St Gobnait – Ireland’s Patron Saint of Beekeepers

Happy Saint Gobnait’s Day. Our Irish patron saint of beekeepers. Lá Fhéile Gobnait Shona daoibh go léir.

Micheál has just gone off to bed and said it was the end of a perfect day.
We spent the day in Ballyvourney, beginning with St Gobnait’s Mass this morning and returning in the afternoon for the pattern. One of the best moments, as always, was the wrapping of the ribbons (measures) around St Gobnait’s 13th-century wooden statue after Mass — I’ve no photos of that this year.

Later, we did the rounds: the statue, the holy well, the grave, the old church, St Gobnait’s Ball, and the other sacred stops along the way. I’ve shared a few photos here including the Sheela-na-gig and An Gadaí Dubh on the church

#irishbeekeeping #irishbees #irishhoney #stgobnait #Ballyvourney