Aine Minogue

St. Patrick

Question:  Who is the Patron Saint of Ireland?

If you answered St. Patrick, you're right and you're wrong!

St. Patrick is one of three patron saints.  The other two are Brigid of Kildare and Columba, also known as St. Columcille.  (spelling varies) 

Brigid (Bridget)  is an iconic figure in the Celtic imagination.  Originally a Goddess, representing the Celtic aspect of divine femininity, she was later canonized as a saint. 

The history of the saint - thought an actual person -  is the stuff of mythology and it's hard to distinguish where the goddess ends and the saint begins, so intertwined are the two.  Like all good Saints and Goddesses, she is possessed of many dualities, humble yet powerful (tales of her power are many), born to riches but chose to renounce wealth in order to serve the poor. 

As goddess, she was the patroness of all creative things and had a particular association with blacksmiths.  It was thought that the man who could shape metal had great powers.  When one considers the process of blacksmithing in terms of tools and beautiful objects, it's little wonder that the blacksmith and indeed Bridget herself were held in such high esteem.

The story of Celtic spirituality and Brigit's transformation from Goddess to saint is really interesting.  The ideas and ideals of Christianity were accepted peacefully in Ireland, and not by the sword.  There's  a poem, supposedly penned by the 'goddess' Brigid, "I'd like to give a lake of beer to God."  In essence,  she wanted to have a pint with him!    (full poem at end of article) 

Her feast day on February 1st celebrated the Goddess Brigit on the old calendar, but was kept intact in celebration of St. Bridget when the old calendar dates were gradually superimposed with Christian themes and feasts.   

The early Christians believed that Brigid was present at the birth of Christ and acted as midwife.  Indeed, she's often refereed to as "Mary of the Gael."

Her symbol is that of the triple spiral and represents the three aspects of womanhood, maiden, mother and crone.

When I was growing up (and still) in Ireland, her cross (a Bridgit's Cross), made from rushes, were hung indoors over the front door in many homes.  The four sides are equidistant  and often though to be more representative of the four elements or the four directions, unlike the Christian cross, which is longer in length and signifies sacrifice. 

The other common association with Brigid is that of holy wells.  Since she was associated with healing, there's an age old practice of visiting one of the myriad wells that bear her name throughout Ireland and Britain.   People often leave touching symbols behind in thanks to Bridget and her legendary healing powers. 

Her light (she also fits well into the 'fire Goddess' category) was kept alight for over a thousand years but was extinguished during the time of Cromwell.  It was later relit as a 'perpetual flame' in the 1970's and has remained burning every since.  There are approximately 280 Brigidine nuns throughout the world today.  Their home center is still in Kildare, Ireland, a city that was built around Bridget's abbeys. 

Poor Saint Patrick, or indeed Columba haven't gotten a look in here, but I feel a strong association with Brigit and her compelling representation of the divine feminine in the Celtic tradition.  I've written a few bars in her honor, and recorded "Bridget's Feast" on the Mysts of Time album.  

The song she is most associated with is "Gabhaim Molta Bríde," (on the album "Between the Worlds").  It roughly translates "We praise Bridget."  

If you still like to know more about Bridget, there is an entire section of the site dedicated to her HERE.