“Ye do not know his name, then?” “Nay, I’m afraid I do not.”
“Let me tell ye. I know his name.”
She studied his expression. What could it matter? The sisters buried unknown people all the time.
Dunlaing lowered his gaze to the ground and spoke in whispers. “I have very capable servants, Brigid. While looking for ye, they discovered the identity of the man ye ministered to in his dying moments.”
“Who is it, then?”
Dunlaing placed a hand on her shoulder. “Brigid, the man in that grave is yer father, Dubthach of Glasgleann.”
Brigid turned from the king and returned to the gravesite. She covered her mouth with one hand and bent down to retrieve the cross with the other. Tears dripped onto the woven reeds.
Regret? Pain? Sorrow? They blended so that she could not tell one from the other. Had she known it was him, would she have been so willing to share the story of salvation? She would never know, God help her.
The poor will always be with us. Brigid clutched the cross to her chest and hurried back home, not because her mother would soon be there, but because God had always been.
Glossary
ath (pronounced: AH) – ford of a river
bodhran (BOD-run) – hand-held goatskin drum often played with a stick
Brehon (bre-HOON) – judge of the ancient unwritten Irish laws
crannog (CRAN-uk) – ancient Irish dwelling or fort built on an island
curragh (CURR-akh – “kh” as in Scottish “loch”) – a boat made of animal skins on a wooden frame
maimeo (MAH-mo) – grandma mamai (MAH-mee) – mama
ogham (AW-gum) – early Irish alphabet in the form of notches inscribed on memorial stones; a stone bearing such writing
Samhain (SOW-in) – ancient Celtic celebration in early November to mark the beginning of winter; elements of the festival remain in All Soul’s Day and Hallowe’en
seanachaidh (SHAN-a-khee) – wandering storyteller seanathair (SHAN-a-hir) – grandfather seanmhathair (SHAN-va-hir) – grandmother
Tuatha De Danaan (TU-a-ha day da-NAWN) – lit. “Children of the Goddess Dana”; the pre-Christian gods of Ireland
Names – pronunciation guide
Aine (AWN-ya)
Cu Chulainn (koo HOO-lin)
Dubtach (DUFF-akh)
Eoghanachta (YOO-an-akh-ta)
Geall (GYAWL0
Maire (MOI-ra)
Author’s Note
St. Brigid of Kildare lived from the late fifth to early sixth century. While, according to most historians, her life did not overlap with St. Patrick’s, she was influenced by him. Much of what is known about her comes from two well-known ancient biographies: The Life of St. Brigit the Virgin by the eighth century monk Cogitosus, who was from Kildare, the site of Brigid’s duel monastery; and Beatha Bhrighdi (The Life of Brigid) in the Leabhar Breac (The Speckled Book), dating to the 15th century. There were others written about her and these numerous accounts sometimes contradict each other. Many people believe that the legends of the goddess Brigid and the life of the real St. Brigid have merged over time, and this is likely true to some extent. The stories are so fanciful that Joseph A. Knowles, writing in his St. Brigid, Patroness of Ireland, felt compelled to offer this caution to readers of the ancient works on Brigid: “In a life of the Saint…many legends and traditions must be introduced to stimulate the devotion of the reader, and to relieve the monotony which would inevitably ensue from a mere studied recital of historical detail.” He goes on to quote a translator who urged that the stories be read with an understanding of the mindset and traditions of the ancient people. Ah, a good Irish tale! The Irish have a saying: “Don’t let the truth get in the way of what really happened!” All of this is what makes Brigid’s story a fascinating theme for a novel. What I’ve written are my own fictional interpretations of a life that was most certainly lived in service to others.
In my story there is good and evil on both sides, whether Christian or pagan. But as Brigid has taught me, God’s light has the ability to shine everywhere and on everyone.
Brigid of Ireland (Daughters of Ireland Book 1) Page 29