Happy St. Brigid’s Day!
February 1, St. Brigid’s Day, Imbolc in the Celtic calendar, and Ground Hog’s Day (Feb. 2) in the U.S., are associated with the arrival of spring. It certainly feels like spring where I am, although that might not last.
As you might know, the Irish saint Brigid is special to me. Many years ago I began to learn about her, and I thought I should tell people what I learned. Eventually this led to my historical novel. Last year I published a Kindle version. It was only available on Kindle but I will soon change that to make it available in other book formats as well. I have updated the Kindle file with better formatting, which I hope will be available by the time you read this. If you’ve already purchased it, you should be able to go upload the new updated version. Same text, just looks better. And this summer the sequel, Pages of Ireland, should be available in both print and ebook.
Why Brigid is Special
For me, it’s all the stories of her amazing generosity. The miraculous way God restored her goods–the items she gave to the poor–so that she and her followers never went without. The fact that she was born a slave and became the most venerated woman in ancient Irish history.
There are three patron saints of Ireland: Patrick, Brigid, and Columcille. She’s the only woman. And her cross? I had never seen anything quite like it before, and the story behind it intrigued me. Traditionally, school children in Ireland weave a new St. Brigid’s Day cross on this day. The cross has an odd shape, at least to the non Irish. Some say it’s shaped like a wheel and indicates the four seasons.
Learn More About St. Brigid
Here are some links to previous blog posts I’ve written on St. Brigid. I’d love to hear what you think.
Happy St. Brigid’s Day!, 2011
Happy St. Brigid’s Day, 2012
St. Brigid’s Eve (How to Weave a St. Brigid’s Cross)
St. Brigid’s Day, 2010 (Brigid’s Oat Bread recipe)
About That Sequel, Here’s a Sneak Peek!
“I am Brigid, Abbess of Cill Dara. We welcome you, traveler. You come without a torch, so we assume you seek sanctuary here. You have found it.”
Aine hadn’t realized she had been holding her breath until that moment.
Lowering the cowl from her head, the woman’s hair flowed freely in the night air.
“’Tis you, Brigid! I knew it!”
Brigid clutched the arm of the woman standing next to her as she spoke to Aine. “God be with you, child. There is welcome here for you.” She narrowed her eyes to gaze in the dim light. “Do I know you?”
“I do not blame you for not remembering. I was just a girl when you healed me on the road to Aghade. We learned to read together, remember? My Uncle Cillian taught us.”
Brigid brought a hand to her mouth. By the light of the torch held by one of Cill Dara’s sisters, Aine detected tears forming at the corners of Brigid’s eyes.
“Aine? You are so grown up now.” Brigid reached for the girl and gave her a tight squeeze.
That’s correct and the way I portrayed it my novel.