During the 5th Century, Christianity was sweeping through Ireland. During this time St. Patrick was travelling all over Ireland using the symbol of the shamrock to spread the word of God, educating and helping the natives understand the Christian faith.
He was in his later years when word spread that he would be passing through the area of Cutteen, Kilrossanty up in the Comeragh Mountains. As Patrick was a well-known person by this stage and held with such reverence it was customary to host him on his travels. This would mean the locals would have to give him a place to rest, eat and drink.
However the poor locals didn't have much to spare but did their best to prepare for his upcoming visit. So out they went collecting fire wood and water from the well. They also decided they would give up their bedding and sleep on the bare floor for the night so as to ensure Patrick had a comfortable place to rest. However these poor people didn't have any meat to provide Patrick with a meal fit for a man of such reverence. So they decided to go hunt, unfortunately all they came across that day was a wild dog. Deciding the meat of a dog was better than no meat at all, they killed the dog and brought it back to be prepared for dinner.
Early that evening Patrick arrived in Cutteen and the locals went out to meet him. They welcomed him and invited him to stay the night and have dinner with them. Patrick graciously accepted and returned to the homestead with them.
All was going well and Patrick was drinking and sharing the teachings of Christ with his hosts. After a short while he was presented with the meal his hosts had prepared. Patrick was horrified as a cooked dog lay on the plate placed in front of him. As he chastised his hosts for serving him such an offensive meal, he made a sign of the cross over the dog and to his host's utter shock the dog came back to life. The dog leapt off of the plate and bounded out the door and over the mountains. The path which the resurrected dog took through the mountains came to be known as Béarna Madra (dog's gap).
Even after Patrick resurrected the offending dog, he was still so angry that before he left his would-be hosts, he caused a shower of rocks to fall from the sky and rain down upon that area of land in the Comeraghs as punishment.
The poor locals from Cutteen were disgraced and miserable, as their land was now full of rocks and stone. News of their ordeal spread throughout the surrounding areas eventually reaching Brigid- who was still a young girl in comparison to the elderly Patrick.
Brigid had a great empathy for all poor people in Ireland and so she travelled to Kilrossanty to see the damage for herself. Upon meeting the locals and hearing the story she learned how the hosts had only the best intentions and meant no offense, So Brigid decided to help the poor folk of Kilrossanty.
So while the rocks and stones remained- and still remain to this day, Brigid made the land fertile and grow lush with green grass. Brigid ensured the grass had double the blades of any land around. The locals now had fertile land to farm and so began Brigid's deep ties to the lands of Kilrossanty and it's people.
Still to this day the local church is named St. Brigid's Church. Also, in the same area is the field below the old church cemetery containing three holy wells. Our Lady's Well, St. Patrick's Well and St. Brigid's Well.
These Holy Wells are known to have healing abilities with many stories throughout the years attesting to their miraculous powers.
On the 1st of February, the feast day of St. Brigid, locals will visit the Wells after mass and complete three round of the Wells while reciting the rosary. At each well they will recite 5 our fathers three times and take three drinks from each well while also offering tributes of buttons, medals and rags etc.
And so the connection between Kilrossanty and St. Brigid continues on...
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