Nature in the Lives of Saints Brigit, Patrick and Columba

Broad claims about an innate Celtic love of nature should be approached with caution when referring to the 7th-century Lives or Vitae of the Irish saints. A literary and geographic examination of Cogitosus’s Life of Brigit, Muirchú’s Life of Patrick, and Adomnán’s Life of Columba reveals that many of the landscapes and natural elements depicted are handled from the perspective of Classical, Biblical and Patristic traditions. While the authors of these Lives were keen observers of their natural environments, focusing on colorful details of farming and animal husbandry, wilderness, and wild animals, they express these for the most part in terms of the mainland classical literary tradition. Our own sympathies with a supposed Celtic nature tradition may be indicative of today’s increasing urbanization and environmental dislocation. Looking back to a Celtic “golden age” to solve our contemporary environmental and ecological challenges does not address what is a unique phenomenon of our own times needing new insights and approaches.