Brighid’s Cloak
Each year at Ord Brighideach, we undertake a shared act of devotion: the creation of Brighid’s Cloak.
Those who feel called are invited to create small squares — simple offerings of time, care, and intention — which are gathered together and sewn into a single cloak. Made by many hands, the cloak becomes a living symbol of community, prayer, and devotion to our Lady of the Flame.
On Imbolc Eve, the completed cloak is hung outdoors, allowing Brighid to pass by and bless it as She walks the land. On Imbolc, one name is drawn from among our members, and the cloak is gifted to them — a tangible blessing, carried forward into the year ahead in gratitude for tending Brighid’s flame.
This practice is inspired by the old tradition of the Bratóg Bríde, a cloth left out on Imbolc Eve to receive Brighid’s healing touch. It is said that such a cloak may be used throughout the year for comfort, protection, and healing. In this same spirit, the cloak we create together is intended to carry warmth, care, and blessing beyond the turning of the season.
All are welcome to take part. Membership is not required — only a willingness to create with intention and to offer your work in honor of Brighid.
Artwork by Bette Dickinson
A Few Gentle Notes
You are welcome to contribute one square, or several, as you feel called.
As you create, you may wish to hold a prayer, name, or intention in your heart. Some stitch in silence, others with music or spoken words — all ways of making are welcome. What matters is the care carried into the work.
Please take a moment to weave in any loose ends and keep your square unblocked, allowing the cloak to come together naturally when all the pieces are joined.
To ensure the cloak is completed in time, we ask that squares be mailed so they arrive by mid-January, allowing space for the cloak to be assembled before Imbolc Eve.
If you wish, you may include a small note with your name and where you are creating from. These notes are held privately and with care.
After being blessed on Imbolc Eve and gifted on Imbolc, the cloak continues its life as a healing object — wrapped, worn, and tended with reverence throughout the year.
Imbolc 2024
It was a joy to continue the tradition of creating Brighid’s Cloak for a second year. What surprised me most was seeing how the cloak had grown — nearly doubling in size from the year before, even with one fewer contributor. It was a quiet reminder of how devotion gathers and multiplies in its own way.
This year, I took great care in joining the squares and chose to add a thicker border, allowing the cloak to feel more complete and held. The finished piece carried a depth and presence that felt deeply aligned with the spirit in which it was made.
Lara was the recipient of the cloak this year, and her gratitude was truly heart-warming. Moments like this affirm why we continue — not only to create something beautiful, but to share it as a living expression of care and community.
I look forward to seeing how this tradition continues to unfold in the years to come.
Imbolc 2023
The first Brighid’s Cloak was created with only a handful of contributors, yet it came together as something deeply beautiful. From the beginning, it felt like a quiet reminder that devotion does not require many hands — only willing ones.
Once the squares were joined, a simple border was added, allowing the cloak to feel complete and held as a single piece. Though modest in size, it carried a strong presence, shaped by care and intention.
The cloak was gifted to our member Maria, who received it with heartfelt gratitude. This first year affirmed what we sensed all along — that even the smallest beginning can carry great meaning.
A Living Tradition
The inspiration for this project is not new.
In County Kildare, the home of Brighid’s ancient flame, a remarkable act of communal devotion unfolded in recent years. Hundreds of people came together to knit and crochet small green squares, each made by individual hands and later joined into a vast cloak honoring Saint Brigid.
The work took months to complete. More than six hundred squares were assembled into a single garment — a living landscape of green, echoing the hills and fields of the Curragh. The cloak was displayed publicly, accompanied by figures of Brigid and her sheep, and became a visible expression of community, creativity, and reverence.
What matters most is not the scale of that project, but its spirit.
Across time and place, people have been called to honor Brighid not only through prayer, but through making — gathering small offerings into something greater than any one person could create alone. This is the lineage we step into with our own cloak: quieter in scale, but guided by the same devotion.
Each square, whether part of a great public work or a humble private one, carries intention. Each stitch becomes a prayer. And together, they form something that can be held, wrapped, and carried forward.
