Ireland celebrates the life of St. Brigid of Kildare with a new 2024 Proof .925 fine silver €15 coin.

This coin marks 1,500 years since the death of St. Brigid and was struck by the Royal Dutch Mint.

While one tradition says she was born in Louth, St. Brigid has particularly strong ties to Kildare.

Her father was said to be a chieftain and her mother a slave. By the time she was in her teens, she had decided that she would become a nun and use her faith as a way to help others.

About A.D. 480, Brigid established a monastery that was the first of its kind in Ireland in having a place for men and for women. The monastery was built beside a giant oak tree and the area became known as Cill Dara meaning “church of oak.” The oak leaf and St. Brigid’s cross have since become symbols associated with County Kildare.

Stories and myths

Many stories and myths surround St. Brigid but all highlight her values, her dedication to helping the poor, her striving for peace and a more just world and, particularly, challenging traditional views of women’s role in society.

Her life inspired many religious monks and scholars to leave Ireland during the Middle Ages and promote her values throughout Britain and Europe to the point where she was at times more famous than St. Patrick. Brigid’s influence and message still ring true 1,500 years later.

The obverse of the coin carries the classic Irish harp. The reverse depicts St. Brigid holding a flaming bowl (said to be from a pre-Christian fire tradition at the site, whose tending she apparently preserved), and a staff. An oak leaf and her cross are included.

The coin weighs 28.28 grams, measures 38.61 millimeters in diameter, and has a mintage limit of 2,000 pieces. It is packaged in a capsule and box, with a certificate of authenticity.

The coin is available from U.S.-based distributor Royal Scandinavian Mint, for $86.75.

To order or learn more, visit the firm’s website, www.rsmint.com.

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