Saints – St.Patrick

St Mary's of the AngelsCreative Commons License Alex Balzanella via Compfight

It is St. Patrick’s Day on Friday 17th March.

You can learn about St. Patrick HERE on the BBC Northern Ireland website.

You can see the same activity HERE in Irish. However the videos only work

in the UK and Northern Ireland.

From the Archives – Saints – St.Brigid

 

St Brigid of Kildare Lawrence OP via Compfight

 

Legend has it that when Brigid was born, angels sang in the sky over the place she was born. St. Brigid – father was a pagan chief. He didn’t believe in God. Brigid’s mother was a servant who knew about God and believed in God.

Brigid was born near Faughart, a village a few miles north of Dundalk. Brigid was minded by a foster mother because her mother worked in Connaught, far away from where Brigid lived. She helped her foster mother around the house. Any free time she had was spent in the nearby forest with the wild animals living there. She was very fond of animals. Legend tell us she once tamed a wild boar (pig) and another time she tamed a wild fox.

She was very kind to the poor people that called to the door and was always giving away her father’s things. When she was about twelve,  Brigid was waiting outside the King of Leinster’s fort for her Dad when she met a poor man. He was covered in rags and mud. What do you think St. Brigid did? Yes she just had to help him. There was nothing else in the chariot, so she took her Dad’s sword and gave it to the man.

Legend has it that her Dad was furious.  Luckily the King of Leinster was there. He believed in God like Brigid did and understood why Brigid had done what she had done, so the King gave her Dad an even better sword and told her Dad to forgive her. 

St. Brigid was told she couldn’t visit her Mum in Connaught but she went right ahead and did just that. Her Mum had a job looking after the druid’s cows at the druid’s farm.

St Brigid worked with her Mum helping her, making cheese and butter. Poor people called to the door and she gave away food to them. A very surprising thing happened. No matter how much food Brigid gave away there always seemed to be more food there. The Druid realised that there was something special about Brigid, so he tried to give her all his cows.

She said she didn’t want that. Instead she wanted her Mum to come home with her! So this story has a happy ending. Brigid’s family was back together.

Today the 1st February is St. Brigid’s Day. Our school is named after St.Brigid

You can learn more about St. Brigid HERE on the ‘Ask About Ireland’ website..