The Guide

Sara Keating: Brigid brings stories of the power of women into the light

Brigid’s name will now mark a new bank holiday and with that it’s worth reflecting on the legends of both the Christian and pagan goddess Brigid and their enduring relevance

St Brigid's Well in Kildare: St Brigid’s Day on February 1 marks the passing of winter into spring

“Now at spring’s awakening, dark days are lengthening, and after St Brigid’s Day, I’ll raise my sail,” the poem Mise Raifteirí an File goes. It was written by Antoine Ó Raifteirí, the itinerant poet who recorded the songs and stories of the people of the west of Ireland in their native tongue during the early 1800s. For the rural communities Ó Raifteirí lived among, St Brigid’s Day on February 1, marked the passing of winter ...