Before there was Molly Mae, there was St. Brigid.
As Molly Mae once said, “We all have the same 24 hours in a day” but no one used those 24 hours as well as the original Irish girl-boss, St. Brigid. She really knew how to use her daily allotment and despite never achieving Creative Director of PLT, we know she had style (a cloak that managed to gain her ownership to a load of land, need I say more).
Despite the fairly hefty workload on her shoulders, St. Brigid managed to achieve all she wanted and more, so without further ado, here are eight reasons (of many) why she’s the original girl-boss.
1. She’s Ireland’s only female Patron Saint
St. Brigid is one of Ireland’s patron saints, the only female in an otherwise fairly male dominated arena. Now that she has her own public holiday, we’re just waiting on Saint Columba to hurry up getting his passed through the Dáil any day now (another June bank holiday wouldn’t go amiss).
2. She’s pro-choice
Who knew you could be pro-choice as far back as 650AD. When a young nun fell pregnant after breaking a vow of chastity. St. Brigid helped her by blessing her, which “caused the foetus to disappear, without coming to birth, and without pain.”
As stated in the below tweet, “Abortion has been a part of Irish life since Celtic and early Christian times and is still a part of life today.” She’d have been a great help during Repeal the 8th, and we’d like to think she was with us every step of the way.
Beannachtaí Lá Fhéile Bríde!
Did you know that St. Brigid was one of Ireland's first abortionists?
Abortion has been a part of Irish life since Celtic and early Christian times and is still a part of life today. #StBrigidsDay #LáFéileBríde pic.twitter.com/7HpY7OQXgE
— Abortion Rights IE (@freesafelegal) February 1, 2023
3. She prayed for her good looks to disappear in order to avoid marriage
First of all, we love that she knew she was good-looking (back yourself), and second of all, we’re obsessed with her dedication to remaining an independent Queen. St. Brigid got her wish, and was never forced to marry despite her father’s wish for her to do so.
4. She hustled a King in order to gain loads of land
Perhaps the most famous story about St. Brigid surrounds the legend of her cloak. When Brigid was refused by the King of Leinster the land to build a convent, she asked if she could have as much land as her cloak would cover.
The King allowed this, but was surprised to see Brigid’s cloak grow and grow, as four of her friends took a corner each and walked pulled the cloak to cover many acres. The King then granted St. Brigid the land, and any other supplies she required, before converting to Christianity soon after.
St Brigid was the original girlboss. Scamming a king out of loads of land with a growing cloak? Mega slay.
— Tara Gráinne Ní Chonghaile (@TaraGrace_) February 1, 2023
5. She’s a literal life-saver
You may recognise the sign of St. Brigid being a cross. On St. Brigid’s Day, the tradition is to make the cross out of reeds and display them around your home. This comes from the tale of St. Brigid saving a pagan man’s life by making one of these crosses and placing it beside him.
6. She’s got a hefty workload on her shoulders
Not only is our gal Brigid one of our nation’s Patron Saints, she’s the patron saint of midwives, newborns, Irish nuns, fugitives, blacksmiths, dairymaids, boatmen, chicken farmers, cattle, scholars, sailors, to name but a few. As said previously, she may not be the Creative Director of a fast fashion brand, but there’s no doubt she was using her 24 hours wisely.
7. She brings the Spring
St. Brigid’s Day marks the first day of Spring, and I think we can breathe a sigh of relief and say a big fat see you later to Winter and the dark days that come with it.
8. Without her, we’d have no bank holiday between New Years and St. Patrick’s Day
Of course we’re all very grateful to St. Brigid in 2023 especially because of our new February bank holiday. What an absolute girl-boss she is, providing some well-needed relief between January and March and since this is our first year getting the public holiday, it feels extra special.
Header image via Shutterstock
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