We read about several Celtic saints before our trip - one of them was Saint Brigid
. We read the version by Jane Meyer. Les and I have a niece whose name is Bridget therefore we were excited about visiting Kildare, Ireland during our trip. I was hoping to get her a Saint Brigid's cross as a souvenir from Kildare and thankfully we successfully were able to get one there for her! Unfortunately, St. Brigid's Cathedral was all locked up behind tall, black, iron gates. I had a hard time concealing my disappointment but I had to be appreciative that we made it to the church at all. We were quickly running out of time before our flight back to the United States and there was so much I was trying to fit into our last full day in Ireland. A sweet Irish girl passed by us as I was asking everyone to gather for a picture. She offered to take a picture of all of us in front of the church. Very kind of her.
Saint Brigid is a very popular Celtic saint. One of the stories about her explains the origin of the shape of the cross named after her. She was visiting a chieftain who was on his deathbed. She reached down to the floor of the house and picked up rushes from the floor. She started weaving them into a cross and explaining the meaning of the cross to the chieftain. Upon hearing the story, he was baptized before he died.
Saint Brigid's Cathedral (I stuck my lens through two of the bars of the gate)
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The kids outside the Kildare Heritage Center in Kildare, Ireland
