Abbot of Iona

Iona's first abbot, Saint Columba, before the fortress of the Pictish king

The Abbot of Iona was the head of Iona Abbey during the Middle Ages and the leader of the monastic community of Iona, as well as the overlord of scores of monasteries in both Scotland and Ireland, including Durrow, Kells and, for a time, Lindisfarne. It was one of the most prestigious clerical positions in Dark Age Europe, and was visited by kings and bishops of the Picts, Franks and English. The Ionan abbots also had the status of Comarba of Colum Cille, i.e. the successors of that Saint, Columba.^[1]

Iona's position as head of the Columban network (familia) of churches declines over time, with abbots based at Derry, Raphoe, Kells and Dunkeld. In Scotland, the abbots of Dunkeld ruled much of central Scotland in the 11th century, and functioned as some of the most important politicians of northern Britain. One of the abbots, Crínán, married Bethóc ingen Maíl Coluim, the daughter of King Máel Coluim II, and became the progenitor of the so-called House of Dunkeld, which ruled Scotland until the later thirteenth century. Dunkeld became a bishopric, and the monks based at Inchcolm Abbey became Augustinians.

At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the monks of Iona adopted the Benedictine rule. Iona was re-endowed in 1203 by Raghnall mac Somhairle, son of Somerled, king of Argyll and the Isles.

List of abbots of Iona to 891

Early abbots of Iona
Incumbent	Until	Citation(s)	Notes
Colum Cille mac Fedelmtheo	Died 9 June 597	[2][3]
Baithéne mac Brénaind	Died 9 June 598	[2][3]
Lasrén mac Feradaig	Died 16 September 605	[2][3]
Fergno Britt mac Faílbi	Died 2 March 623	[2][3]	Known primarily as Virgno[3]
Ségéne mac Fiachnaí	Died 12 August 652	[2][3]
Suibne moccu Fir Thrí	Died 11 January 657	[2][3]
Cumméne Find	Died 24 February 669	[2][3]
Fáilbe mac Pípáin	Died 22 March 679	[2][3]
Adomnán mac Rónáin	Died 23 September 704	[2][3]
Conamail mac Faílbi	Deposed(?) 707	[2][3]	Died 11 September 710[2]
Dúnchad mac Cinn Fáelad	Deposed(?) June 713 (restored 713 x 716) Died 25 May 717	[2][3]
Dorbbéne mac Altaíni	Died 28 October 713	[2][3]	Also called Dorbbéne Foto[2]
Fáelchú mac Dorbbéni	Deposed/resigned 722	[2][3]	Died 724[2]
Fedelmid	Deposed(?) before 722	[2][3]	Died 759[2]
Cilléne Fota	Died 726	[2][3]
Cilléne Droichtech	Died 752	[2][3]
Sléibíne mac Congaile	Resigned before 766	[2][3]	Died 767[2][3]
Suibne	Resigned 771	[2][3]	Died 801[2]
Bresal mac Ségéni	Died 801	[2][3]
Connachtach	Died 802	[2][3]
Cellach mac Congaile	resigned 814	[2][3]	Died 815[2][3]
Diarmait daltae Daigri	Resigned 831	[2][3]	Died in or after 831[3] Blathmac mac Flainn was martyred on Iona in 825.[3]
Indrechtach ua Fínnachta	Resigned before 854	[2][3]	Died 854[2][3]
Cellach mac Ailello	Died 865	[2][3]	Cellach had been abbot of Kildare since 852[2]
Feradach mac Cormaic	Died 880	[2][3]
Flann mac Maíle Dúin	Died 20 April 891	[2][3]

List of comarbai Coluim Cille and abbots of Iona, 891–1099

During the abbacies of Diarmait and Indrechtach, almost certainly because of Viking attacks, the relics of Columba were moved to other monastic houses in the Columban familia, such as Kells, Raphoe and Dunkeld. The position of abbot on Iona ceases to have the same significance within the Columban monastic familia, and many comarbai are not based on the island.

