Spring on the way? Reflection from Ireland

                                         Spring on the Way?

The first day of February is still considered as the first day of spring in Ireland. It is also the feast day of St Brigid and we celebrate a public holiday in her honour on the first Monday in February.

The Gaelic Pagan Festival of Imbolc is also celebrated in February. It celebrates the first stirrings of Spring and it marks the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox and honours the goddess Brigid.  Imbolc means ‘pregnant’…new life and fertility, and focusses on lighting candles/bonfires, crafting Brigid’s Crosses, spring cleaning, visiting holy wells, and feasting, to welcome the return of light and new life.  This year, despite the heavy rains in January daffodils and cherry trees are already blossoming!!

Brigid was a nun, an abbess, a goddess, and even a bishop! She was known for her healing powers and her compassion for the poor. She was multifaceted and appeals to so many divergent people. As St Brigid is closely associated with County Kildare events are held in her honour during this month.  The enduring spirit of St Brigid, and her  values are as meaningful today as they were over 1,500 years ago.

This year Kildare County Council held the inaugural ‘Spirit of Kildare Awards’, recognising those Kildare people who quietly and consistently go above and beyond for the sake of their communities. Awards were for Heritage and Biodiversity, the Arts, the Environment, Sports, Youth contributions, and Women in Leadership. Among the winners were Professor Teresa  Lambe, a past pupil of County of Council Kilcullen, who was one of the principal  researchers overseeing the design of the AstraZeneca vaccine during Covid 19. The young woman, Ruby Boland, who won the Youth Contribution  spoke proudly about her community and said that this award was better than winning an Oscar, as it was an honour from her own people!

Sr Rita Minehan Lifetime award

A Lifetime  Achievement Award  was presented to Sr Rita Minehan, a Brigidine Sister for the wonderful work she has done for many years to keep the spirit of St Brigid alive.

February is also the month when the Le Chéile Schools Trust Conference is held.  We are members of this Trust.  The logo for the Trust shows a St Brigid’s Cross with  interlocking keys that symbolise possibilities and opportunities for students. Education unlocks new knowledge and skills,   The logo embodies the Irish meaning of Le Chéile, which means ‘together’ by showing diverse pathways converging at a central point, highlighting ‘Unity in Diversity’

Féile Bríde 2026.  (Celebrating Brigid)

This annual gathering 5^th to 7^th February brought  people together in Kildare for a time of shared learning, connection, and solidarity in response to the challenges facing our world today. This event is organised in partnership with the Brigidine Sisters and Cairde Bríde (Friends of Brigid), and held at the Solas Bhríde Centre (Light of Brigid Centre)

The programme features inspiring speakers, musicians, and community voices, shaping a weekend defined by both insight and imagination. Music and poetry are woven throughout, alongside conversation, a shared light lunch, tree planting, and opportunities to connect with solidarity groups.

This year’s theme, Walking the Way of Brigid, asked what it means to live with care and courage in our time. In our era of intersecting crises of all kinds Brigid’s values of peace, hospitality, generosity, care for Earth, and solidarity offer us a pathway of hope.

Walking the Way of Brigid invites us to move forward with radical hope, not as something abstract, but as something made real through mutual aid and collective action.