My journey began in the craggy, remote countryside of the West of Ireland
Finding a “thin space”
A couple of years ago, I visited the West of Ireland—that craggy, heartbreakingly beautiful back-of-beyond the ancient Celts called a “thin place,” where the veil between heaven and earth seems to disappear.
On a gray, misty morning, I hiked the Burren, in the path of Colman, a sixth-century saint. Across the expanse of rock, through bramble and mud, I reached an ancient holy well.
It seemed to transform me in subtle, simple ways. What is it about remote sacred springs like this one, I wondered?
I was captivated by these mystical waters and the stories they told, and the stories they only hinted at.
Finding Brigid
A few days later, I visited a garden devoted to Brigid, pagan goddess and Christian saint. She was a sixth-century abbess and bishop but her pre-Christian story still lingers, in mythology and folk practices—and at hundreds of holy wells.
Brigid tugged at my imagination, drawing me to learn more about her and the sacred springs that connect faith and spirituality. Later trips took me to more of those wells, in counties all over Ireland.
Who Was Brigid?
Brigid was no ordinary nun. In exchange for a miracle, the king promised her whatever she wanted. She wanted to expand her monastery, so she asked for more land.
The king offered her as much as her cloak would cover. It covered thousands of acres. Nobody underestimated her again.
She’d turned the king’s false generosity upside down and put her can-do faith up against his power. She knew God would be on the side of the poor and hungry at her door.
Brigid’s monastery was a center of learning and generosity. She spent her life preaching the Gospel and caring for those in need.
Following Brigid Today
A millenium and a half later, Brigid is still remembered. But she’s not often found in churches. Instead, people are finding Brigid at her holy wells.
That’s where I looked for her. From Kildare, the site of her monastery; to Liscannor, on the wild western coast; to a farm inCastlemagner, County Cork, I found traces of Brigid in the experiences of people who draw energy and inspiration from her story.
What was it about Brigid, I wondered, that helped to power the story of Christianity 1500 years ago? What is it that empowers people today? What does her story mean for us?
That’s what my book, Brigid’s Mantle: Finding the Fiery Saint of Kildare at the Heart of Celtic Christianity, is all about.
