St Brigid relic was not in stolen shrine

A HOLY shrine that normally contains a relic of St Brigid has been stolen from a church as worshippers prepare for the patron saint’s feast day.

Thieves made off with the rare Celtic-designed reliquary that was screwed into the altar at St Brigid’s Church in Killester, Co Dublin, yesterday.

Believed to be worth €10,000, the distinctive press housed a small piece of St Brigid’s skull brought back to Ireland from Portugal in 1929.