Donegal councillor champions St Colmcille public holiday idea

A Donegal County Councillor championed the case for a public holiday after Donegal-born saint, St Colmcille.

Letterkenny-based councillor, Jimmy Kavanagh, said that the story of St Colmcille was “fascinating” and it was “definitely worth a public holiday.”

Speaking on Newstalk, the Fine Gael councillor said: “We have three recognised patron saints in the country, with Brigid, Patrick, and Colmcille. St Brigid and St Patrick are both recognised with public holidays. St Colmcille is not.

“My interest has a factor in that St Colmcille was born in Gartan, Donegal.

“He was also known as the founder of Derry. He was held up as a man of peace. He has an all-Ireland connection as well. In places all over the country like Longford, Kildare, Swords, and Kells, which all have connections to St Colmcille. Then there is Iona and parts of England and Europe.

“It is a huge thing and definitely merits a public holiday. I think it would be a great chance for people to visit those places at the height of summer. We have the Slí Colmcille Way that people can walk. There are things like that that we can really promote, not just in Donegal but right across the island and further afield.”

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Cllr Kavanagh mentioned that Ireland has 10 public holidays annually, fewer than the European Union average, and wanted to allay potential fears from business owners concerned about the costs of another public holiday.

He commented: “People in retail and hospitality would probably be the sectors that would benefit most from a long weekend in July.

“We are not a poor country anymore, and places like Italy and Malta have far more public holidays than us, so I think we could take another day.”

UCD historian, Dr Elva Johnston, praised St Colmcille’s concern for innocent civilians during war and commented on how the idea of civilian protection was novel in the sixth century.

She said:  “His concern for those who were not protected during warfare, in this day and age, when we see the horrendous violence happening around the world, I think that is an inspiration for us all.

“It was incredibly radical. There was no comparison anywhere.”