Reclaiming Celtic Christianity

Some twenty miles south of Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the Ulster village of Downpatrick. It has 10,000 residents, two dozen pubs (a number of which I have had the pleasure of chugging a few pints), and one massive, glorious church: Down Cathedral. Built on a holy hill once used by the druids, transformed into a monastery and finally a church, it is also the traditional burial site of Ireland’s most revered saint: Patrick.

Patrick spent his life loving and serving the people of his adopted island home, so when he died on March 17, 461, he was buried on that sacred site, giving his name to the village and eventually the cathedral. But Ireland has three patron saints, and when Patrick died, a little girl emerged to take his place as spiritual leader – a native Celtic woman. Her name was Brigid.

In many ways, she was as important and…