Move over, Patrick, there's a new patron saint in town

With rowdy celebrations of Ireland’s snake banisher losing their appeal, Nicola Brady discovers why the women-led festivities of St Brigid’s Day are worth an Emerald Isle visit

- Nicola Brady

I heard them long before I saw them. I was making my way to St Brigid’s Well, a peaceful shrine beneath ancient oak trees in Kildare. But between the cawing of crows and the squelch of mud underfoot, I heard chanting, the clang of tambourines, and a steady drumbeat.

I’d expected to see people placing items on the old stone shrine but instead, I’d stumbled upon a group of pagan women (and one barefoot man) holding a ritual. They circled a fire, throwing rose petals onto the flames, and sipped ceremonial wine as they called in the sacred spirits. And they let me join in.

This is St Brigid’s Day.

Ask most people what they associate with Ireland, and St Patrick’s Day is probably top of the list. But I’ve lived in Ireland for 17 years, and when 17 March rolls around, I usually want to get the hell out of Dodge. Call me a buzzkill but I’m just not into the crowds, the noise, the American college students puking (or worse) on my doorstep.

However, two years ago, Ireland decreed a new bank holiday. And this one was dedicated to the country’s only female patron saint – Brigid. A year ago, I knew nothing about her. But last February, on St Brigid’s weekend, I travelled around Ireland to create a podcast about this mythological figure. I learnt about the woman who turned lakes into beer, who is the patron saint of both fugitives and bees, and who is finally getting her turn in the spotlight.