From left to right: St. Brigid by by Patrick Joseph Tuohy;
A Brigid cross rendered in stained glass;
Brigid turning water into beer: 16th-century fresco by Lorenzo Lotto
Febuary 1st marks the feast day of St. Brigid. Traditionally, feast days align with the date of the saint's passing. Did Brigid of Kildare pass on that date in the year 524? If the annals of early Christian Ireland are correct, then the answer is yes. However there is much speculation as to whether the historic figure of Brigid of Kildare or St. Brigid actually existed.
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For some, Brigid represents the "Christianization" of a prexisting Celtic deity of the same name, the daughter of the Dagda and associated with wisdom, poetry, healing, protection, smithing and domesticated animals. The Celtic holiday of Imbolc occurs on Febuary 1 and traditionally celebrates the start of Spring in Ireland. Imbolc seems to have been associated with the goddess and also coincides with the Catholic feast day making the case for co-option?
Brigid mural in Kildare by Mr Copy
For others Brigid was the founder of a two monasteries in Kildare, providing a community for both women and men. While Brigid acted Abbess for the women's monastery, she was joined by Conleth who became the first bishop of the community. Brigid is credited with the foundation of multiple churches across Ireland and miraculous acts concerned with healing; charity; cows, sheep and dairy; the harvest; fire; fertility/pregnancy; and her virginity/holiness.
In 2023 Imbolc/St Brigid's Day became a national holiday, the first of Ireland's holidays commemorating a woman. If you weave a Brigid's Cross from straw or rushes, are you commemorating a celtic goddess or a saintly Christian woman? Maybe the answer is both!
For more on Brigid of Kildare visit DIBs excellent piece balancing the disputed identities of the woman => Brigid
A Brigid's Cross
