'We are taking her back' — Why St Brigid is being reclaimed by modern Irish women

As a bold reimagining of St Brigid arrives in bookshops this weekend, Gemma Fullam speaks with author Kim Curran and fellow admirers to explore why Ireland’s newest patron saint is resonating so strongly with women today

St Brigid's Well, Liscannor, County Clare, Ireland

“She's quite a petty bitch at times.”

Kim Curran, author of Brigid, is speaking to me over Zoom and doing a stellar job of humanising Ireland’s only female patron saint, who, it appears, had a zero-tolerance streak. “A leper she heals isn’t grateful enough, so she gives him his leprosy back.”