The 60 years since an Ulster Protestant crew re-enacted the journey made 1,400 years earlier by St Columba have seen the transformation of their troubled city and an island community.

In the summer of 1963, as cold-war tensions crackled across the globe, newspaper readers in Britain, Ireland and beyond were eager for a happy, inspiring story. On 12 June, they got one. With perfect timing, after taking nearly a week to row and sail from Derry, a dozen oarsmen coasted gracefully towards a beach on the tiny island of Iona off the south-west coast of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. They had re-enacted the missionary voyage made 1,400 years earlier by St Columba. The hazards had been considerable, from the heaving waters between Ireland and Islay to the risk of damage to the thin tarred canvas skin that encased their wooden boat. Their 30-foot curragh was similar to the traditional vessels still in use in the west of Ireland, just larger. Michael Ramsey, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was one of many Anglican prelates who greeted the Irish oarsman before they processed to Iona Abbey for a joyful service.

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