Adomnán’s Sixty Return
Archived: 2 November 2026
Abstract
In the annalistic sequence for 687, Adomnán, abbot of Iona, returned sixty former captives to Ireland, probably people seized during King Ecgfrith of Northumbria’s raid of 684. Although the precise date and negotiations remain uncertain, Adomnán’s links with King Aldfrith and Northumbrian ecclesiastical networks likely enabled their release. The episode illustrates Irish Sea connections linking warfare, diplomacy and learning; Adomnán’s scholarly exchanges with Aldfrith may have occurred during related visits. The annals also record the deaths of abbots at Glendalough and Cork, and of a bishop attached to an uncertain monastery, alongside the unexplained killing of Feradach son of Congal.