Talk:Brigid of Kildare

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[edit] Biography assessment rating comment

WikiProject Biography Assessment

Could use more references, but otherwise a B.

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- Yamara 14:08, 4 June 2007 (UTC)

[edit] West Dakota

A Winner of the March 2005 West Dakota Prize

This entry is one of only seventeen that have won the March 2005 West Dakota Prize for successfully employing the expression "legend states" in a complete sentence. --Wetman 08:26, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC)

A Winner of the September 2005 West Dakota Prize

This entry, one of an unprecedented 52, has won the September 2005 West Dakota Prize, awarded for successfully employing the expression "legend states" in a complete sentence.

Spoiled the March 2006 fun, but is there another prize for someone "becoming a virgin"? (Madonna, eat your heart out!) --Red King 10:58, 10 September 2005 (UTC)

Regarding some cleanup I did on this article:

  1. When relating a legend one relates it as clearly and accurately as possible without parenthetically rolling one's eyes in every other sentence. The inconsistencies can be discussed in a separate paragraph if necessary.
  2. Vestal Virgins were in service to the Roman goddess Vesta. Had there been Irish virgins in service to the godess Brigid they would not have been vestal virgins, regardless of the supposed similarity of the service.

Kbh3rd 04:07, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I agree that this article is perhaps unreasonable depricating of the legends surrounding Saint Brigid's life. Does it really matter if she existed or not? At this point, more than a thousand years after her death, it is impossible to know what really happened and the legends and folklore are equally as important as solid historical fact.Celsiana 02:52, 10 January 2006 (UTC)


"Dubhthach, pagan king of Leinster" does not appear in the traditional list of Kings of Leinster. When did Brigid's grand birth get inserted into the lore? --Wetman 05:29, 1 February 2006 (UTC)

There is much speculation that Brigid was originally a pagan saint, and that Christianity adopted so pagans could relate to thier own religion, and be more likely to be converted

[edit] The "See also" section

The see also section is a mess. It seems to contain a badly formatted essay (look at the huge last paragraph). It should either be conciled with the rest of the article, or removed.

I tidied up the essay in the "see also" section and gave its own section of "extended biography". It may need to be refined more however or maybe just removed. Takeshi316 22:41, 1 February 2006 (UTC)


And I thought the article on Patrick was silly. To start, why is there no mention of Brigid's de-canonization in the 1960's?

Because it never happened. She was never "de-canonized".Dogface 13:42, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

I would merge this article with Brigantia as a section therein.

Please sign your comments, stop trying to hide. There is no Brigantia article, it's just a disambiguation page. Likewise, please cite conclusive and demanding evidence to back up your demand.Dogface 13:42, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Why Cill Dara?

Why is always "Cell Dara" changed back to "Cill Dara"???

Kildare is "Cill Dara" in modern Irish but originally derived from "Cell Dara" in Old Irish, meaning "Church of the Oak"! This is a well known fact! In the Early Christian Ireland the name "Cell Dara" was used not "Cill Dara"!

[edit] Theological Problems=

The statement that Brigid's supposed episcopal ordination would have been valid although illegitimate is, unfortunately, theologically unfounded, and I have removed it since, from a historical standpoint, it is categorically incorrect. The Anglican Ordinations controversy raised this same idea later, an ordination is not valid if the bishop did not actually intend to ordain the person as a bishop, or priest, or deacon. Furthermore, Catholic theology currently (and historically) holds that it is impossible to ordain women -- therefore, even the bishop had intended to do it, it would not have worked. I have removed the erroneous theological statement.

[edit] Feast Day

According to Catholic sites, the actual feast day is January 21, not February 1. Is there any reason not to change it to the January date? See http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1837. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.143.106.248 (talk • contribs) 04:50, 3 December 2006 (UTC).

That's because that's a different St. Bridget. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.37.61.2 (talk • contribs).

Yes, in agreement with the above, I'll quote the Irish poet, Raftery (1784-1835). "Anois teacht an Earraigh beidh an lá dúl chun shíneadh, Is tar eis na féil Bríde ardóigh mé mo sheol." (Now Spring is here, the days will grow shorter, And after Brigid's Day, I'll head for the hills.) St. Brigid's day always signifies the beginning of Spring: 1st February.

Speaking of Catholic sites, portions of this are lifted from the Catholic Encyclopedia verbatim.

[edit] Carmina Gadelica

I think mention should be made of the Carmina Gadelica, a collection of prayers from the Western Isles of Scotland that preserve many pre-Christian traditions relating to St. Brigid.

Please sign your comments. The status of the Carmina as a reliquary of "pre-Christian traditions" is as much a matter of wild speculation and wishful thinking as serious scholarship.Dogface 13:38, 7 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] East Kilbride

Also I think mention should be made of the largest town whose name commemorates her, East Kilbride.

[edit] Miracle

I have heard (from a Church of Ireland clergyman) that St. Brigid turned water into beer. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bill Tegner (talk • contribs) 10:35, 23 March 2007 (UTC).

Cogitosus is said to have written that she blessed a pregnant woman and made her foetus disappear. Can this be verified? It's repeated on several web sites and in the Thomas Cahill book, How the Irish Saved Civilization, but did Cogitosus actually write this? It would be significant if he did, as it would demonstrate that the Church canonised an abortionist, who these days would be excommunicated. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.203.2.6 (talk) 14:10, 11 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lhanbryde

Is it possible that the Moray village of Lhanbryde has some sort of link with St Bride? I have read that a recurring Moravian name, Maelbrigd, would mean Servant of Brigd, in the same way as Mael Colum means Servant of Columba. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 62.136.169.240 (talk) 17:36, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, forgot to sign. Is it possible that the 'Lhan' part of Lhanbryde is a modernisation of the Welsh term 'Llan', which I have read as meaning a grant of land to the church, often by a chief. An area surrounding Lhanbryde is called 'Threipland', which I read meant something like 'the chief's dwelling'. could it be that 'Lhanbryde' was a piece of land given over by a local chief to the church, dedicated to St Bride. Interesting to note that the nearest parish is St Andrews, and was apparently rival to Lhanbryde. Could this have been friction between Scottish (St Bride) and Pictish (St Andrews) churches? I'm not a scholar, just an interested local with too many questions! Please illuminate me if any of what I've stated is erroneous. 62.136.169.240 (talk) 18:56, 19 January 2008 (UTC)

The spelling 'Lhan-' in Lhanbryde is a curious neologism. The place was Lanbryde in 1215 (Watson Celtic Place-Names of Scotland p.274f). Lan- is the north British equivalent of Welsh Llan- which developed gemination in Middle Welsh. 'Threipland' is from Old English þrēap 'a dispute, quarrel, contention' indicating 'land over which there was a dispute', 'debateable land' (see Smith AH., 1956 English Place-Name Elements CUP). --Henrywgc (talk) 18:37, 10 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Chronology

What do you make of Daniel Mc Carthy's work on the saint's chronology ('The Chronology of S. Brigit of Kildare' by D. Mc Carthy, Peritia 14(2000)255-81.)? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Henrywgc (talk • contribs) 12:15, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Which blooming historians?

In the section on links to the pagan goddess we have the sentence: "Most historians say that she was a real person whose life was embellished by imaginative hagiographers, and this seems the most likely scenario."

Firstly, who are they to say which seems the most likely scenario.

Secondly, which historians are supposed to propose that Brigid was actually a real woman rather than a matter of the Church changing a goddess into a saint for their own ends? Names of these hisorians would be handy. (14th May 2008) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.68.233.186 (talk) 12:22, 14 May 2008 (UTC)