Following are sources you may find helpful as you follow your interest in Iona and Celtic Christianity.

Bamford, Christopher. The Voice of the Eagle: the Heart of Celtic Christianity. Hudson, N.Y.: Lindisfarne Press, 1990. This homily on the prologue to the Gospel of St. John, brings to life one of the few surviving texts of Eurigena and is recognized by scholars as “a jewel of Christian mysticism and theology.”

–––William Parker Marsh. Celtic Christianity: Ecology and Holiness. West Stockbridge, Mass.: Lindisfarne Press, 1982.  An overview of Celtic spirituality’s embrace of nature interspersed with poetry, prayers, and stories attributed to key figures in the Celtic tradition.

Bonner, Gerald. St. Augustine of Hippo. Norwich: Canterbury Press, 1963. A rich and readable account of the life, theology, and influence of Augustine, focusing on the three great controversies that dominated his lifetime: the Manichean, the Donatist, and the Pelagian.

Bradley, Ian. The Celtic Way. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1993. A fascinating study of the main themes of Celtic Christianity and their continuing legacy.

———. Celtic Christianity: Making Myths and Chasing Dreams. Edinburgh University Press, 1999. A comprehensive study of the historic and intellectual roots of the contemporary revival of interest in Celtic Christianity.

Carmichal, Alexander. Carmina Gadelica. Hudson, N.Y.: Lindisfarne Press, 1992. Selections published as Celtic Invocations: Selections from Volume I of Carmina Gadelica. Noroton, Conn.: Vineyard Books, 1972. A treasure of prayers, blessings, hymns, and incantations, collected over many years by the author as he traveled among the people of the Hebrides in the late nineteenth century.

DeJong, Mary A., ed. Waymarkers: Collected Prayers, Poems and Reflections for the Preparation and Pilgrimage to Iona. 2d ed. Seattle, Wash.: Mary DeJong, 2011. This inspiring reflective journal traces each step of the journey from home to Iona and back again, guiding the pilgrim with poetry, sacred texts, and practical information gained from the author’s many visits to Iona. A treasure! See www.waymarkers.net.

Ferguson, Ron. Chasing the Wild Goose. Hammersmith: HarperCollins, 1988. The story of the Iona Community, founded by Rev. George MacLeod in the 1930s and continuing its vibrant work today, told by this former leader of the Community.

——— . George MacLeod, A Biography. Glasgow: Wild Goose Publications, 2001.

Finlay, Ian. Columba. Edinburgh: Chambers, 1992. An account of the life and times of the saint, helping to uncover the historic figure under the myths that have grown around him.

Lehane, Brendan. The Quest of Three Abbots: the Golden Age of Celtic Christianity. Hudson, N.Y.: Lindisfarne Press, 1994. An enlightening overview of Celtic Christianity focusing on the lives of Saints Brendan, Columba, and Columbanus.

Low, Mary. Celtic Christianity and Nature: Early Irish and Hebridean Traditions.  Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1996. A comprehensive discussion of the importance of nature and the sacred in the development of early Celtic Christianity and spiritual life.

Mackey, James P. An Introduction to Celtic Christianity. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1989. This collection of fourteen studies provides a map of the major themes that define Celtic Christianity, including theology, monasticism, liturgy, literature, and art.

MacLeod, Fiona [William Sharp]. Iona. Edinburgh: Floris Classics, 1982. First published in 1910, this has become something of a classic of Celtic mystic writing. The author was well known in his time as an intellectual critic and essayist.

McNeill, F. Marian. An Iona Anthology. Glasgow: The Iona Community, 1947. A fascinating collection of stories, poetry, prose and prayers spanning fourteen centuries, from St. Columba to contemporary sources.

———. Iona: A History of the Island. First published 1935. Reprint (7th ed.) Moffat, Isle of Colonsay, Argyle, Scotland: House of Lochar, 1991.

Newell, J. Philip. Listening for the Heartbeat of God. London: SPCK, 1997. Traces the lines of Celtic spirituality from the fourth century to the present, including the contemporary Iona Community and its founder, George MacLeod.

———. Christ of the Celts: The Healing of Creation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008. This moving book by one of the foremost experts on Celtic spirituality offers a vision of the sacred immanent throughout creation and new hope for the healing of the environment.

———. A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, & the Human Soul. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011. This is another inspiring book that calls us to a renewed understanding of our interconnectedness with all things, gives new insight into the depth of our disharmony, and a new vision for the healing of ourselves and our world. 

O’Donohue, John. Anam Cara, A Book of Celtic Wisdom. New York: Cliff Street Books, 1997. Inspiring essays offering inspiration from ancient Celtic wisdom on the universal themes of friendship, solitude, love, and death by this well-known Irish poet, scholar, and priest.

———. Eternal Echoes, Exploring Our Hunger to Belong. London: Bantam Press, 1998.

Pagels, Elaine. Adam, Eve, and the Serpent. New York: Random House, 1988. This brilliant study by the author of The Gnostic Gospels traces the historical meaning of Christianity as it underwent a revolutionary change from a doctrine that celebrated human freedom to one that emphasized the universal bondage of original sin and the profound consequences for Christian spiritual life.

Sheldrake, Philip. Living Between the Worlds: Place and Journey in Celtic Spirituality. London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 1995. An insightful study of the significance of sacred places and boundaries in both pre-Christian and Christian Celtic spirituality and the relevance this has today. Includes a fine chapter on Iona.

Van de Weyer, Robert. The Letters of Pelagius: Celtic Soul Friend. Evesham: Arthur James Ltd., 1995. A selection from the few remaining writings of Pelagius, abridged and paraphrased for the modern reader.

Wills, Gary. Saint Augustine, A Life. New York: Lipper/Penguin, 1999. A brilliant and fresh look at the famed saint whose opinions, prejudices, and theology influenced the course of Western Christianity by this Pulitzer Prize–winning author.

Books by Fr. Thomas Berry

Though they do not focus directly on the Celtic tradition, I recommend the writings of theologian Fr. Thomas Berry, eminent cultural historian and one of the most seminal thinkers of our time. His writings offer a compelling vision of the sacredness of the universe, reverence for the natural world, and the interrelatedness of the Earth community.

The Dream of the Earth. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1988.

The Great Work: Our Way Into the Future. New York: Bell Tower, 1990.

Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 2006.

The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality and Religion in the 21st Century. Edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2009.

The Christian Future and the Fate of the Earth. Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, eds. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2009.