Events take place across the country to honour St Brigid

Events are taking place across Ireland this weekend to honor St. Brigid, one of the country’s patron saints, coinciding with the first day of spring and the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc.

Celebrating St. Brigid’s Legacy

The 1st of February also marks a celebration of the pre-Christian Celtic goddess, also known as Brigid. Counties Louth and Kildare hold particularly deep connections to St. Brigid, with holy wells dedicated to her located throughout the country.

St. Brigid was born in Faughart, Co. Louth, and the Brigid of Faughart Festival has been running for over 20 years. Workshops on making St. Brigid’s crosses are being held for both those familiar with the saint and goddess, and those wanting to learn more.

Festival organizer Roisin Cotter noted a significant increase in interest in Brigid in recent years. “The last couple of years have been unbelievable in terms of the level of interest and events, all over the country,” she said. “There only used to be a couple and now there’s events in every town to celebrate Brigid.”

The Brigid of Faughart Festival celebrates Brigid “in all her different forms” – the pre-Christian goddess and the Christian saint born in Faughart. “Louth is her birthplace and we want to celebrate her and this is the right time of year to celebrate new life, new beginnings, and springtime,” Cotter explained.

The St. Brigid’s cross, she added, symbolizes “protection.” “You’re asking St Brigid to protect you, your family and your home. They’re also put outside in barns and cattle sheds to protect the animals…you want to have her blessing for the year on your family and also on your animals.”

Many attendees at the workshops are women, attending with mothers, daughters, and friends. Laura, a local to Dundalk, sought a first-hand experience in cross-making, while Grace McAllister expressed interest in the history and culture surrounding Brigid and the intertwining of her two personas.

“She merges two ideas, the pagan and goddess and the saint aspect to her as well,” McAllister said. “Even to acknowledge she has her day as a saint or as Brigid, I think it’s important we have a woman to match Patrick. Everyone knows about Patrick, but Brigid’s day is as important in my opinion.”

Kate Power, from Tipperary, attended the event while visiting a friend, emphasizing the celebration of Irish women and culture. Some cross-makers traveled to Ireland from abroad specifically for Brigid events.

Barbara Brosch, from Germany, has been celebrating Brigid in Ireland for the past 10 years, describing it as a “personal retreat.” Robert Grant, from Denmark, whose birthday coincides with St. Brigid’s Day, sees her as “a connection between the old ways and the new ways, the pagan ways and the Christian ways.”

Exhibitions and Events Across Ireland

A special St. Brigid’s exhibition is currently running at the County Museum in Dundalk until the end of February, featuring artifacts from the 1930s, including a photograph of Éamon de Valera at the first national pilgrimage to Faughart in 1934. Museum curator Brian Walsh highlighted the diverse ways St. Brigid’s symbol is adopted, including by Louth GAA, Kildare GAA, the INMO, RTÉ, and pipe bands.

Walsh described her as a “complex character” and “one of the 3 principal saints of Ireland.” “She is one of those heroes we need as a society today, as she has links to medicine, the rights of children and refugees, creativity, the culinary arts, she brings together so much.”

In Dundalk, the “Northern Lights” light installation will tell Brigid’s story through music and lights in Market Square, running at 20-minute intervals between 6pm and 7pm this evening.

The five-day “Brigid, Spirit of Kildare” festival is ongoing in Kildare until Monday, February 2nd, featuring a candlelight pilgrimage and a street performance show in Maynooth.

The ‘Pause for Peace’, launched in 2023, encourages a minute of silence or reflection at 12 noon today to “build a spirit of global solidarity for peace.” The Hill of Allen is also illuminated, having been lit up on St. Brigid’s Eve and again today to coincide with the ‘Pause for Peace’.