On Monday 2nd February, Cumann na Daoine will be closed for the St. Brigid’s Day Bank Holiday (reopening as usual on Tuesday 3rd Feb).
Saint Brigid of Kildare, or Saint Brigid of Ireland, is the patron saint (or ‘mother saint’) of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiographies, she was an abbess who founded the important abbey of Kildare (Cill Dara) as well as several other convents of nuns. There are few documented historical facts about her, and her hagiographies are mainly anecdotes and miracle tales, some of which are rooted in pagan folklore. They say Brigid was the daughter of an Irish clan chief and an enslaved Christian woman, and was fostered in a druid’s household before becoming a consecrated virgin. She is patroness of many things, including poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock, and dairy production. In her honour, a perpetual fire was kept burning at Kildare for centuries.
There are many traditions surrounding Brigid, who is also represented in pagan beliefs.
Many people still make Brigid’s crosses from reeds – considered a protection for the house and all in it – and on 31st January, Brigid’s Eve, households across Ireland participate by placing a small cloth or ribbon, known as a Brat Bhríde, Bratóg Bhríde, or Ribín Bhríde, outside their homes. This can be any piece of cloth, from embroidered linen to a tea towel or even a length of ribbon (the traditional colours are white or red). The cloth is hung on a bush, window ledge or balcony. This cloth is then believed to cure headaches and other ills. It is believed that as Brigid traverses the countryside, she bestows her blessings upon these items. Some people also leave a spray of flowers or leaves on the doorstep on Brigid’s Eve, to welcome her on her way.
“On St. Brigid’s Eve the old people always hang out a white piece of cloth on the thatch of the house. They ask St. Brigid that the cloth may have the same power as St. Brigid’s Cloak. They bring the cloth in, in the morning, and put it away safely. They say that it is a certain cure for a headache to tie this cloth around it”. (County Kerry)
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0413, Page 324
