"Discussion of St. Brigid’s Cross as a Complex Symbol,” a Paper by Junhan Zhang

Available as a free download from Francis Academic Press [1], “Discussion of St. Brigid’s Cross as a Complex Symbol,” by Junhan Zhang [2]:

“The discussion of St. Brigid’s cross as a complex symbol intends to illustrate the rich cultural implication of St. Brigid’s Cross. Beginning with St. Brigid and St. Brigid’s Day, the essay firstly introduces the importance of this day. Then it continues to demonstrate the strictly regulated process of making one proper St. Brigid’s cross, with some variations included. The straw, the main material to make crosses, has the implication of securing fertility, which is also noted in the essay. Types of cross are generally introduced with pictures for reference. At last, the cross’s cultural implications – to protect and to ensure fertility are addressed in detail.”

[1] Francis Academic Press is one of the world’s largest publishers of peer-reviewed, fully Open Access journals. Built on an ethos of openness, we are passionate about working with the global academic community to promote open scholarly research to the world. With the help of our academic Editors, based in institutions around the globe, we are able to focus on serving our authors while preserving robust publishing standards and editorial integrity.

[2] Published in International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2023), Vol. 5, Issue 6: 1-4.

Image: Display of types of St. Brigit’s crosses, Solas Bhríde. Photo by Mael Brigde.

"Brigid: A Woman, A Life, A Legacy” (a four part lecture series)

Mount St Anne’s in collaboration with Solas Bhride Centre, Kildare offer a Spring Online Course — 

“Brigid: A Woman, A Life, A Legacy”

This 4-week online course takes place each Wednesday evening for 7pm – 9pm (Irish time)

6th March: ST BRIGID AND HER FEAST DAY IN IRISH TRADITION (Bairbre Ní Fhloinn)
Dr Bairbre Ní Fhloinn, is recently retired as Associate Professor of Irish Folklore and Ethnology at UCD. She was Director of the MA in Irish Folklore and Ethnology in UCD, a programme she established. She has written widely on many aspects of Folklore and Ethnology.

13th March: THE SPIRIT OF ST. BRIGID IN OUR CONTEMPORARY WORLD (Rita Minehan)
Sr. Rita Minehan is a Brigidine Sister and founding member of Solas Bhride Spirituality Centre in Kildare. She is the author of Rekindling the Flame, a Pilgrimage in the footsteps of Brigid of Kildare.

20th March: DECODING ST. BRIGID (Eoghan Corry)
Eoghan Corry is the lead travel commentator in Ireland, as well as being a historian, author and broadcaster. Eoghan will draw on his historical background and his travel experience to present a picture of St. Brigid as a saint and demonstrate how her influence and relevance still echoes today.

27th March: ST BRIGID: THRESHOLD WOMAN TO JUSTICE AND COMPASSION (Doris Testa)
Dr Doris Testa is a Brigidine Sister located in Melbourne, Australia. Having a fifty year background in education and social work, she has taught at first and third levels, worked in Child Protection and Community Development. She has held positions of leadership within the Brigidine Victorian Province.

Cost:  Full Course €50

To book a place, please email secretary@mountstannes.com or phone 057-8626153

 

Last night I came home from my trip to Ireland, where I had important time with friends and Brigit, and presented devotional poetry, song, and meditation at the Brigid of Faughart Festival as part of Brigid 1500. It was for me a profound and nourishing trip. I didn’t go out into the yard last night and I was busy inside till I went out just now to cut my month old fingernails. And this is what I saw.

Brigit’s Surprise

Brat Bhride Project — Portarlington Art Collective

 

Brat Bhride Community Creativity Project - Bringing People Together to Learn and Celebrate Tradition Together.

Our initiative will promote a revival of the Brat Bhride tradition across Ireland at a community level, using our creativity. Brigid has been recognised and awarded her own national holiday for 2023 and we want to commemorate that in our way in Portarlingon. The Brat Bhride tradition will bridge a gap between the generations, with older members of our community aware of this almost forgotten tradition in today’s Ireland recalling her healing and protective shawl.

Our Collective, alongside community groups will be coming together to upcycle and customise Brat Bhride scarves/shawls and we welcome all community involvement, as once you can pick up a needle and thread you can take part. We will be reusing old scarves and found materials, promoting sustainability in recycling of materials. 

We intend to bring together our groups in a shared environment and workspace to create and collaborate on our Brat Bhrides and talk together about activities and memories traditionally associated with St Brigid’s Day.

For more information follow us on social and if you want to get involved get in touch at portartcollective@gmail.com.

 

Brat Bhride Community Creativity Project

in Conjunction with Creative Ireland and Offaly County Council - starting 20th April

Images: “mo bhrat Bríd” (my Brigit shawl) - Brat Bhride Project — Portarlington Art Collective

St. Brigid Island, Antarctica

 

Oстров Св. Бригита (Bulgarian for "the Island of St. Brigitta"), known in the English speaking world as St. Brigid's Island, is a small island of the Archipelago of Antarctica, that thin arm you see unfurling from the main body of the land mass. It is 2.7 km long and 1.4 km wide, and is the largest in the Barcroft group of Biscoe Islands. It is uninhabited, and its icy surface area is 222 ha. The internet sources I've consulted point out that it is named after St. Brigid of Kildare as patron saint of scholars.

The peregrinatio* of Ireland, medieval holy people who set off in oarless coracles to wherever God took them, might have found this island a bit too hostile for their purposes, but it is still inspiring to realise how far afield her followers went, taking her with them. Shall we organise a retreat here???

* Thus, peregrinus, a word originally meaning stranger, came to be interpreted as referring to a pilgrim or an exile. Among the Irish, peregrinatio, the journey of the peregrinus, described a life-long exile for the sake of God. "Exiles from the Edge? The Irish Contexts of Peregrinatio" by Elva Johnston. Research Repository UCD.

Sources: St. Brigid Island Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia; first map from Mapcarta, second and third from Apple Maps, final two from Kiddle.