THE IRISH CHURCH - 300 AD – 1172 AD
312       Constantine converted to Christianity 
314       Paschal Controversy: Council of Arles 
350       Ninian of Galloway 
371       Birth of Patrick (Annals of 4 Masters) 
387       Patrick as slave in Ireland 
395      Augustine Bishop of Hippo 
395       British ask Rome for help against Irish invaders 
400       Pelagius (British) and Coelestius (Irish) in Rome 
408       Invasion of Italy by the Visigots 
410       Rome leaves Britain 
411       Patrick’s escape 
429      Germanus’ first arrival in Britain to combat Pelagius 
431       Palladius sent to Ireland by Pope Celestine 
432       Patrick’s mission to Ireland 
432       Death of Ninian 
445       Anglo Saxon Invasion 
447       Germanus second arrival in Britain 
450       Birth of Brigid of Kildare 
454       Paschal Controversy 
455       Vandals sack Rome 
465       Death of Patrick 
480       End of Roman Empire 
484       Birth of Brendan 
484       Enda of Arran founds monastery on Inishmore 
490       Victory of Britons over Angso Saxons 
500       Ite establishes Monasterboice 
520       Death of Brigid of Kildare 
521       Birth of Colmcille (Gartan, Co. Donegal) 
525       Paschal Controversy 
530       Death of Arthur 
530       Finian establishes Clonard 
530       Finian trains the 12 Apostles of Ireland:  
              Ciaran of Saiger                 
              Ciaran of Clonmacnoise                     
              Brendan of Clonfert                     
              Brendan of Birr                     
              Colmcille of Derry, Durrow and Iona                    
              Colmain of Terryglass                     
              Molaisse of Devenish                     
             Canice of Aghaboe                     
             Ruadain of Lorrha                     
             Mobhi of Glasnevin                     
            Sinell of Cleenish                     
            Ninidh of Inishmacsaint  
543     Birth of Columban (Leinster) 
543     Death of Enda of Arran 
544     The Plague, natural disasters, crop failure, famine Throughout Europe 
549     Death of Finian of Clonard (Plague) 
558     Brendan the Navigator founds Clonfert 555      Comgall founds Bangor 563     Battle of Caoi Dreimne 
565     Colmcille founds Iona 
583     Death of Brendan of Clonfert 
590     Columban with 12 comopanions leaves Ireland 
597     Death of Columcille 
597     Augustine sent by Pope Gregory to Great Britain 
605     Death of Augustine 
615     Death of Columban 
626     Conversion of Northumbria 
629     Mag Lena Synod (Birr) relating to Paschal Controversy.   Delegation from Rome 
634      Birth of Cuthbert and Wilifrid 
635      Aidan at Lindesfarne 
640      Death of Gall 
650      Book of the Angelic (Armagh – Anon) 
651      Death of Aidan 
664     Synod of Whitby: Colmain resign his see of Lindesfarne.   And travels to Ireland 
664      Yellow Plague 
700      Muircha (Armagh) writes Life of Patrick 
700      Tarechain (Mayo) writes A Brief Account of Patrick 
704      Adomnan writes A Life of Columcille 
695      Willibrord, Apostle of Frisians becomes Bishop of Utrecht 
697     Synod of Birr: conformance of Ireland South 
716      Iona conforms to Roman position 
717      King Nectan banishes the Iona community 
731      Bede finishes his Ecclesiastical History 
740      Aethelwold last Celtic Bishop of Lindesfarne 
754      Death of Boniface, Apostle of Germany for Rome 
768      Wales conforms to Rome 
800      Invasion of the Danes 
1134    Malachy, Bishop of Armagh 
1152    Synod of Kells 
1166    Invasion of Ireland by Henry 11 
1172    Synod of Cashel. IRELAND CHURCH LOSES ITS INDEPENDENCE  :-(

Pelagius (circa 335 - circa 425 CE) was a Celtic monk and a contemporary of Augustine, Jerome and Patrick. All three recognised him as Public Enemy No. 1 because of his resolute opposition to the Rome-centred, guilt-laden Christianity which they were pushing along with the Pope of the day, Celsetine 1. St. Augustine recognised that Pelagius was a saintly man (vir sanctus); but Jerome (who indulged in the character assassination of anyone daring to disagree with him) dismissed him as a "Scot" (ie: an Irish man) "stuffed with Scottish porridge" - not even a Brit, but one of those Barbarians living beyond the pale of civilisation. In fact Pelagius was known as Pelagius Brito/Britannicus. Pelagius was probable born in Britain and all the natives of Britain were at that time Celts.This highly educated monk, fluent in Latin and Greek, travelled widely on the Continent and was well read in theology. He came to Rome as a man of principles and high ideals and was appalled at the decadence of the Roman clergy and people, which he put down to Augustine's fatalistic theology that we are riddled with sin and incapable of doing anything about it with the Grace of God.  For Pelagius this relieved people of any real sense of responsibility for themselves. He spent ten or eleven years in the city, preaching a Gospel of Empowerment based on the Celtic theology of creation as "Original Blessedness" rather than "Original Sin"; and was there for the fall of the city to the "barbarian" Goths in 410 CE.ROMANO-BRITON CHRISTIANITY:We get some idea of the Christianity practised among the Romano-Britons from the 4th century Roman villa at Lullingstone, Kent. It was:1. Centred on the home, there being no public places of worship except for the official temple cults.2. Centred on the Agape-Eucharist - at that time a flexible liturgy led by the man/woman of the house. (Jesus original stress on the equality between men and women did not survive exposure to Roman society, though it did to a greater extent in Celtic culture).3. Great stress was laid on ethical/moral living and care of others - slaves were treated as "extended family".4. Centred on Jesus as personal Soter/Saviour.5. Keeping a low profile in society as regards one's religious beliefs: the use of coded signs such as the Chi-Rho, fish  (ICHTHUS) and kiss of peace. See symbols at bottom of the page.CONSTANTINE:in 313 CE the Emperor Constantine decided, for political reasons, to embrace the Christian faith. In time the domestic church lost its original hearth and worship began to be conducted in public temples and churches. The male/female heads of households were replaced by an officially ordained MALE ONLY priesthood - but married priests.Pelagius continued to get into trouble by daring to question Augustinian theology and eventually went in 412 CE to Palestine under the patronage of Bishop John of Jerusalem and others. Eventually he was put on trial in several courts and at the Council of Carthage in May 418 CE Pelagius was found guilty of heresy. Pelagius headed east and died some years later. His works have survived only in the criticisms of his enemies. Those who came after him, including St. Patrick tried to snuff out his thoughts, work and memory - but not with total success. 

