Today is St Brigid’s Day and to celebrate the occasion, The Women’s Podcast is learning all about Brigid - the woman, the myth, the legend - from author and writer Kim Curran.
Curran has just published her new book Brigid, in which she details the life of Ireland’s female patron saint, the miracles she performed and the women she saved along the way. It’s the story of a trailblazer who carved her own path, rebelled against the status quo and resisted the constraints of society.
“Brigid represents kindness, community and sisterhood,” says Curran reflecting on what the saint means to her. The writer also describes her in the book as “someone who denies herself everything”.
“She just gives and gives. It’s almost like she feels incredibly uncomfortable owning anything or holding anything. She just tries to give it away. She finds it very hard to receive anything. “Somebody gives her something, within minutes, it’s gone - she’s handed it over to someone else”.
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It’s not only material things that Brigid rejects, Curran says. “She denies herself all sexuality, all desire, any joys in life”. Although, she does outline in the book, the “special friend”, who lived with Brigid in the convent and whom she called her “bedmate and soulmate”.
What Curran finds most impressive about the fifth century saint perhaps is her ability to “find a middle ground”. “I think she listens to people. She accepts both paganism and christianity. She works with kings and slaves,” she says. “She exists in the grey”.
So if you’ve ever wondered who the real Brigid was, what’s the story behind the cross and what inspired her to live as she did, then this is the episode for you.
You can listen back to this episode in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts.
