It also saw the reversal of the earlier success of the Irish Celtic church. In England, Whitby was a turning point, a necessary climax. It turned the scales in favour of Rome. From now on the city of Peter was to be the center of civilisation and the arbiter of religion. . . . The Irish had restored the faith in Britain and in a large part of the continent . . .
Nobody can calculate the loss to both parties.
There was a sign in the heavens that something terrible was happening. Shortly before the great synod had reached its decision, there was a total eclipse of the sun. The zone of totality passed right over Whitby. I have mentioned elsewhere that the changes of the late sixth century were accompanied by plagues of unprecedented scale. The tragedy of Whitby was no exception.