St Brigid - Brigid - card

Brigid's Day, a national holiday in Ireland,  celebrstes the feast of both Goddess and Saint. This day also reflects the time of the ancient festival of Imbolg which comes from the Irish "i mbolg"  or "in a belly", which of course refers to the impending birth of new life in the Spring. It was one of the Cross Quarter Days in our calendar, half way between the Winter Solstice and the Equinox and was like an awakening, the beginning of longer days and growth. We see the alignment of some of our Neolithic monuments to the sunrise of this special day, making us realize how, even over 5000 years ago, humanity were connected to the passing of time by watching the movement of celestial bodies. Examples of these alignments are Cairn L at Loughcrew and the Mound of the Hostages at Tara, both in County Meath. But back to Brigid, and here is just a little bit about her, in both her guises.....
Brigid, as Goddess and Saint, holds a special place in our mythology, lore and devotion and my image here is inspired by the amalgamation of two strong feminine characters.  In ancient lore, Brigid was of the Tuatha de Danann, those mystical people who are said to have inhabited our shores, and she was said to have been the daughter of the powerful Dagda. She was, like many other deities, presented as a triple Goddess, Brigid, the Poet, Brigid the Healer and Brigid the Smith. She was also the Goddess of fire, fertility and motherhood. She was associated with an eternal fire of Brigid in Kildare, where priestesses kept the flame forever burning and her name is linked with a myriad of holy wells throughout the country.
Saint Brigid was born in Faughart in County Louth but also connected to Kildare where she founded her monastery. Indeed, the name Kildare, Cill dara in Irish, means the church of the Oak. It is said that she too kept the tradition of the eternal flame, her nuns tending to it, and it is believed that this fire may have been kept lit till the dissolution of the monasteries under Henry VIII. There are many stories associated with the saint and folklore has somewhat blurred the lines between Goddess and Saint. She was certainly considered to be a healer with a love of animals and there is a story of her and a fox in which she saved a man’s life by training a fox to do fantastic tricks for a King.
The St. Brigid’s Cross is long associated with this day. Made from reeds, it was hung in homes for protection.  On her day, the Brigid’s wells are still a place of pilgrimage and filled with a mix of Pagan and Christian devotion alike, a testament to the strength of women through the ages, no matter what their beliefs, who come to seek her protection.

Taken from an original painting by Margaret McKenna