Making St. Brigid’s Crosses, Co. Kildare, Ireland 1963

The Holohan family of Redhills in Kildare make traditional St Brigid’s Crosses with reeds from the local bog.

‘Broadsheet’ visits the Holohan family as they prepare crosses in time for the feast of Saint Brigid.

The St Brigid’s Cross is a four-armed cross woven from rushes. The crosses are traditionally placed over doorways and windows in homes to protect those living there from harm.

Mrs Holohan explains the process involved in making the crosses. The family use rushes from the bogs. Beginning with just three rushes, the cross begins to take shape as more and more are woven together. In one night, the family can make around 150 crosses.

The people like to have them for their homes. Every year they buy fresh ones.

The Holohan family make the crosses for weeks in the lead up to St Brigid’s Day on 1 February. Once the crosses are finished, they are taken to the Parish Priest of St Brigid’s Church, Kildare, who blesses them before they are sold to parishioners.

Lucy Holohan, who works in Dublin, takes some of the crosses to the capital for friends and relations.

Fintan Holohan says that one year the family produced around two thousand crosses.

Fittingly, it is said that St Brigid was born in the area where the Holohan family live and have lived for generations going back six hundred years.

This episode of ‘Broadsheet’ was broadcast on 1 February 1963. The reporter is PP O’Reilly.