TV Logos Of Ireland
Part 4 - Saint Brigid And Her Cross - by Eamonn Hanratty
Spotlight
The origins of Saint Brigid's Cross and of Brigid herself date back to the time in history when Ireland was in the process of being converted from pagan belief to Christianity - a process begun by Saint Patrick on the hill of Slane, in the Boyne Valley of County Meath, when the then High King of Ireland was baptised and the paschal fire was kindled.
One of the legends of Saint Brigid tells of a dying pagan Chieftain who called her to his side. Many members of his family were already Christian and they wanted him to be baptised before passing away. But, as soon as Brigid reached him, the Chieftain had already lost the power of speech. It seemed too late for him to be converted.
In readiness to help the Chieftain's family through their difficult hours, Brigid quietly sat down. The Chieftain's household - like so many others in fifth-century Ireland - had its floors covered with rushes. From the ground, Brigid pensively picked a handful of rushes which she began to weave into the form of a cross.
Brigid seemed to be a little startled when the Chieftain suddenly regained consciousness, as if to enquire what she was doing. Brigid held to him in her hands the powerful symbol of the Christian faith which she had formed from the rushes. The Chieftain believed and was eventually baptised, thus fulfilling his relatives' wishes. He later passed away an uplifted, very happy and inspired man.
Brigid herself founded a monastery on the grassy plains of the Curragh, not far from Cill Dara (Kildare). Among the activities of its monks and nuns was a famous school of metal-work. But, according to the legends, Brigid herself was seen busy over tubs of home-brewed ale, making butter in the monastery's dairy, herding dairy cows, cattle, heifers, and sheep and looking after the reaping of the harvest field. But she was never deterred by the elements - of which rain was the most common. Brigid's pets included the shyest of untamed creatures, such as a wild duck or a fox.
According to the medieval Irish life which was chronicled in 'An Leabhar Breac', Brigid "...came from her sleep..." to welcome Brendan the Navigator, who himself became a famous Irish Saint, on a surprise visit. And according to the Book of Lismore, it's said that "the comradeship of the world's sons of reading is with Brigid...", as she was also a patron of arts and letters in her time.
In mid-January of 1962, when national public television in the Republic of Ireland was only a fortnight old, an Irish writer - Alice Curtayne - wrote in the RTV Guide (the radio/TV newspaper of the time) of the significance that Saint Brigid's Cross had to the Irish people:
"Now adopted as the symbol of Telefís Éireann, Saint Brigid's Cross conjures up in the mind the image of quiet, secret places in the springtime of our history, of rush-bordered rivers in a serene arcadian landscape. Token of the happy absorption of paganism into Christianity which took place on this island fifteen hundred years ago, it is particularly apt in this age of ecumenism - a primitive symbol in the proud sense of what is fresh, distinctive and underived."
One of the legends of Saint Brigid tells of a dying pagan Chieftain who called her to his side. Many members of his family were already Christian and they wanted him to be baptised before passing away. But, as soon as Brigid reached him, the Chieftain had already lost the power of speech. It seemed too late for him to be converted.
In readiness to help the Chieftain's family through their difficult hours, Brigid quietly sat down. The Chieftain's household - like so many others in fifth-century Ireland - had its floors covered with rushes. From the ground, Brigid pensively picked a handful of rushes which she began to weave into the form of a cross.
Brigid seemed to be a little startled when the Chieftain suddenly regained consciousness, as if to enquire what she was doing. Brigid held to him in her hands the powerful symbol of the Christian faith which she had formed from the rushes. The Chieftain believed and was eventually baptised, thus fulfilling his relatives' wishes. He later passed away an uplifted, very happy and inspired man.
Brigid herself founded a monastery on the grassy plains of the Curragh, not far from Cill Dara (Kildare). Among the activities of its monks and nuns was a famous school of metal-work. But, according to the legends, Brigid herself was seen busy over tubs of home-brewed ale, making butter in the monastery's dairy, herding dairy cows, cattle, heifers, and sheep and looking after the reaping of the harvest field. But she was never deterred by the elements - of which rain was the most common. Brigid's pets included the shyest of untamed creatures, such as a wild duck or a fox.
According to the medieval Irish life which was chronicled in 'An Leabhar Breac', Brigid "...came from her sleep..." to welcome Brendan the Navigator, who himself became a famous Irish Saint, on a surprise visit. And according to the Book of Lismore, it's said that "the comradeship of the world's sons of reading is with Brigid...", as she was also a patron of arts and letters in her time.
In mid-January of 1962, when national public television in the Republic of Ireland was only a fortnight old, an Irish writer - Alice Curtayne - wrote in the RTV Guide (the radio/TV newspaper of the time) of the significance that Saint Brigid's Cross had to the Irish people:
"Now adopted as the symbol of Telefís Éireann, Saint Brigid's Cross conjures up in the mind the image of quiet, secret places in the springtime of our history, of rush-bordered rivers in a serene arcadian landscape. Token of the happy absorption of paganism into Christianity which took place on this island fifteen hundred years ago, it is particularly apt in this age of ecumenism - a primitive symbol in the proud sense of what is fresh, distinctive and underived."
