Colman was a monk of Iona and Irish by race; he was the successor of
Aidan and Finan as bishop-abbot of Lindisfarne. This was the most important
monastery in Northumbria, sited close to the royal castle of Bamburgh, and
the home of a number of monks who evangelised other English kingdoms.
A crises arose concerning the date of Easter, the style of tonsure and
eventually the role of the bishop, between the Irish, led by Colman, and
those of Roman formation, led by Ronan, Agilbert and Wilfrid.
This was resolved at the Synod of Whitby (663/4) convened and
presided over by Oswiu, king of Northumbria, who favoured the Irish view.
Neither side could prove their claims historically, but the appeal to
the practice of the rest of the contemporary Church was decisive. The king
ruled in favour of the Roman calculation of Easter thereby bringing about
unity of observance in Northumbria and eventually in all England.
Colman resigned and eventually founded a monastery on the Isle of
Irishbofin (Co Galway) c667.
Even here there was discord, because the Irish monks, according to
Bede, left the monastery in the summer when the harvest had to be gathered
in, but returned in the winter expecting an equal share with the English
monks.
Colman solved this problem by settling the English monks at Mayo,
while the Irish ones stayed at Irishbofin.
The date of Colman's death is variously given as 672, 674 and 675.
His feast day is the 18th February.
Written and contributed by Phillip Lloyd.
