St. Brigid’s Day: Celebrating the Creativity of Women

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. ‘Fhéile Bríde Vancouver 2020’ is a full day academic and cultural event dedicated to the celebration of the women of Ireland. This will be the first celebration of St. Brigid in Vancouver co-presented by the Irish Benevolent Society of B.C., the Irish Women’s Network of B.C., and Simon Fraser University. It is also sponsored and supported by the Consulate General of Ireland, Vancouver. The daytime program features workshops such as “Mental Health & the Irish Diaspora” with a panel of leading mental health professionals; “Letters from Home” a performance reading of letters from home presented by SFU professor Dara Culhane; “Legends & Mythology of Brigid” featuring Philomena Jordan, a storyteller from the west of Ireland. Exhibits will include ‘Blazing a Trail: Lives and Legacies of Irish Diaspora Women’ and ‘Herstory’ the Irish women’s storytelling project, which uncovers forgotten and fascinating women’s stories from history, mythology and contemporary culture. Attendees can also participate in a St Brigid’s cross making workshop taught by local Irish – Canadian Artist, Deirdre Keohane. The evening portion will feature addresses from the newly opened Irish Consulate of Vancouver as well as a keynote speaker, Dr. Angela Byrne from the Government of Ireland Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade Culture Unit and former Historian-in-Residence at the EPIC Museum in Dublin. Dr. Byrne specializes in the history of migrant women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as well as the history of women in science. Attendees can also enjoy a food and drinks reception complimented by traditional Irish music. Coinciding with the traditional festival of St. Brigid’s Day, ‘Féile Bríde’ takes place on Saturday February 1, 2020 at Simon Fraser University Harbour Campus in Downtown Vancouver. Admission to all sessions of Féile Bríde is free and attendees can register at: http://www.brigidfestivalvancouver.com. Event organizers strongly encourage pre-registering as there is limited space in event sessions.