The Life of St Brigid

Feminist, farmer, abbess, bishop, convent founder and miracle worker, St Brigid is one of our most popular saints. She cared for the poor, healed the sick and is patron saint of revolutionaries. Now former RTÉ newsreader, Una O’Hagan, and her husband, best-selling author Colm Keane, have written a book about her life. 

Irish people feel a strong attachment to St Brigid and more so in recent years when the full extent of her work and life has been celebrated more widely. In their new book, The Book of St. Brigid, Una O’Hagan and Colm Keane uncover the extent of her contribution to early Christian life in Ireland and her enduring influence through the ages. Those she inspired include the Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley, Lady Gregory and Maud Gonne MacBride. Even celebrated actress, Brigitte Bardot, is connected to our famous saint. I asked Una to tell us more about the book, here she is in her own words…

How did the book come about?

Many years ago, Colm and I were doing research about saints, and it struck us that they were the great celebrities, the rock stars, the popular icons of their times. They came from an era when there were few other entertainments and distractions. As a result, they attained iconic status. People flocked to see and hear them speak, or visit where they lived. 

We wrote a book about Thérèse of Lisieux and followed it up with a book about Bernadette of Lourdes. They were two fascinating people, full of character and were both independent minded. Eventually, Colm’s sister said, ‘Why don’t you write a book about St Brigid?’ So we have done exactly that, and she turned out to be probably the most interesting saint of them all.

St. brigid was A Powerhouse…

“She wielded more power in the Catholic Church than any woman has wielded before or since.”

Tell us about St Brigid’s character?

She was a powerhouse of activity. Not only did she set up one of the most successful and innovative monasteries in history, but her convents were scattered all over Ireland. As an abbess she managed more than 10,000 nuns nationwide. As a result, she wielded more power in the Catholic Church than any woman has wielded before or since. That was an extraordinary accomplishment for a woman from her time, or from any time.

Despite her achievements, she was a kind-hearted woman, modest, humble, an animal lover, with no pretensions to power or fame. She was a friend to the poor and untiringly charitable, with her main desire being to relieve human despair. That combination of success and modesty is rare to find at any time, or anywhere. 

St. Bridget Glass Stained Window

She was a great entrepreneur, what did you uncover about her achievements?

Her entrepreneurial achievements were breathtaking. Her nuns farmed the lands, tended the herds and flocks, spun and weaved, amassed a library of manuscripts, maintained a guest house, hospital and dispensary, and embroidered vestments. They worked in the dairy, where butter and cheese were made. Students flocked from all over the country seeking an education at their schools.

The monastery eventually housed men and women, living side by side. The males, who were monks, lived in one community; the nuns lived in another. It was, in that sense, a double monastery, unique in Ireland and a model for monasteries overseas. 

The monastery’s scriptorium copied and illuminated manuscripts. The monks made chalices, bells, crosiers, patens, bookrests and shrines, which were used in the monastery and distributed elsewhere. It would take 900 years before anything like her monastic settlement would emerge on the Continent. It really was a remarkable achievement.

What about St Brigid’s followers?

 The seven nuns she was professed with remained loyal to her throughout her life. We particularly loved Flora, her long-suffering cook, who was always short of ingredients because Brigid gave everything away to the poor. Through her ability to stretch supplies – and often through Brigid’s miraculous interventions – she made do. She eventually became a saint, a well-deserved accolade in our opinion! 

There are also wonderful depictions of Darlughdach, who was her closest companion. A moving story is told about how Brigid informed Darlughdach of the date and time of their respective deaths. What she predicted came to pass, and they both died on February 1, one year apart. As a consequence, they share the same feast day. 

She is credited with many miracles, what was your favourite?

For us, the most moving and memorable miracle involved her religious companion, Sr. Daria, who was blind. The story is set on a warm early morning, probably in the heart of summer, when they were watching over and protecting their sheep on the Curragh. Brigid marvelled at the beauty of the sunrise and the vista of the distant Wicklow mountains to the east. Brigid prayed that Daria might have her sight restored so that she could witness all this beauty. 