WHAT IS CELTIC CHRISTIANITY? 
Specifically, Celtic Christianity refers to the branch of Christianity which was unique to the peoples of the British Isles during the early Middle Ages. Although there is some debate over exactly when and how Christianity got to the British Isles, there is no doubt that it was firmly established by the 2nd Century, because Ireneaus, the Bishop of Lyon, had significant interaction with them.
                                         
The first, great Celtic son was Morien, also known as Pelagius.  Pelagius was a spokesman for Celtic theology.  Pelagius has been labeled as a heretic by traditional theologians because they favor a Latin version of Christianity.  Pelagius' opponent, Augustine, succeeded in expelling the Pelagians out of the Roman Empire during the 5th Century.  Augustine became the father of Latin Christianity.    
Celtic Christianity holds to a balanced view of the Biblical doctrines of free-will and predestination.  Ostensibly, these doctrines were the focus of controversy between Augustine and Pelagius.  Through the centuries, Pelagian Celts have emphasized the individual's responsibility to obey God's moral law.  
Latin Christianity has tended to rely upon the strong arm of the state.    
Celtic Christianity does not have much interest in the grand worship of state religion.   Celtic Christians are fond of the small group and a liturgy which is an expression of personal faith.   From ancient times, they have had great interest in spiritual gifts, manifestations of the Divine presence, religious revivals, and world evangelism.    
Celtic theology does not agree with Augustine's view of Original Sin.  It sees Original Sin as the result of Adam's failure to be an adequate federal head of the human race.  That failure produced a wounding in the nature of man which weakened his will but did not disable it.  Because of Christ, all people are able to respond to the call of God's grace to salvation and virtue.    
Augustine taught that sexual desire was inherited depravity.  Because of this doctrine, traditional Christian theology has had a dim view of sexual pleasure and women in general. Living on this side of the sexual revolution, most modern Christians are completely unaware of how repressive traditional Christianity has been toward human sexuality.  
The Celtic Christians did not believe our sexuality was tainted and enjoyed it fully within marriage.  Augustine was scandalized by the Pelagian view.  The Roman Catholic Church and later, misguided Puritans saw the Celtic attitude as "pagan".  
Celtic Christianity tends to produce a love for nature.  Celtic Christianity does not see God as separate from His creation and finds the Incarnation of Christ as proof of that view.  Celtic theology, inherited from the Druids, teaches that the universe is like a body.  God is the head and the cosmos is His body.  Being one with the creation does not erase the Creator/creature distinction, no more so than it is possible for the finger to do the work of the brain.  What it means is that God shares in the joys and sufferings of His creation.  And Jesus Christ is the symbol of that unity.
Celtic Christianity rejects cosmic dualism, whether pagan or Christian.  It does not believe in two competing gods.  Likewise, it views Satan as a fallen member of the angelic host and not as a rival god.  It is solidly Trinitarian.    Celtic Christianity also teaches that the Godhead contains feminine attributes as well as masculine attributes.  Because Augustinianism held a dim view of women, traditional Christianity sought to create an exclusively masculine God.  The spiritual void left by that view of God drove the Church to Mary worship. Unfortunately, it was an incomplete and sexless Mary. 
Celtic theology teaches that the Holy Spirit is the representative of God's femininity and that sexuality is reflective of God's creative power.  It views Mary as a woman who had other children besides Jesus. And it teaches that Jesus was truly a man (as well as God), which included the sexuality of a man.    
Celtic Christians have always gravitated toward localism as a form of government. Historically, they dislike the modern notion of the nation-state.  The tribe, clan, and kinship group, within the context of the village, are the forms of government which Celtic peoples prefer. Celtic Christianity recognizes the ethnic character of the Church.  According to Bible prophecy (e.g. Psalms 2), the Messianic kingdom consists of ethnic churches which form the constituent members of the Body of Christ.  It disagrees with the Latin and Byzantine versions of Christianity, inherited from the Roman Imperial model, which attempt to force everyone into the same mold.  Many of the doctrinal and liturgical disputes in Church history have come because of the language barrier, which, of course, is ethnic in orientation and Divinely ordained (Genesis 11).  These differences ought to be respected with a gracious spirit.    
Through the centuries, the Celts have instinctively resisted the Imperial model for Christianity.  They have tended to be exuberant worshippers, free-thinkers, and dissenters.  
They are intensely loyal to beloved leaders and not to systems or institutions.  For that reason, mainline churches have viewed Celtic Christians with suspicion and, sometimes, outright hostility. Celtic expressions of the faith have been persecuted as cultic heresies.    Today, there is a growing sense that traditional Christianity has exhausted itself as a spiritual and moral reservoir for Western civilization.  Celts and non-Celts are turning to the ancient Celtic Church for a fresh start.