St Brigid's crosses are made nearly in all parts of the country. They are made on the evening before St Brigid's day and blessed on St Brigid's day. They are made of rushes. It was St Brigid made the first rush cross and there is a story connected with it. Here it is.
One day while St Brigid was in a Convent in the County Mayo. She was with a number of other Sisters. They were out walking. St Brigid said she wanted to visit a house some distant off. She and another started on their way. Before they got back the foggy dark night fell. They saw a light some distance off and they went to it to enquire the way. It happened to be the house of a pagan. They were greeted cheerfully and asked inside. St Brigid said she would like a drink, that she was thirsty. St Brigid wore a Cross on her breast. The man and woman of the house had a whisper and the woman asked St Brigid if she would like another drink, and she said she did not mind. This time the women went to the room to get the drink. Just as St Brigid was about to take some of the drink an angel appeared to her and told her that the drink was poisoned. There were rushes on the floor and St Brigid stooped down and pick up one and formed a cross of it. St put one end of the cross in to the drink and whatever poison was in the drink came out on the rush. She then drank it and asked the woman why did she want to poison her. The woman almost fainted at this and admitted she wanted to get the cross and fell at the feet of St Brigid and asked pardon. St Brigid forgave her and said (blessed) "whoever shall make a rush cross and have it blessed in honour of my escaping from been poisoned they shall have good luck and die a happy death"

St Brigid
St Brigid stands next to St Patrick as the greatest of our Irish Saints. She was born at Faughart near the present town of Dundalk. In those late years a beautiful shrine has been built over the birthplace of St Brigid and thousands of pilgrims visit it every year on her feastday.
Many customs are done in this place in honour of St Brigid. The people in this village make crosses of rushes and also of timber. On St Brigid's eve the man-of-the-house would hide a garment outside lest Brigid and her companions may be seeking for clothes and if so they would find the garment. There was a man not far from this village who used to go out at all hours of the night on St Brigid's Eve to see if he would see St Brigid. On St Brigid's day it is said that if the sunbeam comes the snow may be

The Feast of St. Brigid is 1st February. We make St. Brigid's cross on the eve of St. Brigid's Feast the 31st of January. It is made of a number of rushes and it is tied in the centre with more rushes. My father makes it. The crosses made of rushes are hung up in the cow-house and in the bed rooms of the house. It is said that the house would never go on fire as St. Brigid's Cross would protect us from fire. The Girdle of St. Brigid is made of straw or rushes plaited together with three crosses worked on it. On St. Patrick's morning a cross is made with a sally rod on one's arm three times saying the words of the Sign of the Cross. St. Brigids Eve a ribbon is

On St. Brigid's Day the people used to hang out a piece of cloth and that was said to cure a sore throat. In olden times the people used to leave a piece of bread in the window and that was said to cure any sickness. On St. Brigid's night the old people used go to the field and catch a sheep and pull a handful of wool and leave it on the doorstep on St. Brigid's night and when they had a cold they used wear it and it used to cure them for the round of the year. In olden times the people used leave all the animals out on St. Brigid's Night. It was said that none of the animals would die for that year. There is a stone in Knockrow (Knockroe) and it is said that St. Brigid used eat on it. It is about ten yards in width and there are some letters cut on it and there is a track of a saints' foot on it. On St. Brigid's Day people used to go and leave things on this stone in honour of St. Brigid.

Tales about Local Saints
Many Saints travelled this district such as St Brigid, St Attracta, and St Patrick. St Brigid is more familiar with the people of this district than any one of the other two saints. Breedogue church is dedicated to St Brigid. It is said that this built the old bridge across Breedogue river. The ruins of the Bridge is still to be seen. There are five or six little arches in the bridge. It is about fifteen hundred years ago since she built it. It is said that she started a bridge across Lough Gara and somebody laughed at her and she disappeared and the bridge was never finished from that day to this. This saint founded many convents throughout Ireland. She was an native of Kildare. It is not certain where she died but she was buried with St Patrick and St Columeille at Downpatrick. There is a well at a place called Annagh which is called after St Brigid There are severala people called after this saint in this distict. St Brigid's feast day falls on the 2nd of February but it is not a holiday of obligation. St Attracta travelled this district also. This Saint built the first hotel in Ireland in the town of Boyle. The church yard of Killaraght is called after her also.

