Louth's Crest: It is enough to make St Brigid cross

Two counties have an affinity with St Brigid’s, this one and Kildare. But going strictly on what daily papers and television had to offer around the time of Brigid’s Feast Day, at the beginning of this month, you’d think she was all of Kildare’s and had nothing to do with Louth.

Organisations throughout this county, however, were well to the fore, celebrating Brigid 1500 in splendid fashion. Dundalk put on memorable exhibition, The Northern Lights – Brigid 1500.

It had three free shows at the town centre each evening for five days with music and a stunning light installation. The lighting stays in place for the rest of this month, and even that’s worth seeing.

Brigid might have had a monastery in Kildare, but it is in was in Louth where she was born. I would think that gives us the stronger call. There’s a shrine at her Faughart birthplace which has been visited by thousands upon thousands over the years.

A picture in the magnificent history Roche Emmets, published in 1997, shows the then-Taoiseach, Éamon de Valera, visiting the shrine in 1934, accompanied by among others, Frank Aiken, who, for many years, was a Louth TD, Tánaiste and Government Minister.

Roche Emmets, whose area embraces Faughart, are one of six Louth clubs who have the St Brigid’s Cross on their crest. Others are St Bride’s, Lannléire, Knockbridge Hurling, Na Piarsaigh/Blackrock and John Mitchel’s.

The Cross also features on the Louth and Kildare county jerseys. Louth first adopted it in 1957, soon after the All-Ireland win.

The suggestion came from Carlingford lady, Miss Lily Woods, who made representation to The County Board. What Miss Woods had in mind was a green Cross embroidered on a shield. Her idea was unanimously agreed by the board.

The design has had a number of changes since then, the one for a few years prior to 2010 featuring the St Brigid’s Cross along with the Mary McAleese Bridge on the M1 Motorway, spanning the Boyne River.

It’s not known if the controversial Leinster final of 2010 prompted Drogheda club, O’Rahilly’s, to propose that there be a new crest, one that didn’t feature the bridge. They argued that part of the area surrounding the bridge was in County Meath.

The County Board accepted the proposal, opting instead for a simpler design of Brigid’s Cross. It’s the one worn on today’s jerseys.