Searching for Brigid’s Well.

My older post on making Brigid's crosses HERE

Brigid’s Eve draws nearer and with thoughts of making crosses, I wandered down to the Lough Field to look at the reeds. 

Standing alone in this quiet place a phrase, spoken by a Donegal Seanchaí, came to mind:

“ There were two St Brigids.

There was St Brigid up in Kildare, but this is the Brigid from this place.”

This set me wondering about the Brigid who walks the land locally and who is remembered here in stories of stones, wells and small offerings. 

Stone by the roadside in Killeigh.

A local story relates that Brigid rested and left the imprint of her leg upon the stone.

St. Brigid’s Well, Rosenallis.

The saint is believed to have founded a church here and blessed the spring well.

Coins and white quartz at the well.

Brigid’s Cross made from reeds.

The old custom here was to make the cross from oak twigs, 

bind it with reeds and place it in the thatch for protection. 

St. Brigid was believed to have been born in Doire Aircean, Derryarkin, on the bog north of 

Croghan Hill, Co. Offaly and Brigid Begoibne, Brigid the Smith, had her workshop beneath the Hill. 

Another Brigid, not of fire but of healing waters, had a sacred well which flowed from Croghan.

In the distant past Croghan Hill emerged as an island from the surrounding lakes, a sacred place where water, earth and sky met. 

Map showing the Hill and bogland today.

A place where legends of the pagan goddess and saint intertwined. 

The Hill, reminiscent of a breast, appears to have long been a place of the sacred feminine.

The old name for the Hill is Cruachán Bri Éile, the prominent hill of Éile, an elusive mythological woman or goddess who was sister to Queen Maeve.

One source tells that the River Shannon erupted from a well, known as Linn Mna Feile, 

'the Pool of the Modest Woman’, sacred to Éile, found beneath Croghan. 

Several sacred wells were associated with the hill, some visible on old maps, though all but one are now lost. 

Only two old names were recorded Fuarán Well and Finneenashark Well, which cured headaches 

and was accompanied by an ancient Ash tree. 

With Lá Fhéile Bríde approaching I decided visit Croghan to search for clues to the whereabouts of
Brigid’s sacred well.

The Bronze Age mound upon the summit has never been excavated but is thought to contain 

the remains of Éile and her chariot. 

In local folklore it opens at Samhain, leading into the hollow hill and the Otherworld. 

Could this be the site of the elusive Well?

Croghan village.

I found the small village of Croghan and drove up the hill to view the site of St. Maccaille’s church, founded around 465 AD, and the remains of the cemetery.

In Christian lore it was here, at the hands of Maccaille, Bishop of Croghan, that St. Brigid received the veil.

Perched high on the hillside it is easy to imagine that the church was built here to claim the site 

from its’ pagan predecessors and proclaim the new religion.

A sacred well with a tree, seen in the illustration below, stood in the graveyard. 

This well was named for St. Maccaille, it’s older name unrecorded. 

Illustration via:  http://omniumsanctorumhiberniae.blogspot.ie/2013/04/saint-maccaille-of-croghan-april-25.html

 Did this well once belong Brigid ?

As the sky darkened I drove to the other side of the hill, to Glenmore, considered to be the place where earlier pagan veneration took place.  

Once a forested glen, three springs formerly emerged here from the rock of Croghan Hill, two of which rose beneath an ancient Ash tree.

My plan was to walk the land hereabouts looking for evidence of wells or bullaun stones, although 

I knew that two of the wells had long become dry. 

Driving uphill was fine until I approached the glen itself when the track became impassable by small car or even booted feet.

On a previous visit I had found the well, now dedicated to St. Patrick, 

although Brigid is still remembered here with fiery tinsel and a Brigid's Eye.

The older name for Patrick’s well is not recorded but like many other legendary Holy Wells, 

the water here will never boil and any stone taken from the site will return of its’ own accord. 

Disappointed I descended the Hill and stopped to look around the modern church of St. Brigid.
There was no sign nor information about her well but I did find a small stained glass panel of her.

Brigid holds her woven cross aloft in St. Brigid’s Church, Croghan.

My final glance at Croghan Hill was through dark, bare branches. 

I felt my way to Brigid’s Well was barred by too many changes or perhaps it had never existed at all.

Back home, by the fire, I dug deeper into an old book to discover that Brigid’s Well could once be found on the summit of Croghan, the exact location long forgotten. Her spring may even have been part of the mound's sacred space as it was in the passage tomb at Newgrange.

The story warned that if her well was ever discovered again the water would rise up violently to drown the cattle which graze upon its’ slopes, so it seemed fortunate that my search was fruitless.

