VANCOUVER – So many Irish women have a connection to St. Brigid who is known in Ireland as ‘Mary of the Gael’. She is also considered to be Ireland’s other patron saint.
Not only does Brigid the saint have a long history, but according to the surviving mythology, the goddess Brigid was also a powerful deity and the patroness of healing arts, fertility, poetry and music, prophecy and agriculture.
Over the centuries, the stories of two women named Brigid (or Brigit or Bride or Brighid) have become intertwined in an intricate Celtic knot of myth and miracle as both a Celtic goddess and a Christian saint of that name have personified essential spiritual values of their eras.
Now, the first annual “Féile Bríde: Celebrating the Women of Ireland” is coming to Canada’s west coast on Saturday, February 1, 2020.
Organizers are very excited to present this on Saturday, February 1 at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre campus in downtown Vancouver.
The initiative is part of the Irish Government's effort to develop Ireland's reputation on the world stage through culture, under the Global Ireland 2025 programme announced in 2018.
It has become a celebration of Irish women around the world – from London to Warsaw to Washington – and celebrates the talent and creativity of Irish women with art exhibitions, music, poetry, dance.
In Vancouver the festival is a joint effort between the Irish Benevolent Society of B.C., the Irish Women's Network of BC and Simon Fraser University.
A highlight of Féile Bríde will be the evening address by keynote speaker Ailbhe Smyth – a leading Irish activist and former head of Women's Studies at University College Dublin.
Ailbhe was one of Time Magazine's ‘Most Influential People’ of 2019 for her work as Co-Director of Together For Yes and Convenor of Coalition to Repeal the 8th Amendment in Ireland.
She was in Vancouver earlier this year when she attended the UN Women Deliver conference and her return will be eagerly anticipated by all who heard her speak during her visit at a reception organized by the Irish Women’s Network and the Irish Consulate.
In addition, the festival will feature a series of smaller sessions throughout the day from 12 noon to 4 PM which will include a wonderful Brigid cross-making workshop presented by talented Irish artist Deirdre Keohane.
Dara Culhane, Professor with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Simon Fraser University, will present another session entitled “Yours Always: Irish Women Writing the Diaspora.” [See sidebar for more details.]
An exhibit of inspiring women of Ireland will be presented with ‘Blazing A Trail: Lives and Legacies of Irish Diaspora Women’. Currently on display at the EPIC museum in Dublin, the Vancouver exhibit will also focus on some extraordinary Canadian women of the Irish diaspora.
Additional workshop sessions are yet to be confirmed, so be sure to check back for more details in the next issue of The Celtic Connection or watch the Irish Benevolent Society of B.C. page for updates.
‘Féile Bríde: Celebrating the Women of Ireland’ is supported by a grant provided through the Irish Emigrant Support Programme with the Department of Foreign Affairs, along with assistance from the Consulate General of Ireland, Vancouver.
Organizers are seeking local sponsorship to help support bridge funding for this event. If you or your organization can assist with sponsorship, please e-mail: [email protected], or call (778) 238-1522. [Féile Bríde is also seeking volunteers who can assist with advance promotion and co-ordination. If you wish to participate, please e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].]
