Sir, Andy Pollak wrote a piece in your newspaper (February 18th) about the refusal of An Post to issue a commemorative" stamp to honour the 1400th anniversary of the death of Colmcille/ Columba. This provoked some debate during March. In April, I received a cheque for £2,000 from the Minister for the Arts. Culture and the Gaeltacht as a contribution towards an international conference on Columba which will be held in Magee College, Derry between the 4th and the 7th July, a conference which has been in preparation since September 1996 under the chairmanship of Professor Liam Breatnach of Trinity College Dublin. On behalf of the postgraduate students who can now be offered bursaries to attend this conference, I would like to thank the Minister for his sponsorship.
However, I feel that I must draw your readers' attention to the sad fact that the 1400th anniversary of Columba's death is now most likely to be remembered for the destruction of the site of Tailtiu (Teltown), reported by Paul Cullen on May 14th. Tailtiu was the ceremonial assembly area of the Ui Neill highkings of Tara and the site where Columba was excommunicated by a synod convoked against him, apparently because of the enemity of the then high king, Diarmait mac Cerbaill, around about the year 563. It was shortly after this that the saint departed for Scotland.
Paul Cullen's report does not make it clear where responsibility lies for this appalling destruction of one of the major political centres of preNorman Ireland. Is it too much to hope that now that the site has been largely obliterated, the relevant authorities will at least make it clear how this tragedy has come about and what measures they intend taking to ensure that such an avoidable disaster is not repeated? - Yours, etc.,
Dept. of History, St Patrick's College, Maynooth.