Today, on the 1st of February, we celebrate St Brigid’s Day or Lá Fhéile Bíde, a feast day named after the Ireland’s foremost Christian female saint.

Steeped in folklore that crosses between Christian and pagan beliefs, Ireland’s landscape, including County Wicklow, is dotted with Holy Wells and Church’s that bear the name of a Brigid, many of which will be visited today as part of an organised service or in a personal capacity

Once a major turning point in the old Irish calendar, St Brigid’s Day was celebrated widely with various traditions and rituals, many of which still exist today.

Most widely practiced, is perhaps the creation of a St Brigid’s Cross, a popular activity often undertaken at home or school at this time. According to folklore, the real St Brigid of Kildare was said to have explained the concept of Christianity to an Irish king by taking rushes from his floor to weave a cross.

Traditionally made from fresh woven rushes (pictured), the crosses would be made each year and hung from a rafter or above a window or door frame, supposedly to offer protection to the household, farm and land.

In some communities, once the cross created the year prior was replaced, the old one would be placed upon a fire – this was in keeping with the pagan tradition of marking death, birth and renewal, as well as Christian beliefs linked to the natural calendar.