Oh, Dear. Sacred Beer.

Everybody loves the prayer attributed to Saint Brigit about serving ale to Jesus and his crew. I love it. But maybe this new product is going a tad too far. (AND it is an odd "translation". Although, who knows, maybe they had a different original than the one I'm familiar with. To be fair.) But I bet I will be in the minority on this one. Even sober I can't help cracking a bit of a smile at it.

That is:

I’d like to give

A lake of beer to God.

I’d love the Heavenly

Host to be tippling there

For all eternity.

I’d sit with the men,

The women of God

There by the lake of beer.

We’d be drinking

Good health forever

And every drop

Would be a prayer.

And now the "real" translation. (Of course, I have not read the Old Irish, myself, so what do I know?)

Aengus Cèile Dè

“I should like a great lake of ale

For the king of kings;

I should like the family of heaven

To be drinking it through time eternal.”

                             (8^th century)

Translation found in Beith, M., (1995) Healing Threads: Traditional Medicines of the Highlands and Islands. Thanks to Morgan Daimler, Pagan Portals: Brighid for this.

***

If you would like to purchase, or simply gawp at, this plaque, go to The Catholic Company site:

Saint Brigid "Lake of Beer" Tin Sign

Product Description

•     Creative tin sign themed for Ireland's faith and drink of choice 
•     Original gift idea
•     Easy to feature in a den or office 
•     Features poem by St. Brigid, Patroness of Ireland 
•     Exclusive to The Catholic Company

•    Item #: 9850126
•    Price: $16.95

Details

How about an aluminum sign that instantly enhances the character of a room? This one rouses authentic faith and good spirits.

Saint Brigid's timeless words are captured on a Guinness-inspired pint, and set against a map that traces the geography of Ireland's roving hills.

The size makes it easy to feature in home or office, and has layers of rich meaning and substance every bit as cool as St. Brigid herself.

Dimensions & Specifications

•     8" (W) x 12" (L)
•     2 side holes for easy hanging 
•     Material: Aluminum

Review: Legacy of Druids - Conversations with Druid leaders of Britain, the USA and Canada, past and present by Ellen Evert Hopman

Review of Legacy ofDruids: Conversations with Druid leaders of Britain, the USA and Canada, pastand present by Ellen Evert Hopman (2016) Moon Books.

• Paperback £14.99 || $25.95Apr 29, 2016
  978-1-78535-135-8
  
  
• e-book £6.99 || $9.99Apr 29, 2016
  978-1-78535-136-5
  
  

Full disclosure: I was, to my amazement then and now, interviewed for this book. That is not why I like it, though I confess it is why I wanted to read it in the first place.

Why Review Legacy of Druids on Brigit’s Sparkling Flame?

I wouldn’t normally review a book like this on BSF as it isn’t actually about Brigit. However, there are two reasons to:

1) it contains an early interview of me (September 3, 1996) which discusses my own spiritual path, and of course that involves the origin of the Daughters of the Flame in 1993 and its workings till 1996 (pp 29-39).

2) More generally, it is fascinating from a historical perspective for Neo-Pagans generally, particularly but not exclusively those who identify as Druids or follow a Celtic-based path. Many Brigidines of course are in that number.