Stephen, just what is the meaning behind St Brigid’s Day?
I had a debate with my partner the other day that it was to mark the start of spring, but of course, I was completely wrong, and I had at least a month off. It does, however, mark the beginning of warmer months to come.
From next year, Ireland will have an extra public holiday at the start of February to mark Imbolc/St Brigid’s day. It will be observed on the first Monday of February except where the 1st of February falls on a Friday in which case it will be observed on that day.
So, what is the history behind St Brigid’s Day?
By now, I am guessing you are saying, okay, that is lovely, but just who was St Brigid? After all, she has a public holiday named after her; she must have been important. And indeed, you would be correct. There is a little bit of debate about whether St Brigid was a real person. After all, she was born in Dundalk in 450 AD. A long time ago, indeed. But as I am not a historian or have a time machine, I cannot confirm or deny this, haha. So now that I have your attention let me share five quick facts about St Brigid’s Day.1. St Brigid is the patron saint of Ireland but also a lot more.
There is also a pretty exciting story behind St Brigid’s. You see, St Brigid was born to an enslaved Christian who had been baptized by St. Patrick and a father who was both pagan and a wealthy chieftain in Leinster. St Brigid(who is after the Goddess of Fire🔥) is also believed to have settled the wealthy chieftain before he passed. The story goes as an old chieftain lay on his deathbed (some people suggest that it was St Brigid’s father). The servants summoned St Brigid to help calm the chieftain down and settle his soul. St Brigid is believed to have sat down on the bed next to the chieftain and picked up some straw from the ground. From there, she wove the straw into a cross. While Brigid was doing this, she explained the meaning of the cross to the chieftain. It is believed that her calm words did indeed calm the chieftain’s soul. In fact, the chieftain was so impressed by her explanation that he requested to be baptized as a Christian and shortly passed away peacefully. So the next time you see a St Brigid’s cross, you can tell the unique story behind it.2. St Brigid’s unique cross and its meaning in present-day
St Brigid’s cross is a little cross typically made of rushes. It typically has four arms that are linked at the ends and a woven square in the centre. There were also three-armed variants in the past.
A typical Brigid’s cross that St Brigid was believed to make.
3. St Brigid went on to create a monastery and do a lot more
She certainly was a busy girl. Later, she became a nun and built a monastery in Kildare. Not only that, in Kildare, she started a school of art that taught metalwork and illumination. St Brigid died at the age of 75 in AD 525 and was buried in the church she created. Her remains were exhumed years later and brought to Downpatrick to be buried alongside Saints Patrick and Columcille. However, her skull was brought to Lisbon, where it remains today.4. St Brigid was a triple goddess and is the patron saint of a LOT of things
I wasn’t joking when I said she was a busy woman, haha. Brigid was a triple goddess of healing, fire, and poetry. She is one of Ireland’s three patron saints, St. Patrick and St. Columcille. Brigid is also the patron saint of Beer (more on that later), saint of midwives, Irish nuns, fugitives, blacksmiths, newborns, dairymaids and many more!5. St Brigid is also the patron saint of Beer…🍺

Cheers Brigid!
Mary b.
Friday 28th of January 2022
Great stuff. I really enjoyed reading about the saint and your humor is lots of fun! Mary b. in Montana
Irish Around The World
Friday 28th of January 2022
Great to hear Mary 🙂