Let’s cut to the chase: St. Brigid’s Day celebrates St. Brigid.
She lived circa the years 451 – 525. Yes, she was a real person.
Her name is referred to as Brigid officially in Ireland in the Irish language. It would be incorrect to spell her name as Bridget. You may see references to “Brigit”, but I would venture to say that’s at least not a standard way to refer to her in English.
Ireland has a public holiday each February to mark St. Brigid’s Day.
Bríd: Brigid in the Irish Language
Of more interest to us here at Bitesize Irish and our learners is how to say her name in the Irish language.
In the modern Irish language, it’s fine to refer to Brigid in the modern spelling of Naomh Bríd (St. Brigid).
Bríd is a name that survives today.
What about “Bríde”
Without getting stuck in grammar, you may have seen the form “Bríde” of her name, such as Lá Fhéile Bríde.
“Bríde” is the genitive form of “Bríd”. To say “The Festival of Brigid” we literally say “Lá Fhéile Bríde”.
Older spellings of Bríd
While Bríd is the standard spelling of St. Brigid in Irish, you may also see older spellings.
You may also see the spelling of Brighid, which is an older spelling of the modern Bríd spelling. As spelling was standardised in the Irish language, many words were shortened in their spelling.
More St. Brigid and the Irish language
You can see our articles on St. Brigid in the Irish langauge, including the origins and some celetebrations for St. Brigid’s Day.
Brigit seems to have come back in fashion! Note the festival!
Haigh Patricia, yes there’s slowly an increasing understanding in the public of Naomh Bríd’s role and importance. Wouldn’t it be nice if the public holiday in Ireland was the 1st February, rather than the first Monday of February? St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t move around like that.
Eoin
I’ve been playing around with data from the 1901/1911 Irish censuses, and I’ve found Bridget to be radically more common than Brigid. Perhaps 8 or 9 times more common.
Has the preferred anglicization changed over the years, do you know?
This is great, GRMA. Can you share the source of that image you’ve posted for her portrait here?
Hi Eliza, yes it’s a lovely image, isn’t it? We purchased it in Shutterstock:
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/interpretation-st-brigid-kildare-blue-habit-2207266975
So how do i hear it correctly
A Susan, a chara
Have a look at our other blog post on Brigid
https://www.bitesize.irish/blog/how-to-say-st-brigids-day-in-irish/