It is said that Daria at once gained the gift of sight and saw, for the first time in her life, the clear-blue sky and the yellow-pink sunrise. Daria looked for a while, and then, turning to Brigid, said: ‘Close my eyes again, dear mother, for when the world is so visible to the eyes, God is seen less clearly to the soul.’ Brigid prayed once more, and Sr. Daria’s eyes returned to darkness. She remained blind for the rest of her life. The story moves both of us every time we read it. 

Why do you think she was so popular?

She was loved by rich and poor alike. Bishops came to seek her counsel. Men of greatness and importance arrived at Kildare to ask her for advice. The poor, the sick, numerous alms-seekers, and people seeking miracles and cures arrived at her door looking for help. 

Even St. Brendan travelled to Kildare looking to talk to her. He waited, and waited, and waited for her to arrive from the Curragh, where she was tending her sheep. He wanted to know how often she thought about God. ‘Not for a moment’ did she neglect to think about God, she told him. He was shocked by the intensity of her devotion. 

As a result of their meeting, it is no surprise to find in the Liber Hymnorum – the book of ancient Irish Church hymns, held by Trinity College – that Brendan is credited as one of the possible composers of a wonderful hymn dedicated to Brigid. 

‘Brigid, excellent woman, a flame golden, delightful; may she, the sun dazzling, splendid, guide us to the eternal kingdom,’ the text reads. Those few lines, composed so long ago, tell us all we need to know about how much he respected Brigid having waited for her to come from her sheep and answer his question all those years before. 

She connected people in a divided world, how far did her influence extend?

Given that Brigid came from such a long time ago – the fifth and sixth centuries – she is a pre-Reformation saint and, as a consequence, has always been popular with both Catholics and Protestants. Many people might be surprised to find that St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare is run by the Church of Ireland. They might be even more shocked to discover that Oliver Cromwell named his daughter Bridget, and she in turn passed the name down through the Cromwell family. 

She also became popular with everyone, everywhere, it seems. For example, she is remembered abroad – at St. Brides Bay in Wales, St. Bees Head in Cumbria, even in the Hebrides in Scotland, whose name is said to derive from hers. There is a St. Brigid’s school in Tasmania, a Bride Peak in the Himalayan Mountains, and an island named Bride off the coast of Japan. More churches in south-west Scotland are named after her than any other saint. Her name lives on in the most unexpected ways.

St Brigid inspired many others, which ones stand out for you?

Her independence, determination, clear-sightedness, and sense of get-up-and-go attracted people seeking change down through the centuries. She became a role model for women, who often looked to her as the first true feminist. Not only had she restored womanhood to the dignity it had lost under the pagan slave system, but on a practical level, like any notable feminist, she fought for women, defended their rights, and helped them through troubled times. 

As a result, she became one of the patron saints of the British suffragette movement, inspired the Irish Women Workers’ Union during the 1913 lockout, and was a role model and protector of people like Countess Markievicz and Maud Gonne MacBride. She was also patron to Kathleen Lynn, the Chief Medical Officer of the Irish Citizen Army, as she marched into battle during the 1916 Rising.

What was the connection with Brigitte Bardot?

When Brigitte Bardot was born in 1934, her first name was relatively unknown in France. It wasn’t even ranked in the top 100 names in the country. Her parents, who were conservative Catholics, were aware of the name, however, as it had been brought into the country by Irish missionaries. 

It had also arrived indirectly, via Sweden, where one of its queens, Birgitta Haraldsdotter, had an Irish grandmother, Brigida O’Brien. The queen popularised the name in Sweden. Later on, a bearer of the name, St Birgitta of Sweden, became popular throughout Europe, including in France. 

