Mags Gargan“The values that Columbanus preached and shared have stood the test of time”
St Columbanus’ vision is still powerful enough to bring people together from different communities across Ireland, President Michael D. Higgins has said.
Speaking at the St Columbanus Day Lunch in Belfast City Hall last week at the invitation of the Ullans (Ulster Scots) Academy, President Higgins said the celebration was a great opportunity “to mark St Columbanus Day, to look back over great time and distance to the life of Columbanus and examine the lessons we can learn from him”.
His influence
“It is an extraordinary testament to his influence and legacy that, in the globalised 21st Century, Columbanus’ message, his vision and his memory are still powerful enough to bring people together from different communities across this island,” he said.
Referring to St Columbanus’ travels across Europe President Higgins said 15 years on from the Good Friday Agreement and six years after the restoration of the devolved institutions, “Northern Ireland has much to offer the world, and equally much to gain from its interaction with Europe”.
“The values that Columbanus preached and shared have stood the test of time and are of value as we are challenged to shape the European identity we live and work in today,” he said.