Around 563AD a monk called Columba set off in a small boat with a few companions from the shores of his native Donegal, in the north-west tip of Ireland. Some time later they landed on the tiny island of Iona off the west coast of Scotland. Their journey is rightly perceived as one of the most significant events in the early Christian history of the British Isles. lan Bradley examines the life, character and achievements of St Columba and attempts to strip away the layers of myth and historical distortion that have grown up around him.