The house was used by monks to say the Liturgy of the Hours, or possibly as a shrine church or burial place of an abbot.

It once contained a large flat stone called "St Columb's Bed", possibly a grave slab.

His relics were brought to Kells in 878, and moved to Skryne Church later before finally going to Downpatrick.

[4] St. Columb's House is a rectangular building with a very high pointed roof.

[3]: 4 An underground passage connecting the house with the nearby church is mentioned by the Annals of the four Masters and a 17th-century survey.