What 'The Secret Of Kells' Teaches us About Cellach

Abbot Cellach is one of the main characters of the 2009 animated film, The Secret Of Kells. He is the main caretaker and uncle for our main character, Brendan. Throughout the film he is shown to be very harsh with his nephew and with many other characters. Though much is implied, there is very little that is flatly stated about the man and his history. In fact, we never find through the film how he came to raise Brendan in the first place. For the sake of simplicity, I will only be covering what is in the movie, not true history. Today we are looking at the character of Abbot Cellach and what we can best piece together about the man's past.

Fairly early in the film it is hinted that Abbot Cellach was a skilled illuminator that has lost interest in the craft due to his new responsibilities. Later in the movie, this is almost flat out stated when Brendan says that Brother Aidan told him that Cellach was once a Brother. He also seems to have been a close friend to Brother Aidan at one point, as the two of them recognize each other when they first meet and Aidan seems to know a great deal about the man. This says little about the Abbots childhood or early life, but we can make a jump here and possibly assume that he was very similar to Brendan when he was young. He was a gifted artist, but that life was taken from him after something led him to leading Kells.

At this point things get very blurry, as we have no real idea how he came to raise Brendan, but I have a theory that has no real backing but I do believe it makes sense. Brendan refers to the Abbot as his uncle many times, and if we assume that Cellach inherited his position, it's reasonable to assume that something killed Brendan's parents suddenly. This would also explain why Cellach seems so distant from the chantry now, as he may see it as a reminder of his loss, not only of his sibling, but of the life he could have had. This could also be the origin of his scar, which could possibly lead to another question. Did the northman have anything to do with Brendan's parents' deaths, and was Cellach in the middle of it? Keep that in mind.

Cellach is seen being very hard with Brendan, which may be a way of him trying to keep his nephew safe due to the possible trauma, and fear of losing his remaining family. In the final few scenes in the movie we see that abbot Cellach is inclined to believe that Brendan was killed in the attack on Kells. We see how he is overcome with grief, and later we see that he continues to be well into old age. Though he may not say it outright, he does regret how he treated Brendan, and that can partially be seen by the sheer amount of guilt he feels. That being said, we know that Cellach cares deeply for his nephew, even though he may not treat him well.

After the northman attack in the late movie, it is shown that brendan actually ended up completing the book of iona, renaming it the book of kells. While it is not outright stated, it is heavily implied that Abbot Cellach may have been the first person to see it completed. The Abbot cries upon seeing his nephew alive, and it is presumed that due to his condition near the end of the movie, that he would have passed away shortly after seeing it.

Now let's revisit the idea of the trauma from the northman, and how that may explain how Cellach reacts the way he does to many things. If I am correct about Brendan's parents possibly dying to the northman or the ‘pagans’ (i may touch on how pagans are portrayed in media, but today is not the day) and that cellach was caught in the middle, that would be significant trauma. What Cellach seems to be showing in the movie are signs of PTSD. he is in constant fear of the northman, pushing himself and the others around him to absolute extremes to complete the wall to protect them. He even tries his hardest to protect Brendan in the final moments of the attack, knowing he is injured and still trying to go and save the boy. We can assume that Cellach fully believed that the chantry would be safe, though we know that was not the case. He could have treated Brendan harshly subconsciously, which could explain why there is a scene where he seems like he will go to speak to Brendan, but decides not to. Maybe he wishes to apologize or discuss the issue, but does not know how he would be able to handle it. I know I am making some serious leaps of faith here, but hear me out.

Cellachs actions toward Brendan are not okay in the slightest, he does not treat him well, does not seem to let him develop much socially, and keeps him within the walls of Kells, giving him no way to explore and learn. While it is not an excuse, an explanation could be the paralyzing fear of losing his last family member, someone he easily could have raised from when he was a baby, and seems to think of as a son.

Cellach is not a perfect man, but he is not the villain of this story either.