***

When I closed my eyes that night images of the womanly hill appeared. 

Drifting towards sleep her well formed from the darkness, surrounded by ancient stones, shaded
by twisted branches, offering healing, reflection and respite from the modern world.

At the Sacred Well.

Brigid’s Well still flows within the Otherworld. 

The promised Spring arrives.

The sun is warm, the Lough Field hares have a new leveret and Brigid’s promise of Spring has unfolded.

Earlier this week I made my way to Kildare.

Town square with the Tourist Information Centre, perpetual flame & statue of the saint. 

Kildare takes it’s name from Cill Dara, the cell or church of the oak claimed to have been founded in 480 CE by the saint and her followers.

Pic © civic heraldry.com

The town’s modern coat of arms features a Brigid’s cross and oak branch with the motto ‘Spirit and Courage’.

In the square stands a statue of the saint, a memorial to the 350 men who were killed by British forces during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 on the Curragh of Kildare. 

Nearby her perpetual flame rises as a symbol for hope, justice and peace.

As I explored the town I glimpsed Brigid’s sun wheels rendered in reeds, stone and metal. 

The exhibit of various designs, made afresh annually by a local man, was displayed in a grocery shop window.

Visiting the ancient site of St Brigid’s Fire Temple revealed signs of the ritual which took place on 1st February this year, when her fire was kindled again.

Offerings of hyacinths & white quartz stones in the fire pit. 

The town was bustling in the spring sunshine but the tranquility of the Well was calling me.

The Well gardens near the site of the millrace which was said to have been used by the saint.

Sunlight at the entrance where candles burn to Brigid.

The statue of the saint stands on a tiny island around which water flows. 

Home made crosses and flowers left at Brigid’s feet.

The well itself was unadorned and the water clear.

Beyond it stood a RAG TREE festooned with offerings and healing requests.

As I stood savouring the sound of birdsong and flowing water I considered the importance of Kildare to the followers of Brigid, goddess and saint.

My mind then wandered to my own ancestors and family name, originally Mac Giolla Bhrighde, 'son of the servant of Bridget'.

Perhaps centuries ago, inspired by her flame, they had also known this place as pilgrims and I had walked in their footsteps. 

A short visit to the Rag Tree and Brigid's Well narrated by the late Daithi O hÓgáin.

First harvest - bringing home the turf.

We are approaching Lúnasa, the month when wild fruits and crops are gathered, yet already tractors pass by the door laden with a different sort of yield from the land.

 The turf crop © Jane Brideson

For me the first harvest of the year begins when the turf is brought home from the bog.

 The local bog with turf  'footed' to dry © Jane Brideson. 

The dry, black crop will provide fuel for a household throughout the winter months. 

A visit to the bog is a visit to a strange land, another world.
A place of deep waters, black earth and big skies. Alone there, surrounded by deep silence broken
by the call of birds and whispering wind, you can feel the age of the land and see time written in
the turf banks.

Turf bank with dark waters reflecting the sky © Jane Brideson.

Turf has been cut and used as fuel for centuries and the early inhabitants of Ireland also 

sojourned there. To our ancient ancestors the unique atmosphere and dark, still waters appear to 

have been associated with gateways to the Otherworld.  

Discoveries of objects made from precious metal, pottery and stoneware deposited in bogs may represent offerings made to the gods across the ages.

 Coggalbeg bog hoard from the early Bronze Age © 100objests.ie 

 To read the full story behind this find click HERE

These areas are still important for the people of rural Ireland, many of whom spend long hours saving turf.
On my local bog the turf is now cut by machine, rather than by hand but the process is still labour intensive, requiring good weather and the help of neighbours. 

Types of slane © connemaranews.org  

In some areas turf is still harvested using traditional methods. 

The slane is used to cut the turf into long sods, which are then spread out to dry.

Turf and golden hoards are not the only treasures to be found. 
My visit, on a fine summers' day, saw the bog coloured by heather, bog cotton and wild flowers.
The unique flora here once provided communities with herbal remedies and dubh-poill,  hole black,
a black dye used for clothing.

Turf was also understood to bring good health at calving when it was rubbed three times under the belly of a cow to protect her and her newborn calf from troubles.

Wild flowers, bog cotton & heather © Jane Brideson.

The bogs' association with the Otherworld meant that it was viewed as a source of protection against the attentions of the Good People and it was believed that scattering the ashes from a turf fire on the doorstep could prevent an unattended child from being taken by the fairies. 

Brighid's Cross made from turf © Jane Brideson.

Moulded turf is still used as protection in the form of a Brighid's Cross hung by the front door. 

Returning home from this other world visit I called in on neighbours for a chat and was given tea
and home made apple pie, then sent on my way again with gifts.

