Great Irish Saints

• Saint Patrick is of course the most well-known Irish saint, and today millions of Irish and non-irish alike celebrate the feast held in his name. Patrick was originally of a Roman family, and a child was taken hostage by an Irish raiding party and forced to work as a shepherd in Ireland. However, guided by a dream, he escaped and studied in several monasteries around Europe. Unembittered by his Irish experience, he heeded a request from the Pope to return and travelled throughout the country, his mission effectively marking the conversion of Ireland to a Christian country.

• Saint Brigid was the daughter of a local pagan Irish king; her mother was a slave who had been converted by St Patrick. From an early age, she had inclinations towards a spiritual life which her father resisted. She was famed for her generosity and would give her father's belongings to anyone who needed them. Finally, he father agreed to let her enter a convent. When they asked a local king for land for an abbey, the king contemptously replied they could have as much land as her cloak could cover. Lo and behold, Brigid opened her cloak and it spread out to over a very sizeable area of land indeed. Her monastery at Kildare became a very important centre of learning.

• A more recent figure is Margaret Noble, who was born in Tyrone. In 1898, she met the great spiritual figure Swami Vivekananda, who had five years previously was instrumental in introducing Eastern philosophy to the West with his memorable plea for harmony between religions at the inaugural World Parliament of Religions in 1893. She began learning spirituality under his guidance and was given the name 'Nivedita', meaning one who is consecrated to God. Upon hearing a remark upon how well she had converted to Hinduism, Vivekananda's sharp reply was that he was not trying to make her a Hindu, he was trying to make her a better Christian. After Vivekananda's death in 1902, Nivedita continued on his work of education in India. In particular she is remembered for her tireless work to improve the lot of Indian women and for being of tremendous inspiration to those struggling for Indian independence. She has often been spoken of as a forerunner to Mother Teresa, who incidentally spent the formative years of her spiritual life in Ireland.

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More details: http://timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/international/ar~.ece

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