Caption Click brief video above to view the Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin’s 2024 Turas Columbanus/Columban Way pilgrim walk for peace, healing, and well-being (Diocese of Kildare and Leighlin)
- Bishop Denis Nulty: “The Columbanus Weekend will be an opportunity to place Myshall, the birthplace of Columbanus, alongside the Saint Gallen’s, the Bobbio’s and Luxeuil’s of this world. I welcome this opportunity to reintroduce Saint Columbanus to Carlow and Ireland”
The Diocese of Kildare & Leighlin will host a major international celebration this July, as visitors from France, Italy, Germany and from the four corners of Ireland, along with many local pilgrims, will arrive in Carlow for the 26th Columbanus Weekend, taking place from Friday, 11 July to Sunday, 13 July.
The gathering, part of a rotating European tradition, which sees Columbanus Day celebrated every second year outside Italy, honours the life and legacy of Saint Columbanus whi was the 6th century Irish missionary monk born in the shadow of Mount Leinster on the Blackstairs Mountains and whose life and ministry had a fundamental impact on European Christian heritage.
The Columbanus Weekend programme will highlight Carlow’s spiritual, cultural and historical connections to the saint, with events taking place in Carlow Town and in the Parish of Myshall. The recently established Columban Way, a 571km walking route inspired by Columbanus’ journey from County Carlow to Bangor in County Down, also features prominently. On the morning of Saturday 12 July, pilgrims will walk a section of the route from the Nine Stones on Mount Leinster to Myshall, based on the theme of Walking Together in Hope keeping in the spirit of 2025 being the universal Jubilee Year of Hope for the Catholic Church. Over the special weekend key event will include:
Friday 11 July
- Opening Address and Words of Welcome by Bishop Denis Nulty, in Carlow County Museum
- Launch of the exhibition “Ireland and the Birth of Europe” by Professor Dáibhí Ó Cróinín at Carlow County Museum
- Symposium at Carlow College, Saint Patrick’s: “If You Want to Know the Creator, Understand Creation” (Columbanus, Sermon 1)
- Ecumenical Evening Prayer with the Columbanus relics in Myshall, followed by a ceremonial procession from the Adelaide Memorial Church to the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Saturday 12 July
- Pilgrim walk from the Nine Stones to Myshall on the Columban Way
- Address by former President Mary McAleese: “Columbanus, the Man from Myshall” in the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross
- Evening concert in the Cathedral of the Assumption followed by an Irish music night in Carlow Town
Sunday 13 July
- XXVI Columbanus Day Mass at the Cathedral of the Assumption, attended by religious leaders from throughout the island and continental Europe and civic authorities
- Closing Pilgrims’ Lunch at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel
Bishop Denis Nulty, who was central in bringing the Columbanus Weekend to Carlow, remarked, “The Columbanus Weekend is, for the first time, being hosted in the Irish Republic. It will be an opportunity to place Myshall, the birthplace of Columbanus, alongside the Saint Gallen’s, the Bobbio’s and Luxeuil’s of this world. I welcome this opportunity to reintroduce Saint Columbanus to Carlow and Ireland, a Saint who spent 48 years of his life on this island, with 24 years on mainland Europe. Our three-day festival comes in the middle of the Jubilee Year of Hope, may we be pilgrims of hope this July. The entire weekend brings with it enormous capacity to unite communities of different faiths and cultural traditions together, both in Ireland and across Europe inviting all to explore Columbanus’ significance to our everyday lives. This weekend is a testimony to shared faith and friendship, and to Carlow’s growing role in spiritual and cultural tourism.”
Father Pat Colgan of the Columban Fathers at Dalgan Park, Navan, County Meath, noted, “The Columbanus Weekend reminds us that the legacy of this great saint continues to foster unity and dialogue across nations. We are deeply grateful to the people of Carlow for embracing and hosting this important event.”
Councillor Fergal Browne, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council, added, “The Columbanus Weekend can link Carlow in a very tangible way to our neighbours in Northern Ireland, the UK, France, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. This weekend represents a really important step in the realisation of a much bigger vision for Carlow and Columbanus’ connection to Europe.”
Patsy McLean, chairperson of Friends of Ireland – Republic of Ireland, and chairperson of Myshall Muintir na Tíre, said, “Saint Columbanus’ message of peace and understanding is more relevant than ever. We are excited to welcome guests from across Europe to join together and walk in the footsteps of a true European pioneer.”
ENDS
- Bishop Denis Nulty is Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin.
- The European Columban Way is a 6,000 kilometre European pilgrim route that traces the footsteps of Irish monk Columbanus who was born in the shadow of Mount Leinster in 543 before departing for Bangor where he lived for 20 years and founded a famous monastery. At the age of 48 years-old, Columbanus travelled throughout Europe including the north of Ireland, the UK, France, Austria, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and each has been busy developing the route in their respective countries. He died in Bobbio in 615 AD. The Irish section of the route is 571km.
- For further information, contact: Carlow Tourism | E: [email protected] | T: 059 913 0411 | www.kandle.ie