DID you know that the skull of Louth's own saint, St Brigid, is kept in a little church at Lumiar, just outside Lisbon, in Portugal?

In 1276 the Bishop of Lisbon decided to build a church at Luimar and he placed it under the patronage of nuns at Odivilelas. When King Dinis of Portugal heard that three Irish knights were bringing St. Brigid's head to Portugal, he wanted to have it preserved in the convent of Odivelas, but it was placed in the church at Lumiar, where it remains to this day.

The three faithful knights remained with the Holy Relic for the rest of their days, and when they died they were interred in tombs let into the wall of St. Brigid's chapel.

The inscription reads: Here in these three tombs lie the three Irish knights who brought the head of St. Brigid, Virgin, a native of Ireland, whose relic is preserved in this chapel. In memory of which, the officials of the Table of the same Saint caused this to be done in January A.D. 1283.