5 places to get closer to the story of St Brigid

The place most readily associated with Saint Brigid is Kildare. In fact, its name derives from the Irish Cill Dara, meaning ‘Church of the Oak’ – specifically the church founded here under an oak tree by the saint in c. 480. Over time, Kildare developed into a great monastery and it became an important place of pilgrimage from the early medieval period. It was famed across Europe, but its status – and wealth – came at a price. The sited is recorded to have been raided by Vikings fifteen times from 9th century onwards, and at least thirty-eight times by Irish raiders.

The cathedral that you see today has its origins in the early 13th century, when the Norman Bishop of Kildare, Ralph de Bristol, constructed a stone cathedral on the site of the original church of Brigid. It underwent significant repairs and reconstructions throughout the 14th to 17th centuries, until finally its present neo-Gothic structure was constructed in the 1890s. One of the other more unusual things to see in the cathedral grounds are the reconstructed foundations of St Brigid’s Fire-House, where a sacred fire was kept burning until the mid-13th century. While visiting, you can also find a 12th-century high cross and a round tower, one of only two round towers that visitors can still climb today.

And before you head to Kildare in the footsteps of the Saint, be sure to watch the recording of our Tuatha Talk with Dr. Niamh Wycherley on the subject of ‘The Real Saint Brigid’. Available now to all members on the Member Courses page.

Just outside Kildare town is the great open plain of The Curragh, and site of one of the most popular legends told about Saint Brigid, and of her fabulous cloak. In most versions of this tale, we’re told that the King of Leinster was afflicted by quite an unusual, and embarrassing, affliction: he had the ears of a donkey. This didn’t do much for his popularity among his people – or his self-esteem, no doubt – so he petitioned Brigid for a miracle. In return, he offered her anything she asked for. Her request seemed quite modest, to be granted all the land that could be covered by her cloak.

Brigid gave the king his miracle, and the king happily complied with her request. But of course, all was not as it seemed. When Brigid cast off her cloak, it miraculously grew and began spread across entire swathes of land, covering the entire Curragh.

The Curragh stretches over an area of some 4,870 acres (it was certainly a big cloak!). It is a unique and iconic landscape, and a place full of stories. You can discover more about its incredible archaeology, history and folklore in our free audiobook here.

There are a number of places that claim to be the birthplace of Saint Brigid, one of which is the historic Hill of Faughart in County Louth, where you can find a shrine and holy well dedicated to the saint. It remains a major site of Brigidine pilgrimage to this day. The well is accessed by a set of stone steps, and it is covered with a corbelled canopy of stone that was constructed between 1900 and 1924. Believed to have curative powers, local tradition holds that there was once a skull associated with the well, which people drank from in order to cure headaches. 

The hill is home to another feature known as Saint Brigid’s Bed. This roughly horseshoe shaped bank has two large stones flanking a gap, appearing to form an entrance. It looks like it may be the foundational level of a small structure, possibly an oratory, clochán, or perhaps a small tomb shrine. The name ‘St Brigid’s Bed’, is similar to other relic shrines from the early medieval period like Leaba Cholmcille at Glencolmcille. It is intriguing to wonder if any of Brigid’s relics were once housed here! Find out more about the Hill of Faughart in our free article and visitor guide here.

Not far from the sprawling medieval complex of Kells Priory, Kilree is a quiet and peaceful site surrounded by a glade of old yew and beech trees. It is said to have been founded by Saint Brigid, though no remains dating from her time during the 6th century have been discovered at the site. However it is still a deeply historic place, where you can find the ruin of a pre-Romanesque church, an elaborate high cross and a fine round tower that stands on the boundary wall of the old churchyard.

Members of Tuatha can learn more about this site in our exclusive article here, or explore this and many more of Kilkenny’s Medieval Marvels in our exclusive Itinerary.

Although Tory Island is more strongly associated with another of Ireland’s patron saints, Colmcille, it does have some ties with Brigid too. This small island of about 120 residents is famed for its character, its creativity and culture, as well as for its rich archaeological and historical heritage. Close to the island’s diminutive round tower, between some houses, is a small altar known as Ulaí Bhríde, or St Brigid’s Oratory. On top of the altar you can see three quern (or possibly bullaun) stones and what appears to be fragments of graveslabs. It is thought that this along with other sites in the area once formed part of a traditional pattern day or island pilgrimage landscape.

Find out more about Tory Island and how to visit in our free article and visitor guide here.

Saint Brigid was an established figure of the church in Ireland, but she also played a vital role in local, vernacular belief. Testament to this are the numerous holy wells dotted across the country that attribute her as their patron, like the well pictured above in Kildare – where the two stone flumes are known as St Brigid’s Slippers. These holy wells were often associated with miraculous cures. For example, The Wart Well in Ticknevin, Kildare was, predictably, associated with curing warts. Local folklore held that Brigid’s horse had once passed and left a hoof-mark in a stone. Afterwards, if a person visited three times – leaving a pin at the stone on the first visit – by the third visit, the pin and the warts should have vanished.

But you can find holy wells associated with the saint even further from her traditional heartland of Leinster. An interesting and evocative holy well can be found deep within the iconic landscape of the Burren of County Clare. This 19th century well house is crowded with remembrance cards, offerings, little statues, rosary beads – all brought in thanksgiving or as part of a request to the saint. According to folklore, Brigid is said to have stopped here on a journey to Connacht. You can visit this site and more in our exclusive Member Itinerary exploring the Burren Coast.