Celebrating Brigit in Belfast

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Brigit, in her various forms as goddess, saint, and folklore figure, is the goddess of poetry, healing and smithcraft. Her festival Imbolc is at the end of January and marks the beginning of spring.

Over 120 women gathered in Belfast on the last weekend of January 2000 to celebrate the spirit of Brigit in ritual, song, dance, and drumming.

It was the seventh time the Institute for Feminism and Religion has celebrated Brigit. Previously we held this event for three years in the East, near Drogheda then for three years in the West, near Galway. This time was the turn of the North.

The formal Conference Room at Stranmillis Training College was transformed by the skills of artist Carol Graham. Three of her huge paintings stood at one end, and at the centre, a beautiful altar representing the transforming energies of the soulsmith. It is impossible to describe this centrepiece in mere words!

Seventy or so women were named ‘keepers of the flame’ and committed themselves to the entire weekend. Mel O'Loan, director of integrative work, opened the first event and then handed us over to Kate Fitzpatrick who initiated us into the role, Keepers of the Flame. She was gifted with a powerful song for the occasion, which echoed within us throughout the entire weekend and resonates still.

SONG OF THE SOULSMITH

Oh Brigit, you are guide of the Women.
Oh Brigit, you are shaman of the soul x2
Oh Brigit, we are keepers of the flame.
What is it you would have us do?
What is it you would have us do?

Oh Brigit, we are keepers of the flame.
What is it you would have us do?
When you light the fires in Belfast
You call the soul back home. (call x2)
When we light the fires in Belfast
We call the soul back home. (answer x2)

Kate Fitzpatrick

Our ritual on Friday evening included lighting coloured candles and placing them in wicker baskets filled with Ulster soil. We committed ourselves to doing whatever the spirit of Brigit inspired us to do, and to being a welcoming group for the women who would arrive on Saturday.

As one of the administrators and general dogsbody, I will say unequivocally that most of Saturday was a nightmare experience. I had been awake all Friday night worrying about all the preparations and jobs to be done. Then so many women arrived we could hardly keep our sanity! A gentle opening ritual and meditation by Mel O’Loan helped to concentrate and calm our energies. Mary Condren, director of the Institute, gave a fascinating talk on the two types of transformation: that experienced on re-entering the ‘cave’ or womb and that of handling the powerful energy of fire.

Brigit is a fire goddess. One of her traditions tells of how she was able to carry hot coals in her skirt without being burnt. She did this to convince a doubtful man of her holy powers! This may link to a story from Co. Cork about a St. Lathirnan who whenever she wanted the ‘seed of fire’ i.e. live coals to ignite a fire, was able to bring them in her apron from the local blacksmith’s forge. This worked well until the blacksmith embarrassed her by his unsolicited attention. He admired her beautiful feet. She looked down at them and felt proud of them. At once the apron went on fire. Then she cursed the smith and banished him from the village. Energy of fire is powerful and transformative, but like all energies it has its darker shadow of death and destruction.

The morning also included a talk by Nellie Curtin on the background to Brigit in wider European mythology, and how Brigit was celebrated in Ulster in the past. The morning finished with Kate Fitzpatrick encouraging us to use art materials to image what Brigit means to us at the present time.

In the afternoon we had a wide variety of workshops: voice, dance, drumming, movement, healing, wells, poetry, the medicine wheel, and making Brigit’s crosses and girdles.

Noirín Ní Rian and Coicaed (5 young singers) enhanced the atmosphere throughout the weekend with their powerful unaccompanied singing and strong vocal harmonies. Noirín hosted our Saturday evening celebration, which was part concert, part party. There was lots of drumming and it culminated in a ritual where Brigit’s cloak of red flannel was carried /danced out into the night to lie on the grass near a blazing bonfire.

On Sunday we had our main ritual where we committed ourselves to doing as Brigit wished, and to being keepers of her flame. Mel led us in a magical meditative dance with music from a CD by Jennifer Berezan "Returning…a healing chant to the Mother of Us All." We ate bread dipped in honey and milk and passed three times through her girdle as two "gatekeepers" spoke Brigit’s blessing:

May Brigit’s flame give you inspiration.
May Brigit’s girdle give you healing,
May Brigit’s creativity give you a way.

Brigit’s red cloak had been brought in covered in dew and had been ritually cut. We were each given a piece to use as a healing cloth.

An amazing weekend, all the women seemed happy and grateful to have been present. Belfast has never seen anything like it! The whole experience certainly transformed my energy and hopefully that of the North too!

Margaret McCullough, February 2000