A look through Trinity's digital collections: an artistic history of St. Brigid

Celebration of St. Brigid’s Feast Day in the Middle Ages – Antiphon 1

 

Trinity College Dublin, for St. Brigit’s Day 2026, reviewed some of the images and texts from its archives. Included are the Liber Hymnorum, the Clarke Stained Glass Studios Collection, the Offices of St. Brigid, and 20th Century art from Cuala Press. For the full article, go here.

"From medieval times through to the 1930s and 40s, creative representations of St. Brigid showcased in the digital collections of the library of Trinity College Dublin offer us a picture of how the historical celebration of Brigid as a pagan goddess and as a Christian saint have informed how we see her today.”

Clarke Stained Glass Studios Collection

New Book in the Works! "Brigid’s Worlds," Niamh Wycherley, editor

 

Brigid’s Worlds - Proceedings from the Brigid 1500 Maynooth University and Kildare County Council Conference, Niamh Wycherley, editor

Hardback €45.00 [Catalogue Price: €50] ISBN: 978-1-80151-170-4 March 2026. 288 pages. Ills. Four Courts Press

Collecting essays from leading international academic experts on St Brigit of Kildare and early medieval Ireland, this book marks a unique historical and scholarly moment. Chapters explore the various institutional, literary, material, religious, gendered, political, and territorial worlds inhabited by Brigit, by her successors and by her devotees, from the fifth to the ninth centuries. The varied approaches offer rigorously researched insights into the early Irish Church, the role of women, early Irish society and the growth and spread of early Irish literary culture. Exploring the history of Brigit and her Church of Kildare from a multitude of disciplinary perspectives, the authors collectively investigate the local, national and international significance of, arguably, the most famous woman in Irish history.  

Contributors: Niamh Wycherley; Catherine McKenna, David Stifter, Dorothy Ann Bray, Sharon Greene, Catherine Swift, Tiago Veloso Silva, Conor McDonough, Clare Stancliffe, Katja Ritari, Thomas Owen Clancy, Jean-Michel Picard, Fabio Mantegazza and Pádraig Ó Riain.  

Niamh Wycherley is assistant professor of medieval Irish history in Maynooth University.

Note: According to one of the authors, "The publication date is given for March 2026, which is a bit optimistic.”

Image: pale green book cover with stylised four-armed Brigit’s cross in red ranging to yellow. It gives the title and author’s name and has the logo of Brigit 1500.

"'The Bones of Brigid': A New Documentary"

From the website of Kfm (Co. Kildare FM Radio):

The Bones of Brigid, by independent producer Orla Riordan, follows the story of St. Brigid's bones from Kildare to Downpatrick and across Europe to the small parish of Lumier in Portugal

 

Kfm will be airing a new documentary by independent producer Orla Riordan on Monday, 2nd of February at 6pm, as part of the St. Brigid's Bank Holiday Weekend Celebrations.

 

The Bones of Brigid follows the story of St. Brigid's bones from Kildare to Downpatrick and across Europe to the small parish of Lumier in Portugal.

 

A year in the making, the documentary is a "labour of love" that features multiple interviews from passionate storytellers of one of Ireland's earliest recorded saints.

 

The idea for the hour-long documentary stemmed from conversations had during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which talks were happening regarding an extra bank holiday in February.

 

Speaking on this morning's Kildare Today, Ms Riordan said that the question of "what is the real meaning of looking out for each other" was at the forefront of people's mind during lockdown, and [St. Brigid's] message "just seemed to shine through the whole thing".

 

You can listen to the full interview with Orla Riordan on their website.

Image: of green-mantled white woman holding a bowl of fire and a four-armed rush cross. In the background is a round tower and sheep grazing ahead of dawn-lit hills.

Hannah McCann wins 2025 First Graphic Novel Award for "St Brigid & Me" Extract

 

Hannah McCann has won the 2025 First Graphic Novel Award with an extract from her graphic novel-in-progress, St Brigid & Me.

Emma Hayley, founder of SelfMadeHero, who will publish the completed book in 2027, says of St Brigid & Me: ‘Covering the important topic of abortion, the author blends memories of their own involvement in prochoice rallies while showing the nuances of a sensitive subject. As folklore, myth and tradition combine, the author’s personal story and fascination with St Brigid lends a universal appeal to the narrative.’ 

Hannah McCann is an artist from Tyrone, now living in Yorkshire, who loves to draw and make art. Currently, Hannah works full-time in reprographics within education, and is a member of Leeds Comics Collective, fitting in drawing projects on the side. 

Hannah was revealed as the 2025 winner on 19th January 2026 at Waterstones Piccadilly.

Image: Frames from Brigit & Me showing the making of a St. Brigit’s cross along with text about learning about St. Brigit’s connection to abortion and finishing, "this really intrigued and surprised me and started me on this long journey, learning more about this saint, my home, my politics, and how they connect."

What is it to be a Devotee of Brigid?

Image: A green square topped with a large pair of yellow quotation marks, followed by the quote:

What is it to be a Devotee of Brigid?

It is a whole life, it is every part of life, it enters everything, whether you are aware of it or not. It starts as a small connection, a simple offering, a lightbulb going off when something in her lore makes sense of a part of your existence, and before you know it she has her hearthlight shining in every question, every crisis, every calling, every song.

Mael Brigde

(At the bottom is the logo og Moon Books, publisher of A Brigit of Ireland Devotional - Sun Among Stars by Mael Brigde.)

"Brigid of Ireland” by Alan Dunne - The illustrated tale of a fearless female leader in ancient Ireland

 From the government of Ireland website, Ireland in Japan:

"Brigid was a trailblazing Irish woman and is the only female patron saint of Ireland. She is also the patron saint of fire, water, healers, poets, blacksmiths, babies, midwives, beer, livestock, fugitives, boatmen, farmers and the arrival of spring…”

“...To share the story of Brigid, Irish illustrator Alan Dunne, working with the Embassy of Ireland in Tokyo, has created a manga-style graphic short of the story of St Brigid.”

To read this story in the Japanese language, go here. 

For a direct link to the online flip-book, go here.

Image: A drawing of a red-haired white woman in a blue cloak and pale brown dress, holding a four-armed rush cross. Behind her is a wolf and behind the wolf, a forest.  An eagle gazes at her from a tree branch.

"Making St. Brigid’s Crosses with my 101 year old grandmother in 2013” by Michael Fortune

This lovely video of Michael and his grandmother making crosses is only on Facebook, though he has others on youtube.

Making St. Brigid’s Crosses with my 101 year old grandmother in 2013

YouTube videos:

Making St. Brigid's Crosses and Related… 

Image: Young white man with old white woman sitting together in front of a fireplace adorned with many items. They are bent of the task of making crosses from green rushes.