Gifts © Jane Brideson.

Freshly laid eggs & the result of last years harvest - apple jelly.

Lying in the grass was yet another gift...

Turf  by the roadside © Jane Brideson.

two sods of turf  by the side of the road which later went on the fire in the studio to fill the end
of the garden with its' distinctive scent.

 Burning turf © Jane Brideson.

Watch Jim's video on Irish TV by clicking the link below to hear his reminiscences of cutting 

and saving turf in the traditional way:

IRISH TV LINK

New painting: Tea with the Bean an Tí.

Let me introduce you to the Bean an Tí, the woman of the house, who continues the old tradition of hospitality for which Ireland is renowned.
This custom stems from ancient times when along the major roads of Ireland there stood houses of hospitality set at the junctions which were open to all travellers.

The Ban an Tí  always has the kettle on to provide visitors and family with a good, strong cup of tea often accompanied by home baking.
The willow pattern tea set she uses was common in many homes and is still sold today.
My grandmother owned a set, as I do, and sometimes when digging in the garden I find broken pieces of crockery of the same design faded over the years and discarded  by previous occupants.

My kitchen shelf

In the past it was considered a sign of hospitality and respect to offer a visitor a cut of  new bread
still warm from baking.
Soda bread recipes were passed down through generations of women and are often a closely guarded secret but in common with all homemade soda the dough is shaped into a round and using a knife,
is marked with an equal-armed cross before baking.

This cross allows the bread to rise evenly without splitting but is also believed to let the fairies out
and protect the bread from mischievous spirits so that the loaf doesn’t burn.

Cooking on the hearth © europeancuisines.com

Soda bread would originally have been baked on griddles or in a black iron pot over a turf fire on
the hearth.The first written recipe in Ireland dates from 1836 and soda bread was made throughout the country because it was the least expensive bread to put on the table.

 Making the Brigid's cross Pic © Séan Gilmartin.
You can view us making the crosses HERE

Up until the last century, on the eve of  Brigid's day, the Bean an Tí made a Brigid's cross then passed
it around her body three times.
She would walk outside to circle the house three times then the cross would be welcomed into the front door by the family and hung over the kitchen door as protection from fire, fever and famine.

In Kerry it was customary for the Bean an Tí to put a pin into the brídeog, a home made representation of Brigid, when it was brought in to the house & leave it there as offering.

In many areas the original role of the Bean an Tí has almost disappeared with many women choosing or needing to work outside the home.
However, within the Gaeltacht, Irish-speaking areas, the Bean an Tí has risen in importance as woman take in students who wish to learn Irish in a family setting.
They not only provide lodging, meals and education but are an important source of income in these mostly rural areas and can be seen as protectors of the Irish language and culture.

The tradition of hospitality, so vital to our ancestors, is still important today when Ireland extends a welcome to thousands of visitors each year and it continues in homes where the Bean an Tí puts the kettle on to boil for a pot of tea.

You can watch Jack from Killorglin, Kerry make a traditional loaf & talk about soda bread:

If you would like to try your hand at making soda bread you will find a basic recipe here:

Soda bread recipe

Brighid's Crosses for Imbolc

Wrapped up warmly and wearing wellies I ventured into the Lough Field today to cut the reeds to
make Brighid's Crosses for our home and for friends.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Lough Field was once a lake containing a tiny island on
which grew a fairy thorn. When the course of the River Barrow was changed the lake dried up
but local belief held that the thorn and the field was still the gathering place of the Sídhe.

Several stories about the field and the lough were told to me by an elderly man who had lived
here all his life and although Jim considered himself to be good Catholic, attending mass every
week and saying the rosary regularly, he confessed that he had a strong belief in the 'good folk'
and the Old Ones who are still about.
At one time, before electricity came to this part of the island and people still rambled to each
others' homes of an evening to tell stories, it was understood that the fairies lived in the Lough
itself, so today I made sure to ask their permission before I began to cut.

This year I was alone but in previous years several of my women friends have gathered
by the fire here to make crosses, drink tea and eat home made scones.

Pic © Séan Gilmartin

We make several different forms of crosses each once special to Brighid in different counties.
The well known four-armed cross,

Pic © Séan Gilmartin

My own favourite the three-armed cross,

Pic © Séan Gilmartin

And the more complicated woven cross which needs two pairs of hands.

Pic © Séan Gilmartin

Once completed the cross is hung above the hearth or the front door as protection against
famine, fire and disease.

Tonight the goddess is believed to walk the land of Ireland. 

So I wish you all the blessings of Brighid on your hearths and on your homes.

For more information on Brighid and Kildare please visit HERE