15 euro – St. Brigid

While one tradition says she was born in Louth, St. Brigid has particularly strong ties to Kildare. Her father was said to be a chieftain and her mother a slave. By the time she was in her teens she had decided that she would become a nun and use her faith as a way to help others. About AD 480, Brigid established a monastery that was the first of its kind in Ireland that had a place for both men and for women. The monastery was built beside a giant oak tree and the area became known as Cill Dara meaning ‘church of oak’. The oak leaf and St. Brigid’s cross have since become symbols associated with County Kildare. Many stories and myths surround St. Brigid but all highlight her values; her dedication to helping the poor, her striving for peace and a more just world and particularly challenging the traditional view of women’s role in society. Her life inspired many religious monks and scholars to leave Ireland during the Middle Ages and promote her values throughout Britain and Europe to the point where she was at times more famous than St. Patrick. Brigid’s influence and message still ring true 1500 years later.