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Saint Brigid & Other Amazing Irish Women
Ireland is the the land of saints and scholars, but how many of them were women?
Lorraine Mulholland has penned an encyclopedia of Irish women from all walks of life who made a place for themselves in the annals of history as saints, scholars, healers and more! Staying true to the original stories as much as mythic and folkloric influences would allow, Lorraine aims the tales at young readers interested in learning about Old Ireland and its female heroes. Interactive chapter ends where readers are posed questions to build their understanding of these figures and their adventures make this book appealing in home or educational settings. Accompanied by riveting illustrations, the book is a must-have for budding Irish readers with an interest in history, mythology and folklore.
Lorraine Mulholland has penned an encyclopedia of Irish women from all walks of life who made a place for themselves in the annals of history as saints, scholars, healers and more! Staying true to the original stories as much as mythic and folkloric influences would allow, Lorraine aims the tales at young readers interested in learning about Old Ireland and its female heroes. Interactive chapter ends where readers are posed questions to build their understanding of these figures and their adventures make this book appealing in home or educational settings. Accompanied by riveting illustrations, the book is a must-have for budding Irish readers with an interest in history, mythology and folklore.
220 pages, Hardcover
Published May 4, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 4, 2024
Great read about Irish women saints!
March 21, 2023
Firstly, this book took a tremendous amount of research to write so I commend Lorraine for that. The illustrations are nice and her writing is very logical and shows evidence of reflection.
I love how she included Saint Cainnear (or Cainer) a saint I admire very much. Among the others she writes about are Cranat, Dervla, Samthann, Grimonia, Gobnait, Ita, Bronagh and other saints.
On a negative note however I found the book perhaps is too wordy and contains too much text. If it had less text perhaps with a larger font size I would have liked it more and it might also have been more suitable for kids, especially since the book is aimed at kids. Another thing I didnt like was the activity section after each story. I just felt it was excessively juvenile and irrelevant even for kids.
In any case I commend Lorraine for promoting the forgotten saints of Ireland, a task she has no doubt achieved by this book.
I love how she included Saint Cainnear (or Cainer) a saint I admire very much. Among the others she writes about are Cranat, Dervla, Samthann, Grimonia, Gobnait, Ita, Bronagh and other saints.
On a negative note however I found the book perhaps is too wordy and contains too much text. If it had less text perhaps with a larger font size I would have liked it more and it might also have been more suitable for kids, especially since the book is aimed at kids. Another thing I didnt like was the activity section after each story. I just felt it was excessively juvenile and irrelevant even for kids.
In any case I commend Lorraine for promoting the forgotten saints of Ireland, a task she has no doubt achieved by this book.
February 7, 2026
The book was incredibly well researched and I loved reading about the transition era from Pagan to Catholic and all the lost saints. Ireland being Ireland I was still suprised how everyone seemed to be related. However, some of the stories were longer than they needed to be with the authors embellishments I personally would have liked a more objective telling. I know the book is aimed at kids but the activities and questions felt abit patronising. Similar to being in religion class where rather than being encouraged to draw our own conclusions we were lead to what we should think of each story. Still glad I read it and I know more about the different saints who shaped early christian Ireland.
February 10, 2024
A gorgeous book about female legends.
I love Irish mythology and Irish women's history so this was a wonderful book to read. It is beautifully illustrated and I adored all of the stories of so many awe-inspiring and enchanting figures.
It is one of those books that made me wish I had a daughter or a niece because I would love to gift this to a young girl and open her mind to the wonder of female led stories.
I love Irish mythology and Irish women's history so this was a wonderful book to read. It is beautifully illustrated and I adored all of the stories of so many awe-inspiring and enchanting figures.
It is one of those books that made me wish I had a daughter or a niece because I would love to gift this to a young girl and open her mind to the wonder of female led stories.
August 5, 2025
This book is like an encyclopaedia, lovingly crafted to learn more about the women who were part of Irish history. It is enjoyable to read, very comprehensive in its information, and beautifully illustrated. Thanks to Lorraine Mulholland, readers (whether Irish or simply lovers of Ireland) are immersed in history and folklore.
February 12, 2024
This book is clearly for age 9-adults. While it is marketed as for age 9+, adults would equally enjoy it. It is for the whole family. Parents/grandparents/religious leaders/Religious Education teachers would find it very useful to read to children…at home or in school. The stories are long; the point being that they include all the stories known about each person covered. This obviously took years of research which is to be applauded.
It is the only book every written on all the Irish female saints. The fact that it is only on girls (maybe quite young) and women is refreshing. The #herstory campaign in Ireland was obviously an influence.
The book consists of 23 long stories (if long is a problem invest in a bookmark, or better still get your child to make one based on one of the ladies written about! Decorate it with bees for Saint Gobnait etc)!!!
The 23 stories are about: Attracta, Bega, Brigid, Brigid of Fiesole, Brónach, Buriana, Cainer, Cranat, Dahalin, Darbiled, Dymphna, Faber, Fanchea, Gobnait, Grimonia, Ia, Íte, Lí Ban, Lupait, Moninne, Samthann, Sunniva, & 3 sisters from Dunhallow, Co. Cork!
