St. Brigid's Day

Today is Feb 1 Feast of St Brigid, Muire na nGael. After St. Patrick, Brigid is the most significant Irish saint. In parts of the country her feast was celebrated, much as the feast of St. Stephen, with groups of Biddy Boys going from pub to pub singing for their supper.
St Bridget (there are several different spellings of the name) was born near Dundalk to a wealthy family. She was always religious. The following is from the encyclopaedia of Catholic  saints.

"About the year 468, she followed Mel to Meath. About the year 470 she founded a double monastery at Cill-Dara (Kildare) and was Abbess of the convent, the first in Ireland. The foundation developed into a center of learning and spirituality, and around it grew up the Cathedral city of Kildare. She founded a school of art at Kildare and its illuminated manuscripts became famous, notably the Book of Kildare, which was praised as one of the finest of all illuminated Irish manuscripts before its disappearance three centuries ago. Brigid was one of the most remarkable women of her times, and despite the numerous legendary, extravagant, and even fantastic miracles attributed to her, there is no doubt that her extraordinary spirituality, boundless charity, and compassion for those in distress were real. She died at Kildare on February 1. The Mary of the Gael, she is buried at Downpatrick with St. Columba and St. Patrick, with whom she is the patron of Ireland. Her name is sometimes Bridget and Bride. Her feast day is February 1."


In a horribly ironic act, the tabernacle from the church of St. Bridget in Killester was stolen yesterday.




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We'll take an ad. break now. I have 2 bills to post!

Back to business

 I have unearthed another old tennis photo. This one has the girls.

The year is 1987

These are the names as I have them on the back of the photo

Sorry about the poor quality of the photo. My skills as a photographer have come on a bit since 1987.