{"product_id":"brigid-of-kildare-eochaid-mac-colla-9781069942548","title":"Brigid of Kildare: High Queen of Early Christian Ireland","description":"\u003cp\u003eWho was Brigid of Kildare-really?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot the romanticized goddess.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot the sanitized saint of greeting cards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut the historical woman who founded one of the most powerful spiritual centers in early medieval Europe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis book offers a clear-eyed, historically grounded portrait of \u003cstrong\u003eIreland's most influential female saint\u003c\/strong\u003e, drawing carefully from early sources while cutting through centuries of myth, nationalist invention, and modern spiritual projection.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBrigid emerges here as she was remembered by her own world: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ea fifth-century abbess of immense authority, founder of Kildare, protector of the poor, distributor of food and wealth, spiritual leader of both women and men, and a figure whose power unsettled kings and later churchmen alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRather than flattening Brigid into either legend or ideology, this book restores her complexity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou will discover: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat the earliest sources actually say about Brigid's life and authority\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow Kildare functioned as a center of sanctuary, hospitality, and real social power\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhy Brigid's generosity was considered disruptive, not sentimental\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat the miracle stories reveal about early Irish Christian values\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow and why the \"goddess Brigid\" theory arose-and where it breaks down\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat Brigid's spirituality looked like in practice: food, fire, protection, mercy, and justice\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAuthentic prayers and devotional texts rooted in manuscript tradition, not modern invention\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow Brigid's legacy shaped Irish Christianity long after her death\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten with scholarly care but plain language, \u003cstrong\u003eBrigid of Kildare: High Queen of Early Christian Ireland\u003c\/strong\u003e is neither devotional fluff nor academic abstraction. It is a serious, readable encounter with a woman whose life reshaped faith, power, and community in early Ireland-and whose influence still endures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor readers interested in: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarly Irish Christianity\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWomen and authority in the early church\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCeltic history beyond mythology\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHistorically grounded spirituality\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaint Brigid without romantic distortion\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the Brigid worth knowing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Eochaid Mac Colla\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1069942545\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781069942548\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Holy Well Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/31\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 136\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.42lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.29d","brand":"Eochaid Mac Colla","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48997572247807,"sku":"9781069942548","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/brigid-of-kildare-eochaid-mac-colla-9781069942548","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}