Comarbai Coluim Cille to 1099
Incumbent	Chief monastery	Until	Citation(s)	Notes
Máel Brigte mac Tornáin	Iona/Armagh	Died 22 February 927	[2][3]	Máel Brigte had been abbot of Armagh from 883,[2] and may not have spent much time on Iona[3]
Dubthach mac Dubáin	Raphoe	Died 938	[2]
Cáenchomrac	Iona	Died 947	[4]	Was definitely abbot of Iona, but may not have been coarb of Coluim Cille[5]
Robartach	Raphoe	Died 954	[4]
Dub Dúin ua Stepháin	unknown	Died 959	[4]
Dub Scoile mac Cináeda	unknown	Died 964	[4]
Mugrón	Iona	Died 980/81	[4]	Styled "coarb of Colum Cille in Ireland and Scotland"[4]
Máel Ciaráin ua Maigne	Iona	Martyred 24 December 986	[4]	Killed by Vikings[6]
Dúnchad Ua Robacháin	Raphoe	Died 989	[4]
Dub dá Leithe mac Cellaig	unknown	Died June 998	[4]	Dub dá Leithe had been abbot of Armagh from 965[4]
Máel Brigte mac Rímeda	Iona	Died 1005	[4]	Was definitely abbot of Iona, but may not have been coarb of Coluim Cille[7]
Muiredach mac Crícháin	Raphoe	Resigned 1007	[4]	Died 1011;[4] Muiredach was also fer léigind of Armagh[4]
Ferdomnach	Kells	Died 1008	[4]
Máel Muire Ua hUchtáin	Kells	Died 1009	[4]
Flandabra	Iona	Died 1025	[4]	Styled "coarb of Iona"[4]
Máel Eóin Ua Toráin	Derry	Died 1025	[4]	Styled "coarb of Derry"[4]
Máel Muire ua hUchtáin	Kells/Raphoe	Died 1040	[4]	Máel Muire was abbot of both Kells and Raphoe[4]
Murchad mac Flainn ua Máel Sechlainn	Kells (?)	Deposed (?) 1057	[4]	Murchad was abbot of Conard from 1055, as well as briefly king of Mide in 1073;[8] his most likely Columban holding would be Kells.[4]
Robartach mac Ferdomnaig	Kells	Died 1057	[4]
Gilla Críst Ua Maíl Doraid	unknown	Died 1062	[4]	Gilla Críst was called "coarb of Colum Cille in Ireland and Scotland".[4]
Mac meic Báethéne	Iona	Died 1070	[4]
Domnall mac Robartaig	Kells	Resigned before 1098	[4]
Donnchad mac meic Máenaig	Iona	Died 1099	[4]

List of comarbai Coluim Cille at Kells and Derry

None of the following comarbai Coluim Cille are based at Iona, but rather Kells and Derry.

Comarbai Coluim Cille from 1099 to the 1220s
Incumbent	Chief monastery	Until	Citation(s)	Notes
Ferdomnach Ua Clucáin	Kells	Died 1114	[4]
Máel Brigte mac Rónáin	Kells	Died 1117	[4]
Conaing Ua Beigléighinn	Kells	Died 1128	[4]
Gilla Adamnáin Ua Coirthnén	Kells	—	[4]	Gilla Adamnáin was a priest of Durrow who later became abbot of Kells.[9]
Gilla Meic Liac mac Diarmata	Derry	Archbishop from 1137	[4]	Gilla Meic Liac (Gelasius) had been abbot of Derry since 1121, and was consecrated archbishop of Armagh in 1137; he died on 27 March 1174.[4]
Muiredach Ua Clucáin	Kells	Died 1154	[4]
Flaithbertach Ua Brolcháin	Derry	Died 1175	[4]
Gilla Meic Liac Ua Branáin	Derry	Resigned 1198	[4]
Gilla Críst Ua Cernaig	Derry	Died 1210	[4]
Fonachtan Ua Branáin	Derry	Died 1220	[4]
Flann Ua Brolcháin	Derry	Deposed 1220	[4]
Muichertach Ua Milliuc	Derry	Died	[4]

