Photo was taken at Altamount, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

A fern shows its true autumnal colours against the evening sun

Thought on Wednesday – November – 06/11/2013

‘A saint is a person who gives of themself without asking for anything in return. That’s how simple it is to be a saint.’ ~Edward James Olmos

Today in Ireland (Nov 6th) we celebrate the Feast of all Irish Saints. The list of Irish Saints is long and impressive. But the main feature of this feast is how many of these saints are uniquely special to their own local area or county or diocese. In Cork saints such as Finbarr and Gobnait are very popular, in Kerry it is Brendan, in Meath it is Finnian, in Dublin it is Laurence O’Toole, in Kildare it is Brigid and in Waterford it is Declan. We are only scratching the surface here. But if we go more local again the list becomes endless and also the stories that go with each saint! It might be a holy well, a cure, a miracle or something special about this saint that no one else quite has. It means the presence of God has found it’s way into every community and by road of Ireland. While increasing secularisation has swept through Ireland, the sparks of faith are alive and bursting with energy, particularly the more local you get. Today is a day of blessings from all these Irish saints but the one that matters most is from the saint of your local area.