THE WORLD'S DEBT TO THE IRISH 
considered to have been Bridget’s own candidate for 
the position. As we have said he is usually spoken 
of in history as “Bridget’s brazier” because he was 
famous as a fine worker in metals to whom Bridget 
had offered the opportunity to employ his skill in 
the making of beautiful objects of various kinds for 
the abbey. According to tradition, he was also a 
teacher of decorative art, especially in the metals in 
Bridget’s school at Kildare. It was here that was 
laid the foundation of that reputation for the mak- 
ing of beautiful shrines, chalices, brooches and other 
objects for which the Irish were so famous in suc- 
ceeding centuries. 
Bridget seems to have encouraged in every way 
the making of beautiful things. It is the tradition so 
well authenticated with regard to this that makes it 
seem very likely that when Gerald Barry, Giraldus 
Cambrensis, made his visit to Kildare, he was actu- 
ally shown the very beautiful copy of the Scriptures 
which he tells us that he saw there and which he 
considered to be the most beautiful book in the 
world. It was thought for a time that perhaps this 
might have been the Book of Kells but we have no 
historical record or even distant hint that the Book 
of Kells was ever at Kildare, so it is probable that 
what Gerald saw was another volume almost if not 
quite equally beautiful. Indeed after recent develop- 
ments in Irish archeology there are not a few schol- 
ars who venture to suggest that Gerald may actually 
have seen at Kildare a still more handsome copy of 
the Scriptures than the Book of Kells, if such a thing 
268