The Columba Project (Gaelic: Iomairt Cholm Cille), formerly known as the Columba Initiative is a program for Gaelic speakers in Scotland and Ireland to meet each other more often, and in so doing to learn more of the language, heritage and lifestyles of one another. It was named after Colm Cille (St Columba, 521–597 AD), whose monasteries shaped and spanned the Gaelic world of Ireland and Scotland.