Significant

      Recognizing the impact that the monastic movement had upon my Celtic ancestors was an important step in understanding my own Jones surname that was many centuries yet to come. However, it was during the several hundred years after the Roman Empire disappeared from the Island, that my ancestors needed to regroup and collect their family belongings as they were before the Romans arrived. Solitary places and small family groups descending from a common ancestor (kin) were the usual social construct. Indomitable local independence was assumed, and the traditional legends and heroes then returned. Groups of villages with the "sameness of blood" lived on the land that their common ancestors had settled generations before their existence. 

      The Celtic tribes from Hibernia (Ireland) did not get to enjoy a Roman military occupation like most of the other Celtic tribes. It seems that their form of monasticism flourished in a hundred or more convents, and their enthusiasm helped to spread monastic settlements all over the place, including my Celtic families' land. Columba (Colum Cille) founded Iona [563 A.D.] and, his disciple Aidan, founded Lindisfarne 653 A.D., a century later.  All told, this monastic movement had significant impact on the growth and continual survival of my Celtic ancestors. Needless to say, each Celtic group to join this new attitude of life had their own account of this activity. These accounts can be found:

      For the tautha (Ireland) A History of Ireland, by Peter and Fiona Somerset Fry, Barnes & Noble, N.Y. 1988. Chap. 2 Celts and Christians pp. 22-43 and Monastic Community p. 39.  St Patrick, St. Colum Cille (Columba)-

      For the clan (Scotland) The Lion In The North - One Thousand Years Of Scotland's History, by John Prebble, Dorset Press, N.Y., 1971, reprinted 1983, my edition, 1986. Celtic Church pp.22-31. St. Nynia taught Southern Picts p. 22, and St. Andrew-

      For the kindred (Wales) A History of Wales by John Davies, Penguin Books, London, 1994 first published in Welsh Hanes Cymru 1990. Celtic Church pp.72-79. St Dyfed (David) The figure on page 74 shows the geographic location of my Celtic family's connection Llanynys! The cover of my copy is shown.

            A significant understand it is.