Posted 01/02/2022

St. Brigid's Day 2022

St. Brigid's Day (Lá Fhéile Bríde) is celebrated on February 1st.

St. Brigid's Life

St Brigid lived between 453 and 552 A.D. She was the first abbess of Kildare and the patroness of the Kildare Diocese Brigid founded a convent and a monastery in Kildare Town, which became a centre of religion and learning.

The Oak tree is also a symbol of Kildare and St. Brigid. In Kildare town in the 5th Century St. Brigid founded her famous monastery under an Oak tree. Kildare in Irish is Cill Dara, which means Church of the Oak.

St Brigid's Cathedral

St Brigid's Cathedral, located in the heart of Kildare town, occupies one of the most significant ecclesiastical sites in Ireland and is the site most associated with Ireland's most famous female saint, Brigid. The site is one of the earliest documented Irish Christian places of worship and was most likely a significant ceremonial site since pre-Christian times. The present restored Norman cathedral occupies the site of the original early Christian foundation and church of St. Brigid. Born in 453 A.D., Brigid is said to have established a church at Kildare in 480 A.D., just 35 years after St Patrick established a church at Armagh. St Brigid's Cathedral, located in Kildare town, is the site most associated with St. Brigid. Read more about St. Brigid's Cathedral

Public Holiday

A National public holiday has been announced to honour St. Brigid, patron saint and St. Brigid's Day will be a Public Holiday from 2023. County Kildare has a connection with St. Brigid that goes back centuries.

St. Brigid's Cross

The St. Brigid's Cross has become the symbol of St. Brigid. Its roots come from the pagan sun wheel and was a blessing of fertility for the earth. Brigid gathered bits of bushes from the ground and made it into a cross and shared stories about her relationship with God. St. Brigid's crosses had been used to thwart evil but the cross has become synonymous with St. Brigid.

Féile Bhríde Events

Into Kildare and Solas Bhríde have organised events and activities as a tribute to their native St Brigid This included illuminating the Hill of Allen which can be viewed on the Into Kildare Facebook Page

More information on events and activities for St. Brigid's Day can be found on the intokildare.ie website or the Solas Bhride website