BSW3 2. St. Brigid's Day
Nov 04, 2021, 06:17 PM
Speaker: Mary Murphy
From the Bluestack Way Part 3 playlist.
More St. Brigid/Imbolc audio can be found on our Brigid playlist.
An old saying in Ireland concerning St. Brigid went 'put a green cross beneath your roof on the eve of good St. Bride and you will have luck in your home long past Lammastide. Put a green cross above your door, ‘twill be hard to keep green but it will bring luck and happiness long past Hallowe’en’. Together with local saint Colmcille and national icon St. Patrick, Brigid makes up the trio of great Irish saints, although her sainthood was bestowed by the people, not the Pope. Today, the three saints are buried beside one another in Downpatrick, County Down.
Patrick Campbell recalls the making of the St. Brigid rush crosses at home: ‘My grandfather would begin the preparations early in the evening. Taking a hook he cut a bundle of rushes on our land and brought them to our cottage door. It was necessary to do this before sunset. At ten o’clock that same night, the Rosary was said. Every member of the household had to be present as all were expected to give a hand at making crosses. When the prayers were finished, my grandfather went outside and closed the door behind him. Picking up the rushes he had cut earlier he returned to the house and knocked on the door. The door was then opened to him and as soon as he appeared he would say (in Irish) ‘Go down on your knees and open your eyes and let Brigid in whereupon the family replied in unison ‘Sea Beatha’ – she’s welcome. Grandfather then distributed the rushes placing them on the chair of each one present and then the cross making started. When enough had been made, they were sprinkled with holy water in the name of the Holy Trinity. Next morning the crosses were placed over the door of the cottage and in every room and outhouse. The old crosses were collected and burned’.
Different designs were peculiar to parts of the country, but all were made with great skill and diligence. Brigid was a 6th century saint from County Louth and was said to possess an uninterrupted communication with God throughout her adult life.
In our audio piece, we tell you how this feast day, like so many others in Ireland, replaced an earlier pagan festival known as 'Imbolc'.
From the Bluestack Way Part 3 playlist.
More St. Brigid/Imbolc audio can be found on our Brigid playlist.
An old saying in Ireland concerning St. Brigid went 'put a green cross beneath your roof on the eve of good St. Bride and you will have luck in your home long past Lammastide. Put a green cross above your door, ‘twill be hard to keep green but it will bring luck and happiness long past Hallowe’en’. Together with local saint Colmcille and national icon St. Patrick, Brigid makes up the trio of great Irish saints, although her sainthood was bestowed by the people, not the Pope. Today, the three saints are buried beside one another in Downpatrick, County Down.
Patrick Campbell recalls the making of the St. Brigid rush crosses at home: ‘My grandfather would begin the preparations early in the evening. Taking a hook he cut a bundle of rushes on our land and brought them to our cottage door. It was necessary to do this before sunset. At ten o’clock that same night, the Rosary was said. Every member of the household had to be present as all were expected to give a hand at making crosses. When the prayers were finished, my grandfather went outside and closed the door behind him. Picking up the rushes he had cut earlier he returned to the house and knocked on the door. The door was then opened to him and as soon as he appeared he would say (in Irish) ‘Go down on your knees and open your eyes and let Brigid in whereupon the family replied in unison ‘Sea Beatha’ – she’s welcome. Grandfather then distributed the rushes placing them on the chair of each one present and then the cross making started. When enough had been made, they were sprinkled with holy water in the name of the Holy Trinity. Next morning the crosses were placed over the door of the cottage and in every room and outhouse. The old crosses were collected and burned’.
Different designs were peculiar to parts of the country, but all were made with great skill and diligence. Brigid was a 6th century saint from County Louth and was said to possess an uninterrupted communication with God throughout her adult life.
In our audio piece, we tell you how this feast day, like so many others in Ireland, replaced an earlier pagan festival known as 'Imbolc'.