.[11] Wetherill suggests that one of the motivations for writing theVita was to offer Columba as a model for the monks, and thereby improve Adomnán's standing as abbot.[2] The biography is by far the most important surviving work written in early-medieval Scotland, and is a vital source for our knowledge of the Picts, as well as a great insight into the life of Iona and the early-medieval Gaelic monk.
However, theVita was not his only work. Adomnán also wrote the treatiseDe Locis Sanctis (i.e. "On Holy Places"), an account of the great Christian holy places and centres of pilgrimage. Adomnán got much of his information from aFrankish bishop calledArculf, who had personally visited theEgypt,Rome,Constantinople and theHoly Land, and visited Iona afterwards. Adomnán gave a copy to the scholar-kingAldfrith ofNorthumbria (685–704).[4] Also attributed to him is a good deal of Gaelic poetry, including a celebration of the Pictish KingBridei's (671–93) victory over the Northumbrians at theBattle of Dun Nechtain (685).
Adomnán died in 704, and became a saint in Scottish and Irish tradition, as well as one of the most important figures in either Scottish or Irish history. His death andfeast day are commemorated on 23 September. Along withColumba, he is joint patron of theRoman Catholic Diocese of Raphoe, which encompasses the bulk ofCounty Donegal in the north-west ofIreland. TheCathedral of St Eunan and St Columba (popularly known as St. Eunan's Cathedral), theCatholiccathedral in that diocese, is inLetterkenny. In 727 the relics of Adomnán were brought to Ireland to renew theCáin Adomnáin[12] and they were returned to Iona in 730.[13]
In his native Donegal, Adomnán has given his name to several institutions and buildings including:
InCounty Sligo, just to the south, he is venerated as the founder of Skreen Abbey, now the site of the Church of Ireland church of Skreen Parish.
{{citation}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Texts on Wikisource:| Catholic Church titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Abbot of Iona 679–704 | Succeeded by |
.jpg)
