A favourite designation for Brigid is "The Mary of the Irish". She was a woman of rare ability and dedication, who became, along with Patrick and Columba, one of the three patron saints of Ireland. A lot of what we know about St. Brigid comes from a Latin biography of her by a cleric named Cogitosus. This work was written in 650 a.d. However a strong point about his work is the extreme lack of real and important information on the historical Brigid. How much of it is really true we will never know.

 According to Cogitosus Brigid's father was a man named Dubhthach (Duffa) and her mother was a woman named Broicseach. Brigid's mother was one of Dubhthach's slaves and a Christian. Brigid herself spent her youth labouring on her father's farm. Dubhthach was a Leinster chieftain and a very wealthy man. In those days a man's wealth was measured by the number of cattle he owned. Dubhthach's rich pastureland grazed many hundred cows. Brigid did not inherit her father's wealth but her mother's servitude. Brigid was born and lived her early life at Faughart, near Dundalk, in Co. Louth. Brigid was baptised shortly after her birth in 452.

 St. Brigid was the founder of the famous convent at Cill Dara, meaning the church of the oak tree and the presence of such a tree suggests that it might have been regarded as a sacred place in pre - Christian times. She founded three other convents before her death on the 1st of February 524.

 St. Brigid's feast day is on the 1st of February. In Ireland St. Brigid's Day is regarded as the start of spring.

Here are some stories of Brigid.

The Fox.

One legend given by Cogitosus is that a king had a tame fox as a pet and that it performed all types of wonderful tricks. One day an unfortunate man killed it, thinking it to be wild. The man was seized and sentenced to death. This was to be his fate unless he could produce a fox of equal skill and intelligence. A wild fox came to Brigid seeking shelter under her cloak. She took it to the royal court where it equalled the skill of the dead fox in every way. Accordingly, the man was released. Soon after the fox escaped from the court and returned to its wild state.

The Cloak

Legend tells us how Brigid got her home, her convent at Cill Dara. She set out one day with a few companions, to find a suitable site. Eventually she stumbled across the perfect site. Alas, the land belonged to the King of Leinster. But, being determined to have the land, Brigid went in search of the king.

 She had barely left the site, however, when who should she see but the king himself with a band of horsemen galloping out of the wood. They were returning from a day's hunting, which, judging by the sound of their voices and laughter had obviously been successful. As they drew nearer the king saw Brigid. He rode towards her and after jumping lightly from his horse, bowed to her.

After curtsying Brigid began, "Your majesty," she said, "we need land."

"You do, do you?" replied the king at the same time stroking his pointed beard. "How much do you need?"

The horsemen had by now dismounted and now pressed eagerly forward, straining to get a view of this Brigid whom they had heard so much about.

"We need only the land my cloak will cover - no more", answered Brigid.

"Well if that's all!" said the amused king, "You shall have it. That can be settled easily."

On hearing that, Brigid removed her white cloak and laid it on the ground. Then to the absolute amazement and astonishment of everyone watching, the cloak began to grow. It grew and grew. It stretched all round at once, stretching itself out and rapidly gaining speed. Startled the king jumped back. The cloak was like a living thing. "Magic," shrieked a long thin man and ran for his life. All the king's companions leapt back, knocking into each other, pushing each other on the ground and shoving and jostling trying to get away, but the cloak kept growing.

Finally it stopped. Everyone stared, momentarily frozen to the spot. Suddenly there was a burst of excited chatter. "Did you ever see such a thing ?" "How can that have happened?" "What an odd cloak!"

Brigid looked around her. In every direction her cloak stretched. It covered acre upon acre of rich, green, pastureland. With twinkling eyes she said, "Thanks be to God."

 "And thanks be to me ", broke in the king. "Make good use of it."

 With that the king and his attendants sprang onto their horses and galloped away. Brigid remained gazing contentedly at her land.

The St. Brigid's Cross.  

One evening , Brigid was summoned to the bedside of a dying chieftain. She stood near by waiting to see if he needed any more assistance, after making him as comfortable as she could. Brigid stood and watched the old man struggling for breath and she thought of God's mercy and prayed for the dying pagan. Now and again, she moistened his dry, parched lips or wiped the sweat from his forehead. After a while he fell into a light sleep. Darkness was stepping in and it was very quiet. Suddenly Brigid had an idea. She bent down and picked up some rushes from the floor and began to weave them into a cross. Slowly the chieftain opened his eyes and, although he was on the brink of death, he was very curious.

 "What is that you are making", he queried feebly, trying in vain to lift his head.

 "Hush," answered Brigid, "and I will show you." Then, placing the cross in his shaking hands, she added, "It's a cross."

 "A cross ?" repeated the puzzled man. "What does it mean ? Tell me about it," he pleaded.

 "I can only tell you a little now since you are so weak but later, when you are stronger, I will tell you more."

 "I feel better already. Tell me now please," he begged.

 So Brigid told him about God's love for all men and women. She told him that God had sent His only son to die on the cross so that, after life on earth, all men might be eternally happy with Him in Heaven.

 The old man brightened. "That is very good news, good news indeed," he mumbled contentedly, " but why didn't I hear this before? Tell me more, Brigid, more."

 So Brigid spent many hours with him before he died, a few days later. The chieftain became a Christian before his death.

The Cross:

 This is the most common shape of the St. Brigid's cross. It has interwoven patterns and unaligned arms.

 These crosses, woven from rushes or straw, were placed under rafters of houses to ensure good health and fortune for the coming year.

This page was written and researched by Julie Deignan and Alison Sneyd who are now past pupils but were in 6th class when they wrote this.

 Sources: Myth, Legend & Romance by Dr. D. O hOgain and Four Saints of Ireland by Sr. M. Margaret O.P..

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