There are not many blessed wells in Ennistymon. The principal wells are St. Brigid's, St. Joseph's and St. Craoibin's wells. St. Brigid's well is situated about three miles outside Ennistymon. There are special days doing the rounds at St Brigid's well. The days are the first February and the last Saturday of July. There is an eel in St. Brigid's well and any person that sees the eel will be cured from their decease. There was a big statue of St. Brigid at the well but it is now broken. It was presented by Mrs. Healy Ennistymon.
St. Joseph's well is in Miltown-Malbay Co. Clare. People visitsit on St. Joseph's day and on the 8th May. St. Craoibin's well is situation about two miles outside the town. The water out of this well cures sore eyes. There are special prayers to be said at these wells. The prayers are, six Our Fathers, six Hail Marys and six Glorias.

54) St Brigid's cross and St. Patrick's cross used to be made of straw.

There are five Holy Wells in this Parish, St. Patrick's in Reynaun, St. Monahan's in the townland of Kilantubber, St. Brigid's in the townland of Castletown, another St. Monahan's in the townland of Leamonaghan, and another St. Brigid's in the townland of Straduff. People still visit them, to get cured. But they can only visit St. Monahan's to get cured on St. Monahan's day. When they visit St. Monahan's well on St. Monahan's day they bring home with them a bottle of the water from the well, and then the water is good to cure until St. Monahan's day comes again. Rounds are still performed and prayers said. Each well has a cure for a different disease. St. Monahan's in Kilantubber cures toothache, and St. Monahan's in Leamonaghan cure sore eyes. St. Brigid's in Castletown cures toothache and St. Brigid's in Straduff cures swelling. Offerings are usually left behind at the well. Once the owner of (the well) St. Brigid's well in Castletown, closed the well because the people were visiting the well and trespassing on his field. Every night after the well was closed, the water used to come up on the room floor, and it used to go down again in the morning, but every night the water used ot rise higher and he had to open the well again. There is an old Whitethorn tree beside St. Monaghan's well in Kilantubber and it is said to be there since St. Monahan blessed the well.

The people of this district believe in several old customs connected with the feast days of the year. The most important festivals are namely St. Brigid’s day, St. Patrick’s day, Easter, Halloween, Christmas and St. Stephen’s day. St. Brigid’s day which falls on the first of February is the first important festival of the year. On that night some of the people make crosses out of rushes and hand one in every room over the door and bless them. On St. Brigid’s night the doors of the houses are left open the fires unquenched so that St. Brigid and her followers may come in and warm themselves and bless the house. When everyone is in bed the head of the house takes one of everyone’s clothes and leaves them somewhere for St. Brigid to wear and keep herself warm. St. Patrick’s day fall on the seventeenth

The principal festivals of the year are:- St. Brigid's Day; St. Patricks day; Good Friday; Shrove Tuesday; Ash Wednesday; Easter Sunday; Halloween, Christmas and St. Stephen's Day. There are old customs in this district which are put into practise on these feast days. Each district has it's own beliefs and customs which are handed down, from generation to generation, from father to son, until they reach our day. These are the old customs of my own district.St Brigid's Day:- One St. Brigid's Day (1st February), we commemorate the death of St. Brigid, who died on that day On St. Brigid's Eve, crosses of rushes and straw are made in her honour. The rushes are cut before sunset, and are left outside till night. Then there is a pot of poundeys made for the supper, and after the poundeys are eaten, tea is taken. After that someone goes out for the rushes, kneels on them at the doorstep and says three times "Go on your knees, open your eyes and let in St. Brigid." Those who are inside answer three times "She's welcome." The rushes are then taken inside and crosses are made, and are put up in the different places of the house, and in all the outhouses, to save everyone from sickness, fire and lightning. There are different causes as to why these crosses are made, and it is said that one time there was a great

a feast would be held. Before the feast some girl of the family would dress in a red cloak and go out of the house. When she would go out of the house she would take the bundle of rushes under her arm and knock at the door. The people in the house would ask "Who is there" and she would answer St. Brigid. Then they would say "Come in St Brigid". When St. Brigid would come in she would leave her bundle of rushes under the table and she would sit at the head of the table; then the rest of the people would sit around it and eat the supper. After the supper every one would make a St. Brigid's Cross and on the following day the would get them blessed by a priest and one of them would be hung over every door in the house so that the house would be under the protection of St. Brigid for the rest of the year. The feast of St. Brigid falls on the of February.St. Patrick's Day is also a great feast in Ireland. This feast is a holiday of Obligation. On that day every person wears shamrocks. St. Patricks Day falls on the 17th of March.On Good Friday our Lord was crusfied on Mount Calvary. The people observe certain

St Brigid's Eve is on the 31st January every year. The people of Ireland have a lot of customs on St. Brigid's Eve. One of the customs is to make crosses of flat sticks and to tack them to the ceiling. We make the crosses every St. Brigid's Eve. We put up a cross on the ceiling of our house every St. Brigid's Eve. We have twelve crosses at present.