Each story finishes with an activity task and lots of interesting facts.
There is loads of interesting Irish mythology and folklore throughout the book. For example, the story about Lí Ban is folklore from start to finish. She was a mermaid from Lough Neagh! Like her story, each story is little known (with the exception possibly of some of St Brigid's stories) - these are important traditional Irish tales that deserve to be kept for posterity. Lorraine has worked hard to study the martyrologies from the 8th century onwards, up to 19th century scholars such as Canon O'Hanlon, right up to present day scholars, such as Dr Elva Johnston.
The reader benefits from not having to read old, academic papers and books - their stories have been given a fresh take. At times creative license is used to make them fresh for children, but that does not diminish their enjoyment for adults.
The last chapter is called Wonder Women (each woman in the 23 stories actually is described by a relevant adjective to make it more cool for children). It lists 343 names of early medieval Irish female saints. This would be a great present for someone choosing traditional Irish baby names for a girl - just one of many reasons to buy this book. There are then 20 short paragraphs about lesser-known female saints - who are very interesting but haven't enough material for their own long stories. Take for example the unnamed woman who St Columba/Colmcille saw in a vision, being taken to heaven. OR, Cuman, the saint who had either 20 or 47 children!
For this reason it could be described as an encyclopaedia of all the Irish female saints!
Then there is a handy glossary, and best of all a good, long challenging quiz of 55 questions. The answers are all given at the back. Great fun, not too hard, and a good memory aid to finish the book.
The introduction and conclusion are both great too. Lorraine wrote her own fun poetry for these, and there is also her poetry dotted throughout some of the 23 stories.
The introduction covers the reasons for younger readers to read the book well. Do you like princesses? Do you like horrible, gruesome history? Are you interested in folklore? What about pirates, dragons and mermaids? Do you like animals? - these are all cited as reasons to read this book as it is full of them - lots of princesses but with a difference, for example!
The book is gorgeously illustrated by Matthew Jackson. The front over is an outstanding interpretation of Saint Brigid of Kildare. Also, every other story inside is illustrated to the same high standard.
Made on high quality paper and in hardback format, this is a book to be treasured.
It is the only book every written on all the Irish female saints. The fact that it is only on girls (maybe quite young) and women is refreshing. The #herstory campaign in Ireland was obviously an influence.
The book consists of 23 long stories (if long is a problem invest in a bookmark, or better still get your child to make one based on one of the ladies written about! Decorate it with bees for Saint Gobnait etc)!!!
The 23 stories are about: Attracta, Bega, Brigid, Brigid of Fiesole, Brónach, Buriana, Cainer, Cranat, Dahalin, Darbiled, Dymphna, Faber, Fanchea, Gobnait, Grimonia, Ia, Íte, Lí Ban, Lupait, Moninne, Samthann, Sunniva, & 3 sisters from Dunhallow, Co. Cork!
Each story finishes with an activity task and lots of interesting facts.
There is loads of interesting Irish mythology and folklore throughout the book. For example, the story about Lí Ban is folklore from start to finish. She was a mermaid from Lough Neagh! Like her story, each story is little known (with the exception possibly of some of St Brigid's stories) - these are important traditional Irish tales that deserve to be kept for posterity. Lorraine has worked hard to study the martyrologies from the 8th century onwards, up to 19th century scholars such as Canon O'Hanlon, right up to present day scholars, such as Dr Elva Johnston.
The reader benefits from not having to read old, academic papers and books - their stories have been given a fresh take. At times creative license is used to make them fresh for children, but that does not diminish their enjoyment for adults.
The last chapter is called Wonder Women (each woman in the 23 stories actually is described by a relevant adjective to make it more cool for children). It lists 343 names of early medieval Irish female saints. This would be a great present for someone choosing traditional Irish baby names for a girl - just one of many reasons to buy this book. There are then 20 short paragraphs about lesser-known female saints - who are very interesting but haven't enough material for their own long stories. Take for example the unnamed woman who St Columba/Colmcille saw in a vision, being taken to heaven. OR, Cuman, the saint who had either 20 or 47 children!
For this reason it could be described as an encyclopaedia of all the Irish female saints!
Then there is a handy glossary, and best of all a good, long challenging quiz of 55 questions. The answers are all given at the back. Great fun, not too hard, and a good memory aid to finish the book.
The introduction and conclusion are both great too. Lorraine wrote her own fun poetry for these, and there is also her poetry dotted throughout some of the 23 stories.
The introduction covers the reasons for younger readers to read the book well. Do you like princesses? Do you like horrible, gruesome history? Are you interested in folklore? What about pirates, dragons and mermaids? Do you like animals? - these are all cited as reasons to read this book as it is full of them - lots of princesses but with a difference, for example!
The book is gorgeously illustrated by Matthew Jackson. The front over is an outstanding interpretation of Saint Brigid of Kildare. Also, every other story inside is illustrated to the same high standard.
Made on high quality paper and in hardback format, this is a book to be treasured.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews