St Brigid’s Bank Holiday Weekend Activities – live music, guided tours and learning how to make your own St Brigid’s cross
Now that St Brigid’s Day has brought us a very welcome extra bank holiday weekend, you may be wondering what to do with all that nice free time.
Whatever you do, you might find inspiration in our guide to some of the events taking place across the country in celebration of Ireland’s first public holiday to be named after a woman.
Fiery fun
With St Brigid’s lifelong association with Kildare, the county naturally goes all out with the celebrations and events as part of its Brigid 1500 programme. These include Carrying Her Flame, a lantern festival, procession and fire display which starts at 6pm on Saturday in Kildare Town Square.
Then on Sunday at 7pm there is a concert for Brigid 1500 with Eimear Quinn at St. Brigid’s Cathedral (tickets €10). If you fancy a holiday walk, the St. Brigid’s Camino Walk (6 km) starts at 11am on Monday and starts at St. Brigid’s Shrine (Eircode W34 X529). See brigid1500.ie/Events
Trailing Brigid
The Crawford Art Gallery in Cork is hosting Music at Midday on Sunday midday in partnership with MTU Cork School of Music. At 2 p.m. there will be a special tour of the collection, which will focus on women, nature and mythology.
On Monday there will be a Brigid-themed interactive trail, as well as a drop-in art workshop, a tour of the gallery’s collection, live music and an animation screening. Admission free: crawfordartgallery.ie
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Eimear Quinn will perform at A Concert for Brigid 1500 at St Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare Town on Sunday at 7pm. Photo: Sportsfile via Getty Images
dressed up
Would you like to make your own Brídeog corn doll? Epic, the Irish Emigration Museum, shows you how.
In a workshop for adults and children from the age of six you will get to know the tradition on Monday at 2 p.m. (tickets €12).
There is also an interactive storytelling session for children under the age of six where they meet incredible women from Irish history including pirates, pilots, mountaineers and poets. Admission to Tiny Tots: Brigid’s Stories is included with the EPIC admission ticket. Adults €17.50, children under 6 free. epichq.com
Wrapped in holiness
A 30-metre patchwork cloak made by 80 women will be unveiled in a torchlight procession in Tipperary on Sunday. She leaves the West Gate at 5pm, carried by stilt artist Dee Tierney, and makes her way to Kickham Barracks Plaza.
There will be a performance with spoken word artist Catherine McVicker and singer Breege Phelan performing an invocation to the goddess Brigid.
grow lyrically
As part of the Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women festival, Meeting House Square in Temple Bar turns into an Imbolc Fair on Sunday from 12pm to 4pm.
You can attend a body painting workshop, learn about the art of blacksmithing, join a women’s weaving circle, or chat with resident poet Osaro, who will help you create your own poem. Individual events cost between 0 and 10 €. dublin.ie/brigit
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Learn how to make your own St Brigid’s Cross at Beyond the Trees Avondale, Co Wicklow
Worship willow
Learn how to make your own St Brigid’s Cross at workshops in Wicklow. Local weaving expert Aoife, from Wicklow Willows, will be hosting the free events on Sunday and Monday at 11am and 12pm at the Seed Cafe in Avondale Beyond the Trees.
The workshops will also narrate the beautiful traditions associated with the celebration of Lá Fhéile Bríde. beyondthetreesavondale.com
women on tour
The National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History runs a variety of free family tours throughout the weekend. These guided tours at Collins Barracks explore the role of women in Irish history and include ‘Women in Revolution: Representations through Soldiers and Chiefs’ and ‘The Way We Wore: Representations of Social Change through Clothing’. museum.ie
Burn bright
The National Famine Museum in Strokestown Park is hosting various events as part of Roscommon’s new Brigid’s Awakening Festival. These include Candlelight Tales by the fireplace on Saturdays at 3pm (suitable for all ages) and 7pm (for adults). Admission free: Strokestownpark.ie
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The Guinness Storehouse is offering free entry all weekend to anyone over the age of 18 with the name Brigid or a first or last name variant or derivative
stable in the barracks
The family-friendly St Brigid’s Day Fair at Richmond Barracks in Inchicore takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 5pm. There are over 30 stalls selling clothing, design and art, as well as crafts, entertainment, workshops, food and fun things to do. richmondbarracks.ie
plant magic
Take the Féile Bhríde – History, Mystery & Magic guided tour at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin on Sunday and Monday at 2pm. Discover Brigid’s connections to the ancient festival of Imbolc and spot the signs of spring appearing in the gardens. Tickets €5: botanicgardens.ie
sea plentiful
The new Féile na mBan festival in Bundoran, Donegal, celebrates women in art, history, literature and music. Saturday and Sunday events include ocean swimming, surfing, musical performances, knitting and macrame workshops, poetry readings, a craft market and a special An Cailín Ciúin film screening. Some events are free. filesamban.ie
rebels with a cause
The National Concert Hall, Dublin presents Rebel Irishwomen on Sunday at 3pm in the John Field Room. The event is a reinterpretation of the 1966 Claddagh Records release, featuring the personal experiences, memories and songs of three women particularly associated with the 1916 Rising – Helena Molony, Maud Gonne MacBride and Kathleen Behan. Tickets €15, see nch.ie
cross craft
Free workshops on making St Brigid’s Crosses and/or Brídeog Dolls are held at Brigit’s Garden in Galway on Mondays at 2pm and 3pm. No fee, donations welcome, see brigitsgarden.ie
glorious culture
Glór in Ennis is hosting the St Brigid’s Day Irish Culture Exchange on Monday at 2pm. It will be a celebration of music, dance, poetry and art and there will be music, a céilí, children’s workshops, traditional Irish music and more. Tickets: adults €5, children free. Glory.ie
drink biddies
The Guinness Storehouse is offering free entry all weekend for anyone over the age of 18 named Brigid or a variation or derivation of the first or last name – such as Bríd, McBride, Gilbrides, Biddy and Breda. You must present a valid ID at the Guinness Storehouse admission desk. First admission is at 10am and the last at 5pm. See guinness-storehouse.com
https://www.independent.ie/news/live-music-guided-tours-and-learning-to-make-your-own-st-brigids-cross-heres-how-you-can-celebrate-our-new-bank-holiday-42326576.html St Brigid’s Bank Holiday Weekend Activities – live music, guided tours and learning how to make your own St Brigid’s cross