Why does everyone in Ireland love St. Brigid?

This year we got a new Bank Holiday, St Brigid’s Day. There’s nothing quite like a Bank Holiday, for most people it means a day off work, or for those who do graft it means extra pay. For us it is the first holiday to be named after a woman, although our world renown, St Patrick’s Day is the only one to be named after a man. The sexes are on an equal footing now.

St Brigid has always been a big deal in Ireland. Her ‘day’ – La Fheile Bride -traditionally is the 1st of February and heralds the end of winter, the beginning of spring, and coincides with the Pagan festival of Imbolc.

Brigid was born in 450 AD. Her father was a wealthy man, whose jewel encrusted sword she gave away to a leper. After which her father quickly decided to protect his wealth, she was better suited to a religious life. She went on to found what became one the most prestigious Abbey’s in Christian Europe, the Abbey of Kildare.

Making a St. Brigid’s cross is one of the traditional rituals in Ireland to celebrate the beginning of early spring. The crosses are made of rushes which must be pulled rather than cut. They are said to protect the house where they hang from fire and evil. The beginnings of the cross of rushes is said to come from an occasion when Brigid was looking after a man who was dying. He was delirious, but when she picked up and handful of rushes from the floor, where they were used to keep the area clean, and began to weave them into a cross, the man’s delirium calmed, and he converted to Christianity and was baptised in the nick of time just before he died.

St Brigid also looks out for poets, midwives, newborn babies, Irish nuns, fugitives, blacksmiths, chicken farmers and a whole host of others including, one very important to us – brewers. In her day – and probably now – beer was seen as a better alternative to water, apparently, she once transformed dirty bathwater into beer for some visiting priests. I do think I may have this gift, I’ve definitely seen bathwater a colour that would pass for beer!

Researching St Brigid I discovered January 24th was the feast day for the patron saint of writers, Saint Francis de Sales. He’s been hard at work helping me plan my new book. I’m having a short break from killing people and instead have returned to my romance roots and am going to spend some time with a rather hot Irish Billionaire…