People all over the world celebrate Irish culture every year on St. Patrick’s day by wearing shamrocks, dying things green and participating in parades and festivals.
Though widely celebrated, the historical origins of St. Patrick’s Day are complex and relatively unknown to the US participants.
Sophomore Brenna France believes that the holiday has become less about Irish culture and more of an excuse to have fun. “It’s kind of an excuse for Irish Americans to have a big old party,” she explained.
The day is named in honor of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland who is credited with bringing Christianity to the island. Although this happened hundreds of years ago, St. Patrick is immortalized through this celebration.
Less widely known is another patron saint of Ireland: St. Brigid of Kildare, Ireland’s female saint and another vital figure in the story of the Christian conversion of Ireland.
According to legends, Brigid was born to a noble father and enslaved mother, and was sold with her mother to a druid. She later converted her captor to Christianity, earning her freedom.
She went on to almost marry the king of Ulster, who, according to one story, was too impressed by her piety to be forced into a marriage, even with him, and granted her land of her own. She used this freedom and land, according to 11th century myth, to found the first nunnery of Ireland.
Some believe that the legends of St. Brigid didn’t originate from a historical event, but rather a goddess of the Celtic religion predating Catholicism in Ireland. So close is this correlation that the Catholic feast day dedicated to St. Brigid on February 1 is also known as Imbolc, and is celebrated as a Gaelic festival with roots based in honoring the goddess.
Senior Elijah Novak learned about St. Brigid during a trip to Ireland.
“[A] mix between Irish mythology and Christian tradition, Brigid resembles a key aspect of the Irish tradition, particularly for the women of Ireland.” Novak said.
Brigid’s backstory adds insight to her significance. “Her father being a Pagan, Brigid suffered from the difficulties of attempting to live her own life in a stagnant world,” Novak added.
Brigid’s struggle to overcome adversity is part of what has made her such a prominent feminine icon in Irish history. “Brigid represents far more than other traditional saints,” Novak explained, “she represents the empowerment of women as well as how women can be active within not only the faith, but also the daily life of Ireland.”
The impact that St. Brigid had on the role and prowess of women is significant as she strove to create spaces where powerful woman could thrive. The nunnery she established, for example, hosted a community of both Nuns and Monks, but the Abbess ranked above the Abbot.
While St. Patrick is remembered for his zeal and strong approach to accomplish his mission of spreading Christianity across Ireland, Brigid is documented for having a gentler approach.
Rather than staging powerful sermons, writing elaborate texts, and preforming numerable baptisms like St. Patrick, St. Brigid focused on building communities of catholic believers by establishing nunneries. Some argue that this less direct method yielded even greater results.
Her legacy, long dwelling in the shadow of her male counterpart, has become more widely recognized in recent years. The Irish government acknowledged St. Brigid’s importance in 2022, declaring February 1 as a feast day in her honor.
