Today, the first day of the month of February is known as “La Fheile Bride” in IRELAND, that is THE FEAST OF ST. BRIGID, with St. Brigid of Kildare being the second most popular Saint in all of IRELAND, just behind you know who. I try to explain to my non-Irish acquaintances the significance of BRIDY but sometimes they lose interest. Heathens they are. But when I show them the “cross” they say ,“I’ve seen that”. DUH.

   St. Brigid was one of four “fire” god/goddesses in Ireland before becoming a saint. The “fire” was a term for the changing of a season, the midpoints of the year, seasons. She represented IMBOLC which was an ancient festival marking the beginning of spring.Today St. Brigid is the patron saint representing many factors of Irish life including sailors, poetry, learning, healing, protection, blacksmithing, livestock and dairy production, teens, unmarried mothers, and children without fathers. She takes care of them all and  also had a reputation as an expert dairywoman and brewer, was reputedly could turn water into beer. She is my kind of goddess.

   To celebrate, on the eve of Her day, folks leave a piece of cloth outside their doors awaiting St. Brigid to come by and bless the cloth with the powers to heal and protect.That cloth is then woven into clothing, used in  drapes, or left hanging conspicuously around the home. On the first of February, a feast honoring her is held with a parade through town and later she is celebrated at homes with family activities culminating in the making of St. Brigid’s Cross.

   Next year, 2023, ST. BRIGID’S DAY will be a national bank holiday in THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND but not the six counties to the north to which I say “Fxxx The Crown, Hail, Muire na nGael” (Mary of The Irish).

   Next year, 2023, ST. BRIGID’S DAY will be a national bank holiday in THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND but not the six counties to the north to which I say “Fxxx The Crown, Hail, Muire na nGael” (Mary of The Irish).

THE RUSSIANS WERE COMING…

  Forget the UKRAINE, the REDS are screwing with IRISH FISHERMAN and that ain’t too cool.The Russian Naval Flotilla was planning a “war games” exercise in International waters, waters extremely close to Ireland’s maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. This exercise would have involved “live fire” 160 miles off the coast of Cork lasting for five days.This type of activity would be a threat to marine life and fish stocks in the area, the life’s blood for the Irish fishermen. As many as sixty Irish trawlers are planning to fish in the waters where the Russian exercises were being planned, as they do every year on February 1 when the fishing quota begins. However, this would have been the first time that Russian’s had sought to do a naval exercise in the area. Perhaps the Russians are being deliberately provocative.After much negotiations the Russian’s decided to change their plans. Let’s keep an eye on it.

to be continued…