Although deeply committed to their faith, Brigitte’s parents decided against christening their child with the most popular girls’ name in France at the time of her birth – the resoundingly-Catholic Marie. Nor did they opt for the other fashionable names of the era – Jacqueline, Monique, Jeannine, Denise or Yvette. Instead, they chose Brigitte. 

Twenty-five years later, in 1959, following her rise to fame as a film star and model, she propelled the name to the top of the French charts. Despite her liberal and bohemian reputation, she also retained her fundamental Catholic beliefs, and remains a devotee to her patron saint to this day.

tHE bARDOT cONNECTION

Brigitte Bardot remains a devotee to her patron saint.

What do you believe is her legacy today?

Although we don’t always realise it, she is everywhere in Ireland, a bit like the air we breathe. We see her in the names of people we meet, villages we pass through, churches we enter, halls we frequent, sports clubs we support, and schools to which we send our children.

Thousands of girls and women bear her name. There have been, and still are, a lot of them about – many named Brigid or Bridget; others named Bridie, Breege, Bríd, Bride, Biddy, Breda, Bid, or even Bee and Beesy. There was a time when you could hardly round a corner in Ireland without bumping into one of them.

We also see her in family surnames like MacBride, Bride and Kilbride. The same is true for place-names like Rathbride, Toberbride, Brides Glen and Kilbride, not to mention the gossipy people we refer to as ‘old biddies’ and places of detention we call Bridewells.

As someone who rose from little or nothing, achieved greatness in her life, won over the hearts of a nation, and set an example for standards of kindness, charity and decency rare even among saints, she deserves a lot more than the recognition she gets. 

How has life been since you left RTÉ?

For the last three years, since I left RTÉ, Colm and I have lived in Ring, County Waterford, a place which you might say is at a slight angle to the universe I was accustomed to in Dublin. We are surrounded by wonderful beaches, great restaurants, fabulous countryside, and lots of open space. Although I loved my time in broadcasting, I don’t miss it a bit. How could I, given the lifestyle I have become used to now? 

How as lockdown for you?

Lockdown was tough, but then again it was tough for everybody. In many ways, we were lucky because when you are writing, you are locked down anyway. The restrictions forced us to concentrate on what we were doing. Thank God for computers, modern technology, emails and the internet; they were indispensable for what we were at. So, in many ways, we survived a little easier than most.

How does it work writing together with Colm – any falling out over the edits?

Colm and I share a simple philosophy about writing – the most important thing is to know what you want to say. With that in mind, we often walk seven miles and more every day, going over and over what we are trying to get across; we then come back and do it. I prefer the research side of things, and Colm loves doing the writing. Mind you, we always sit side by side when the writing is being done, resulting in many black-and-blue ribs (just joking).  

Where did you both meet?

Colm and I go back a long way. We met in the RTÉ canteen about 35 years ago. He was a producer and presenter on radio; I was a reporter in News. He made a big gesture by inviting me on a date – to a Shamrock Rovers match at Milltown. Not a great place to begin a relationship! We thought up an even more remote spot to get married in – Scotland, where we headed in the heart of winter. Now that I think of it, we also took some time to examine a few of the football grounds there – not a great place to start a marriage, either!

Life hasn’t always been easy for your both, you’re very close, does that help?

We have been through some tough times since, most notably the loss of our incredible son, Seán, to cancer in 2007. Then, eight years ago, Colm developed cancer and was only given a 20 per cent chance of survival. But we got through all that, and there’s no doubt that writing books has been a big help. We have learned a few lessons, though – never plan too far ahead into the future, as you never know what’s around the corner, and try as much as possible to avoid the hassles of life. Live life for today, and you can’t go too far wrong.

As for doing another book, we will never, ever do another. But then again, we said that after the last book, and the one before it, and the one before that again, so if I were you, I’d watch this space!

The Book of St. Brigid, published by Capel Island Press, out from September 8, €14.99 and available in all good bookshops. 

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