Lasrén worked during the abbacy of St Columba and administered the monastery of Durrow for the saint in the years before attaining Iona.
[3] Later, when he had been appointed prior of Columba's monastery at Durrow (Co. Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland), which was probably founded in the 580s or 590s,[1] he is said to have overseen the building works there.
Columba, himself at Iona, started to weep, having learned through his visionary power that Lasrén was wearing out the monks as they erected a large building.
Suddenly “as if kindled with an inward fire”, Lasrén suspended all labour for the rest of the day, gave the monks a meal and would do the same on similar occasions in the future.
For that reason, Columba ceased to weep and blessed Laisrén as “the consoler of the monks” (monachorum consulator).