HIEROMARTYRS AND MARTYRS OF IONA My mind and heart have been sore troubled, said St.

Columba, by a vision that has been given to me for at the end of time men will besiege my churches, and they will kill my monks and violate my sanctuary, and ravage and desecrate my burial-grounds. n !"# the monks of ona were driven out of ona by the $ikings, and settled in %ells in reland. &ut not all of the monks can have migrated, because in !"', according to the (nnals of )lster, '! monks of ona were killed by the $ikings. (s the (nnals of the *our Masters describes the event+ I-Columcille was plundered by the gaill; And great numbers of the laity and clergy Were killed by them, namely sixty-eight. ,hey were killed at the beach of white sand on the eastern shore of the island a little south of the modern landing--lace on Saint .onan/s &ay. ,he name 0ort nam Mairtir, the &ay of the Martyrs records the event. St. &laithmaic 1or &lathmacc2 was, like St. Columba, of royal blood of the clan of the )i-3eill. 4ne day he secretly abandoned his e5alted -osition in the world and became a monk. 6hen his father heard this, he was overcome with grief and sent a multitude of -eo-le, including a bisho-, a general, abbots, soldiers and kinsmen, to try and -ersuade him to return. &ut the saint, having set his hand to the -lough, did not turn back. n this way he -ractised the angelic life for several years. &ut then he conceived the desire to suffer the scars of Christ, that is, martyrdom. Several times he tried to go abroad with this end in mind, but the -eo-le held him back. (nd when he again tried to flee by night with a few disci-les, a crowd of -ursuers caught uwith him and dragged the she-herd back to his flock. ,he saint es-ecially sought to go to ona, where he knew that the $ikings fre7uently came. 8ventually he became abbot of ona, and there awaited the arrival of the $ikings. *riends, he said to his monks, cast within yourselves whether you have the courage to suffer for the name of Christ with me. 6hoever of you can wait, beseech you, steel yourselves with manly courage. &ut let those whose hearts 7uake within them flee and thereby esca-e the danger, -re-aring themselves for better offerings in the future. ,he trial of certain death a--roaches. 9et firm faith stand -oised and ready, while cautious flight serve the less brave. (t these words, the monks divided. Some re:oiced at the -ros-ect of martyrdom and

remained, while others took to flight by a track through the mountains. 4n the morning of ;uly <# 1or ;anuary =>2, =!<?, a golden sun scattered the rain-drenched darkness. ,he holy abbot celebrated the @ivine 9iturgy, and then stood as a sacrificial lamb in front of the Aoly ,able. ,he rest of the monks stood -raying with tears. ,hen suddenly the $ikings -oured in a raging torrent into the church. *irst they slaughtered the monks. ,hen they came to the holy father and demanded that he give them the -recious reli7uary of St. Columba. &ut the monks had taken the shrine from its -lace and buried it in a grave, covering it with sods. 6hen the -agans demanded this booty, the saint resisted them, saying+ do not know what gold within you seek, nor where in the ground it may be stored, nor by what it is hidden. (nd if, Christ willing, were -ermitted to know, not to your ears would tell it. ,ake your swords, wield them barbarously, and kill me. 4 9ife-giving Bod, commend my humble soul to ,hy -rotection. (t this, the -agans cut the holy man to -ieces St. ndracht C ndrechtactD, grandson of *inechta, became abbot of ona in !E<. n !#> he came to reland with some of the relics of St. Columba. n the same year %ing %enneth of Scotland also transferred some of the relics to the church he had built in @unkeld. 4n March =<, !?#, ndrecht was martyred at Blastonbury on his :ourney to .ome. 4ne @iarmaid was killed with him. Some years later, writes 6illiam of Malmesbury, the bodies of the martyr ndract and his comrades were translated from their -lace of martyrdom and buried in that church by ne, %ing of the 6est Sa5ons, who had received a divine vision. ndract/s body was -ut in a stone -yramid to the left of the altar, the others were -ut under the floor in -laces either carefully chosen or dictated by chance. Aowever, 6illiam must have made a mistake here, for %ing ne lived over a hundred years before St. ndract. ,he saint is commemorated on May !. (bbot Mugron with =? monks was killed by the @anes on Christmas 8ve, >!?. (bbot Maelciarin was killed by the @ublin @anes in >!'. 4n Christmas 8ve, >!', according to the (nnals of )lster, the @anes descended u-on the monastery of ona in Scotland, and killed the abbot and fifteen of his monks at the -lace called the 6hite Strand of the Monks.

n the ne5t year, according to the (nnals of the *our Masters, there was a great slaughter of the @anes who had -lundered C onaD, for three hundred and si5ty of them were killed through the miracles of Bod and Columcille. 4n Christmas 8ve, >!' the @anes descended u-on the monastery of ona in Scotland, and killed the abbot and fifteen of his monks at the -lace called the 6hite Strand of the Monks. 1Sources+ 6alafridus Strabo, 9ife of St. &laithmaicF (nnals of )lster, !?#, >!'F (nnals of nnisfarne for !?#F Martyrology of ,allaghtF (.6. Aaddan G 6. Stubbs, Councils and 8cclesiastical @ocuments relating to Breat &ritain and reland, 45ford+ Clarendon 0ress, volume , -art =, =!HE, --. =#<-=#EF 6illiam of Malmesbury, ,he 8arly Aistory of Blastonbury, edited by ;ohn Scott, ,he &odyell 0ress, 6oodbridge, =>!=, --. '=, '>F Besta .egum (nglorum, E?2