St. Brigid was born in 451 or 452. Her father was an Irish master and her mother was a servant, and both were baptized by St. Patrick. When Brigid was very young she responded to the call of the Lord to the religious life. She was very generous with the poor. At 20 years old, she founded the first convent in Ireland in Kildare which became famous for its devotion and formation. Saint Brigid saw the necessary link between faith and intellect which was manifested in the life of the convent.

She is known as the patroness of dairy for an incident during her youth. Her mother gave her money to buy butter but she instead gave the money to the poor along the way. On another occasion, when she was older, St. Brigid gave water to a poor person and it turned into milk. She died on February 1, 525. She is known also as the Mary of Gael and is buried beside St. Columba and St. Patrick.

Sources: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=453

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