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A mixture of asceticism, joy and art.

Celtic illuminated manuscripts were prepared in the monasteries.

"That I might search all the books,

That would be good for my soul;

At times kneeling to beloved heaven;

At times singing psalms;

At times contemplating the King of Heaven, Holy the Chief;

At times at work without compulsion,

That would be delightful.

At times plucking duilisc from the rocks;

At times fishing;

At times giving food to the poor;

At times alone in my cell."

(From a poem by Saint Columba of Iona.)

"A typical group of monastic buildings is preserved on Skellig Michael ... on a high crag above the sea. There are five huts, covered by corbelled domes of rough stone ... The church is in the shape of an upturned boat, and beside it is a stone cross ... The almost inaccessible site of the ancient monastery explains its preservation ... The huts, almost isolated beneath the sky, might symbolise the mystic spirit of the early monks, akin to the Greek monks of the Meteora ..."

("From Theodoric To Charlemagne", Paolo Verzone, Methuen.)

The Holy Trinity.

"I arise today through a mighty strength,

The invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

(From “The Deer's Cry" by Saint Patrick.)

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