Object description
The O Dea Crozier is on display in the Museum on behalf of the Roman Catholic diocese of Limerick. The crozier was made to the order of Bishop Conor O Dea of Limerick in 1418 and still belongs to his successor.
The crozier is of typical medieval continental form based on the crook of a shepherd and is the only native example of this type known in Ireland. It is made up of a staff and the decorated head bearing the crook.
Made of silver-gilt, it measures over 6 feet long. The staff is formed in three sections screwed together with threads of silver wire. The upper row of niches contains enamel plaques showing the popular female saints of the time, including St.Brigid.
O Dea Crozier/Metal/15th century AD/Limerick Diocese /PD
St Brigid
St Brigid of Kildare is one of Ireland’s patron saints, and her story is intertwined with both Christian and pre-Christian traditions.
Born in the 5th Century in Louth, she is said to be the daughter of a slave and and Irish chieftain. Her mother was sold on to another owner when pregnant, and so Brigid was brought up as a slave. However, from an early age she was associated with charitable actions and worked miracles. It was the King of Leinster who recognised her holiness and granted her freedom from slavery.
Brigid went on to found a monastery in Kildare. An image of her as an Abbess can be seen here in the painted detail on the 15th Century crozier.
O Dea Crozier/Metal/15th century AD/Limerick Diocese /PD
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Brigit-of-Ireland
