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| St Brigit in Melbourne, Australia |
Brigit [St Brigit, Brigid] (439/452–524/526), patron saint of Kildare, is the only native Irish saint to
enjoy a widespread cult in all the Celtic countries. About the events of her
life little can be said, since the earliest sources come from more than a
century after her supposed death, on 1 February in either 524 or 526, and were
in any case interested in miracle stories rather than biographical detail. Her
early cult is, however, among the most influential and the most interesting of
any saint in Ireland or Britain.
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The early texts in
Brigit's hagiographical ‘dossier’—ranging from the seventh to the early ninth
century—contain different perceptions of her natural clientele. At one end of
the spectrum, she was a pan-Irish saint, enjoying local support in all the
provinces of the island; at the other end, she was the saint of her own people,
the Fothairt, settled mainly in Leinster but with outposts elsewhere. The
Fothairt were never, in the historical period, a leading power even in
Leinster, let alone anywhere else; indeed, their particular pride was that
Brigit belonged to them. Even within Leinster different texts emphasized
different themes: the life by Cogitosus (c.675) was written by a
champion of her principal church, Kildare; there, so the life claimed, she lay
enshrined, alongside her episcopal helper, Bishop Conlaíd [Conláed, Condlaed] (d. 518/520). On the other hand, the Vita prima, which powerful arguments would date earlier than
Cogitosus, is more interested in Brigit's relationship with the people of her
father, Dubthach, the branches of the Fothairt settled on the north-western
frontier of Leinster. The same is true of the ninth-century vernacular life, Bethu Brigte, which is related to, but not
dependent on, the Vita prima; both probably drew
on a lost life of the mid-seventh century. These local affiliations were to be
enduring: Brigit has remained to this day the patron saint of Kildare, but her
cult has continued to be vigorous around Croghan Hill in Offaly, which is
mentioned in Bethu Brigte and was close to the
home of her father.
One of the most interesting aspects of the hagiography of Brigit is, therefore, its variety, rooted in particular places and enjoying different audiences. Cogitosus's life was addressed initially to the bishop and other educated clerics within the double monastery of Kildare and then to their equivalents in the other major churches; to meet the expectations of such a readership it had to be, and is, a polished piece of writing; Read More...
One of the most interesting aspects of the hagiography of Brigit is, therefore, its variety, rooted in particular places and enjoying different audiences. Cogitosus's life was addressed initially to the bishop and other educated clerics within the double monastery of Kildare and then to their equivalents in the other major churches; to meet the expectations of such a readership it had to be, and is, a polished piece of writing; Read More...
