A stranger arriving in Teach Ruairi in Gortahork on Monday night would have witnessed a tradition still strong in west Donegal, though dying out elsewhere. Rushes were scattered on the floor of the pub and a traditional dish of mashed potatoes was being served as more than 40 people of all ages gathered to make St Brigid's crosses. The custom has been going on in this pub for as long as anyone can remember and the owners, who only bought it 18 months ago, are keeping it alive by serving the mashed potatoes, known as poundings or bruitin, and offering a bottle of whiskey as a prize for the most elaborate cross.
Seamus McHugh, a local school principal, said the practice of gathering to make crosses was just one of many traditions he could remember from his youth. "The people of the area always had a very strong devotion to Brigid, probably because they could relate to her more than to the Pope or Jesus Christ, because she was one of their own," he said. Some of the traditions had pagan origins. On the eve of St Brigid's Day, a piece of cloth was hung outside a house, put there before sunset and left until sunrise. It was then regarded as sacred for the rest of the year. The person who brought it indoors circled the house three times before knocking and a special welcome prayer for Brigid was recited.
There was also a tradition that any rushes not used in the cross-making were boiled in a pot of water. A note or picture of a loved one would then be thrown into the pot by anyone with a grievance or bad thought who wanted help from St Brigid.
The crosses made on Monday night will be placed, in line with tradition, over the front doors of homes to ward off evil spirits.