Description

Cast by hand in the Wild Goose Studio, Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. This Saint Colm Cille wall plaque has an outer shell of pure bronze with an inner core of cast resin material for stability. Each Wild Goose piece is made entirely by hand, with no two being exactly alike.

Since ancient times, bronze has been a highly prized metal for the making of tools, jewelry and statues. It is an alloy of copper, which was first mined in Ireland over 4000 years ago. Left to weather, it will acquire a green patina; polished it will shine like gold.

Saint Colm Cille, or Saint Columba as he is often called, was a heroic and rather tempestuous Irish saint. He founded many religious settlements, including the great monastery at Iona in Scotland. Born in Donegal of a royal family, he was a lover of learning, poetry and books. A quarrel over a book he had borrowed and copied led to his self-imposed exile to Scotland in 560 AD. He was a man very conscious of the mystical, and also of the anguish of being separated from that which he loved.

KEYS TO THE SYMBOLS ON THE PLAQUE:

The oak leaves represent Colm Cille's beloved Derry, where he founded his first monastery. (In Irish, Derry is "Doire" meaning oak grove.)

The boat represents his many long journeys by sea and land.

The books represent his love for reading, and his famous quarrel.

The crane represents the migrant birds from Ireland which received special care from Colm Cille while he was in exile in Scotland.

The cross depicts the cross of Saint Columba.

Approximately 6.5 inches wide and 1.25 inches thick at the point of greatest depth. Historical information is printed on the back of the piece.

To see a larger view, please click on the image.