Clodagh Finn: The forgotten miracles of St Brigid — healer, abbess, and charioteer

Whatever you are doing, I think it safe to say that the whole country will rejoice in the Brigidine bank holiday, introduced in 2023

The reliquary which contains a fragment of St Brigid's skull purportedly taken there by Irish knights in the 13th century. Photo: Orla Riordan.

Mention the miracles of St Brigid and the story of her nimble land-grab at the expense of the king of Leinster is the one that most readily comes to mind.

As children, we were told how she persuaded the king to grant her as much land as her cloak would cover. When he agreed, four of her faithful each picked up a corner of her mantle and ran — I always picture them in a high-stepped gallop — in all directions until the garment covered a vast area in the plains of Kildare.