St Brigid of Kildare

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Saint Brigid of Kildare is also known as Naomh Bhride, St Bride of Knockbridge or St Brigid of Ireland. She is the Christianised version of the goddess Brigid. As such, many of the stories associated with her on close examination reveal themselves as being allegorical accounts.

For example, it is said that she was born "neither within nor without", while her mother was crossing a threshold, and that when she was abbess of Kildare, the cows there produced a whole lake of milk three times a day, and a measure of malt from her land produced sufficient ale for seventeen churches.

St Brigid is a Patron Saint of Ireland, ranking second after St Patrick, a position she shares with St Columba. Her feast day, 1st February, is the traditional first day of Spring in Ireland (see Imbolc).