St Adomnan was born in Ireland c.628, a descendant of St Columba's grandfather. In 679 he became the ninth abbot of Iona. He played an important role in persuading the northern Irish churches to adopt the Catholic date for Easter, but his most famous work is his Life of St Columba. He died on Iona in 704.
Dr Richard Sharp is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and since 1987 has served as a member of Oxford City Council. He is a Reader in Diplomatic in the Faculty of Modern History and a professorial fellow of Wadham College, Oxford.