Opinion: From traditions to first-time festivals, Brigid's Day will be marked in a variety of ways across the country and in our diaspora communities
From unbroken traditions to first-time festivals, Brigid’s day will be marked in quite a variety of ways over the bank holiday weekend, across the country and in our diaspora communities. Some celebrations will follow ideas of Imbolc traditions which date back centuries and more will focus on modern-day interpretations of the calendar custom as well as the celebration of women, empowerment, food and craft. It is fair to say that there is something for everyone in the Brigid’s festive calendar this year.
The traditions associated with Brigid, both the Goddess and Saint, are linked with women, renewal, fertility, healing, land, agriculture and food production (particularly dairy). Brigid was also very much associated with the beginning of the Celtic Season of Light and was known as the Goddess of the Dawn, her feast time being a signal of the beginning of Spring.
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From RTÉ Archives, Folklorist Angela Bourke explains why St Brigid is much more of a rounded figure than she is often portrayed (Episode of 'Cursaí' broadcast 1 February, 1990)
While many communities are celebrating Brigid as a result of the new bank holiday and becoming familiar with the Goddess and Saint for the first time, the people of Mid-Kerry have celebrated Brigid in an unbroken way for centuries. It is fair to say that the people of Killorglin and its surrounding areas have a steadfast and continuous commitment to Brigid. They have continued the tradition of the Biddy, in particular, whilst it died out in the rest of the country.
The Biddy, similar to the wren and mumming traditions, sees groups of entertainers going from house to house playing music, singing, dancing and collecting money. The group brings an effigy or doll of Brigid with them to bestow blessings on the house and ensure good luck for the year ahead. The participants dress mostly in white and wear traditional straw hats. In the past ten years or so, instigated greatly by the vision and enthusiasm of the late Conor Browne, the Mid-Kerry Biddy has now developed into almost a week-long festival incorporating parades, workshops and varying other activities.
Remaining devoted to Brigid and elements of the older tradition, they include this year in their programme a butter-making workshop, a straw-hat workshop led by the wonderful straw-craftsman Mike Coffey from Kilgobnet, lots of Brigid’s Crosses workshops, alongside newer workshops such as yoga, ceramics, song and dance circles. The festival culminates in the Biddy Parade through Killorglin on Saturday, February 3 from 7pm and public houses in the town will host a great variety of music later that night. You can even have a special Biddy’s Day cocktail while you watch the groups perform this year - for me, the perfect balance of age-old custom and newer interpretations.
The most expansive celebration of Brigid will happen in Dublin from February 1-5, with 'Brigit: Dublin Celebrating Women’ festival. Now in its second year, the programmed events span a broad spectrum of activities and highlight the influence of the Celtic Triplicate Goddess who was a poet, smith and healer. There are workshops on traditional Brigid’s cross making as well as Circle of Life weaving and story-telling around the Goddess. In a similar fashion to what we see being programmed for International Women’s Day in recent years, events also highlight successes and achievements of women, from a Women in Business celebration at the Mansion House to the Women of Glasnevin Tour.
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From RTÉ News, A relic of St Brigid - a fragment of her skull - has been returned to Co Kildare after over 1,000 years
Taking over many of the main cultural and historical spaces throughout the city, the Brigit festival also includes an array of workshops, influenced by ideas of independence and empowerment which have always been associated with both the Goddess and Saint (Find your Flame workshop, Felt your own Vulva workshop, Sip and Scuplt Boob Pots to name a few). The Imbolc Fair planned for Meeting House Square is one of the highlights of the programme for me and includes a butter-making workshop, blacksmithing demonstrations led by Mary Hallinan (Ireland’s first female graduate in blacksmithing) as well as poetry and straw-making workshops.
Irish lace-maker and artist Fiona Harrington will also be in situ at the fair and will give visitors a talk on the history of lace-making in Ireland as well as the opportunity to try out the craft. It is great to see lace-making highlighted at this event, a craft which is often under-appreciated today but has been a significant part of our traditional fashion story for centuries and one that provided employment and opportunity for Irish women in the 19th century in particular. Dublin-based designers Jill & Gill will also be in attendance at the fair, giving participants an opportunity to screen print their modern-day Brigit designs. This event will give people a great overview of ideas around Brigit as well as showcasing some of our most inspiring female contemporary craftspeople and artists.
There are also many online events happening through the week – two of which stand out to me. On January 31, Imbolc Eve, renowned dancer and cultural producer Edwina Guckian will host a free online workshop on Brigid’s cross-making and straw dolls. Straw dolls or brídeogs are associated with the Brigid and are quite simple to make from rushes, straw or even pipe-cleaners as Edwina suggest. They are, like the crosses, associated with good luck and good wishes. If you have not made a Brigid’s cross or straw doll before or need a refresher, this workshop will be great.
From RTÉ Brainstorm, How Ireland used to celebrate St Brigid's Day in the past
The other online event that took my eye is the ‘Find your Wild Side this Brigid’s Day’ organised by Green Sod Ireland. Hosted by ecologist and broadcast Anja Murray and Claire MacEvilly, CEO of Airfield Estate, this workshop will discuss themes of climate change, biodiversity and actionable solutions to safeguarding the natural world. The Celtic calendar, and especially the Quarter Days, of which Imbolc is one, were very much connected with land, animals and the agricultural year and there is much we can learn around sustainability from our ancestors. It is nice to see elements of this being represented in some of our contemporary celebrations.
While Brigid has long been a figure of devotion in Ireland from pre-Christian times, the fact that her feast day only became an official bank holiday last year has left an openness in most communities in how to celebrate the day and it is interesting to see how people are connecting and re-connecting with Brigid. There may be some debate in some quarters around some of these interpretations of course but one thing is sure, it will interesting to see how the celebration of Brigid will develop over the coming years.
The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
