Ode to Saint Columba

We are here today to sing the praise
Of a daring Irishman who set his world ablaze
By sailing far from old Eire’s shore
To convert the pagans by the score

He took to the sea without much care
And with his mates did keenly dare
To forage in a new land where he wished to be
Spreading God’s blessing for all to see

But word of this great man’s new deeds
Without much effort him precedes
To far off lands where now he’s known
And where over time his fame has grown

Columcill he was called when just a boy
But changed his name in a cunning ploy
And as Columba he’ll be widely known
For that’s the name this priest does own

And in Tassie there’s a waterfall where you can go
That bears his name for all to know
So get you there and have a look
At the might work nature undertook

So every time you see this sight
Be it a gentle flow or in its might
Just think of that great Saint beyond
Who did not from his Scottish isle abscond

And sail across the world to view
Those falls, that have been named anew
For if he had, the truth be known
The Aborigines might have turned to stone

When they saw that man all dressed in green
As an Irish priest would have surely been
He’d call to them, in Gaelic broad
But he could not strike a willing cord

For they would know, he was here to stay
To spread the gospel each and every day
While in the waters that now bear his name
He’d wash them for the Christian game

And turn them from their own belief
And steal their culture like a thief
Before he would quietly slip away
To collect his sainthood as a worthy pay

Well now my story is at an end
Has it sent you round the flipping bend
But truth to tell, it’s easy just to say
Saint Columba’d wish you well this happy day