St. Kevin's, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
Let your life be completely detached from the world, and follow the teaching of Christ and the gospels...
Have a few devout men who will discuss God and the scriptures with you. Let them visit you on great feast-days, that so they may strengthen your devotion to the words and precepts of God.
Hold no converse with anyone who is given to idle or worldly gossip, or with anyone who grumbles about what he can neither prevent nor rectify...
Be ready in mind for red martyrdom. Be persevering and steadfast for white martyrdom.
Forgive every person from your heart.
Pray constantly for those who annoy [quarrel with] you.
Be very constant in your prayers for the faithful departed as if each dead person were a personal friend of yours...
Your daily occupation should be threefold, namely, prayer, manual labour, and lectio.
-- Excerpts from "The Rule of Colmcille" taken from The Celtic Monk: Rules and Writings of Early Irish Monks, Cistercian Studies Series 162