List of Benedictine abbots of Iona

Panoramic view

Abbots of Iona in the Benedictine era
Incumbent	Period	Citation(s)	Notes
Cellach	fl. 1203–04	[10]
Amhalgaid Ó Fearghail	fl. 1204	[10]	c. 1204 the house of Derry installs Amhalgaid in opposition to Cellach[10][11]
Fionnlagh	fl. c. 1320	[10]
Peadar	Died or resigned 1357	[10]
Finghuine mac Ghille-Brìghde MacFhionghain	c. 1357–1405	[10]
Eóin mac Gofraidh MacAlasdair	1405–c.1421	[10]
Dominic mac Ghille-Coinnich	1421–1444 x 1465	[12]
Aonghas mac Aonghais	postulated 1465	[12]	Aonghas was son of Aonghas Óg.[12]
Eóin MacFhionghain	1467–1498	[12]	Eóin was son of Lachlan MacFhionghain.[12]

List of abbot-commendators

Abbot-commendators of Iona
Incumbent	Period	Citation(s)	Notes
Eóin Caimbeul I	1499–1510	[12]
George Hepburn	1510–1513	[12]	Died at the battle of Flodden, 9 September 1513[12]
Eóin Caimbeul II	1514–1532	[13]
Ailean MacGill-Eathain	provided 1526	[13]
Seumas Sdíbhard	crown nomination 1529	[13]	A kinsman of the earl of Lennox, he was abbot of Dryburgh.[14]
Fearchar Mac Eachainn	1528–1544 x 1546	[13]
Ruairidh MacGill-Eathain	1544–1552 x 1553	[13]
Ruairidh MacAlasdair	1545–1546	[13]
Ailean Mac an Toisic	1546	[13]
John Hay	postulate 1547	[13]
Pádraig MacGill-Eathain	1547–1552	[13]
Alexander Gordon	1553–1562	[15]
Eóin Caimbeul III	1557–1560 x 1562	[15]
Pádraig MacGill-Eathain (again)	1560–1565	[15]
Séon Carsuel	1565–1572	[16]
Lachlan MacGill-Eathain	c. 1567	[16]	Despite Scottish Reformation, he was suspected of having received license from Mary, Queen of Scots, to go to the Pope to receive the abbey and the bishopric of the Isles, but denied the allegation and renounced his claims to Carsuel.[16]
Eóin Caimbeul III (again)	1572–1581	[16]
Alasdair Caimbeul	1581–1615	[16]	The abbey was annexed to the bishopric of the Isles on 11 August 1615; Alasdair Caimbeul was still alive on 30 September 1619.[16]

Notes

1. Some sources refer to earlier abbots as Abbot of Hy. "Hy" being an early name for Iona (see Iona: Etymology and "He considered him as contemporary with Mugron, abbot of Hy (d. 980)..." ( Olden, Thomas (1888). "Dubhdalethe". In Stephen, Leslie. Dictionary of National Biography 16. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 83–84. ))
2. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 257
3. Charles-Edwards, "Iona, abbots of"
4. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 258
5. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 259, n. 6
6. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 259, n. 7
7. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 259, n. 8
8. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 259, n. 9
9. Flanagan, Irish Royal Charters, p. 15
10. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, p. 111
11. Moody, Martin and Byrne, Maps, Genealogies, Lists, p. 259
12. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, p. 112
13. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, p. 113
14. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, pp. 61, 113
15. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, p. 114
16. Watt and Shead, Heads of Religious Houses, p. 115

References

• Charles-Edwards, T. M. (2004), "Iona, abbots of (act. 563–927)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, retrieved 10 October 2010
• Flanagan, Marie Therese (2005), Irish Royal Charters: Texts and Contexts, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-926707-3
• Moody, T. W.; Martin, F. X.; Byrne, F. J., eds. (1984), Maps, Genealogies, Lists: A Companion to Irish History, Part II, New History of Ireland: Volume XI, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-821745-5
• Watt, D. E. R.; Shead, N. F., eds. (2001), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from Twelfth to Sixteenth Centuries, The Scottish Record Society, New Series, Volume 24 (Revised ed.), Edinburgh: The Scottish Record Society, ISBN 0-902054-18-X, ISSN 0143-9448