There is a cure for warts at St brigid's well in Ardagh. Many people are called after St Brigid. People who would work on St Brigid's day would cut their arm or their leg with a scythe or something like that. St Brigid is connected with our district.

The Saint of this district is St. Brigid. St. Brigid was going through Kilcullen one day and she took a drink out of a well there. It was then called St. Brigid's well. Some people in Kilcullen are called after St Brigid.

The principal feasts in this district are St (Bridg) Bridigd’s [sic] Eve, Shrove Tuesday, St Patricks Day, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, St Johns Eve, or the Bonefire night, Hallow Eve, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year.
On St Brigid’s Eve, a sheaf of green rushes is cut and left out side the house, until after dark, After dusk the rushes are brought into the house in St (Bride) Brigid’s name. Each one then makes a cross with the green rushes. Next day holy water is shaken on the crosses, one is then put in each (room) room in the house, and one in the out house, all the inmates and all the animals are placed under the protection of St. Brigid’s. After the making of the (making) crosses on St Brigid’s Eve a feast in held in house.
Shrove Tuesday, or bock Tuesday as it is here called, comes next; It was always kept a great feast day long ago but not so much now, since

St Brigid's Day falls on the 1st of February is the feast day of the patroness of Ireland. People make a stations to her well on that day. There is one of them at Oughteraugh, and every 1st of February people make a station to that well. The water from that well is said to be a cure for a pain in the back. Another custom on St. Brigid's Day is to make a cross out of rushes and hang it up in the house for protection. It is called St. Brigid's Cross. On St. Brigid's Day children gather flowers and leave them round the door in honour of St. Brigid.

In nearly every house there is a trap door in the ceiling in which St. Brigid's cross, St. Joseph's cloak, St. Patrick's cross are kept. St. Brigid's cross was made from tin, rushes and glue. St. Joseph's cloak was made beautifully, first rushes were taken then covered with plain white cloth on which was painted every colour. Then a cord was put around the neck of it and the people regard it as the best of the relics of long ago. Then there is St. Brigid's cloak made in much the same manner.

Long ago the old men and women made St Brigid's crosses and St Patrick's crosses. St Brigid's cross was made from straw and glue. St Patrick's cross was made from straw, glue and tin. These crosses were placed behind the rafters in the ceiling and the people thought that while these crosses were in the house nothing would ever happen the people living in the house. There are still some crosses of St Brigid and St Patrick in the parish of Athenry and there are still some people living who are able to make those crosses.

St Brigids Eve is held on the first of February. This is a custom in my village. At sunset on the Eve of the feast the man of the house goes out and cuts a bundle of rushes and then he makes a circle of them round the house. When the feast begins he goes round the house again and picked up the rushes and when he comes to the open door he asks some petition of St Brigid. On the next day the bundle of rushes are placed under the table where the feast would be and then everybody would pertake of the feast. Anybody who did this is said to have good luck. Another custom was to make little crosses in honour of St Brigid and to hang a cross in each room and in each barn. On St Brigid's Eve als each member of the faimely gets an old garment and hides it in some secret place. They do this so that St Brigid and her holy women may find warm clothes on their journey, to all those who show honour to her. They leave the door open so St Brigid and her holy women may warm themselves by the quenched fire.

placed in position in honour of a saint or feast.
St. Brigid's Cross is made of rushes and is hung up on the rafters of a house on St. Brigid's Eve. It is said, to keep bad luck away from the house.
St. Brigid went into a house, one day, where there was a married couple living, to get a drink, because she was thirsty. St. Brigid was wearing a beautiful cross around her neck, and when the woman of the house saw it, she longed to get it. The woman of the house handed St. Brigid a poisonous cup of milk. St. Brigid picked up a rush off the ground which was covered with rushes, and