St Columba Heritage Centre (Áras Cholmcille) and St Columba’s Church Long Tower

About

Located in the courtyard of the magnificent Long Tower Church, Áras Cholmcille, or St Columba's Heritage Centre, houses a precious collection of artefacts including a rare facsimile of the Book of Kells and a silver chalice from 1604 depicting what Doire's great Teampall Mór might have looked like in the golden age of Celtic Christianity. The centre also unspools the story of this charismatic but complex saint from his birth in Gartan, Co Donegal to founding a monastic settlement in Derry, his exile to Iona and the remarkable legacy of Columban culture in Scotland and the north east of England. Narrated by the Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown, this little clip is just a taster of the wonders within St Columba's holy precinct known locally as Long Tower. The museum is open Monday to Friday, 10.30 am to 3 pm, Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm. It is closed Sundays but is available for groups by prior arrangement. There is no entry fee. Donations are appreciated but we only ask people to give what they can afford.