St. Brigid's Cathedral and Perpetual Flame, Ireland

St. Brigid's Cathedral is located in the town of Kildare, about 30 miles south of Dublin. While St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, St. Brigid is the patron saint of the country. Converted to Christianity at a young age, Brigid taught all over the island and founded several monasteries.

But it was in Kildare where she performed her first miracle and built her church under an oak tree. (Kildare means oak church.) Here Brigid built a convent for both men and women, a scriptorium, an art school and a school of metalworking. She also kept a perpetual flame here, in the fire pit behind the cathedral.

There are many holy wells and shrines to Brigid in Ireland, including Faughart, the town where she was born. Many followers make the annual 9-day pilgrimage in July, following the Pilgrimage Way from Faughart to Kildare.

This walk is said to awaken the creative feminine power and unite it with the masculine.

In Kildare, visitors can worship in the cathedral and climb the round tower to see the entire grounds of the church from May to September. Below the tower is the original fire pit.

The fire was extinguished by Henry VIII, but it burned again in 1993 and still burns inside the statue in the town square. On the outskirts of town, the Solas Bhride Center is the home of the Brigidine Sisters, where further learning can be found.

And nearby is one of the best known holy wells of St. Brigid, where you can pray and sip from its healing waters.