Mobhi’s Belt

It was a pandemic, such as we are currently living through, that gave St Colmcille the impetus to found his first monastery. He was forced to flee from his teacher St Mobhi’s monastery in Glasnevin, Dublin, by a contagious plague that ravaged Ireland, the ‘Buidhe Chonnaill’ or ‘yellow pestilence’. He resorted to his home in Ulster and was granted land at Derry by the King of Ireland but refused to found a monastery there until he had permission from St. Mobhi. Two of Mobhi’s monks arrived at Derry to tell Colmcille that Mobhi had died of the plague and to prove this, they presented him with Mobhi’s belt. Colmcille took this as a sign that he could proceed to found the monastery at Derry. That we are living through another pandemic during the 1500 anniversary year of Colmcille’s birth emphasis the understanding that pandemic is a constant of human experience. This understanding is particularly relevant to the people of Donegal and Derry, who were so badly impacted by COVID-19. My thanks to Deirdre Ní Chaomhánaigh who helped me prepare the text of ‘Crios Mobi’. Go raibh míle maith agat.