Colum's comeuppance

"The relics [bones] of Patrick were placed sixty years after his death in a shrine by Colum Cille. Three splendid halidoms [holy things] were found in the burial-place: his goblet, the Angel's Gospel, and the Bell of the Testament. This is how the angel distributed the halidoms: the goblet to Dún, the Bell of the Testament to Ard Macha, and the Angel's Gospel to Colum Cille himself. The reason it is called the Angel's Gospel is that Colum Cille received it from the hand of the angel." -- Annals of Ulster

Or so Colum Cille says, trying to put a heavenly twist on grave robbing. Seems Colum Cille is a bit of a fabricator. (He also recorded the first account of the Loch Ness monster.)

While the saints in Heaven have come to terms with their graves eventually being messed with, Saint Patrick thinks Colum is full of himself and needs some Irish comeuppance. Maybe something to do with snakes? Or all that green beer Patrick inspired? Leprechauns? Potatoes?

Colum Cille went onto be remembered as one of the 12 Apostles of Ireland and became Saint Columba. So either Patrick's prank turned him around or he just got more full of himself ;-)