Cultural events to take place in Limerick to mark inaugural St Brigid's Festival
A SERIES of cultural events will take place in Limerick this weekend to mark the inaugural national holiday for St Brigid.
To celebrate St Brigid and Mná na hÉireann, The central theme of the Limerick St Brigid's Festival going forward will be the recognition of outstanding female role models and women who have excelled in their chosen fields.
The International Rugby Experience at O'Connell Street will host a special ‘In conversation with Joy Neville’ event who represented Ireland in two Rugby World cups, captained Ireland and was a member of the first Ireland women's team to win the Six Nations, The Triple Crown and Grand Slam.
After retiring as a player, Joy became a referee and she was the first woman to officiate in a professional European rugby match. She was also the first female referee to take charge of matches in the national leagues of Ireland, Wales and Italy as well as competitions such the British and Irish Cup, the European Rugby Challenge Cup and the Pro14.
The invite-only event takes place on Friday, February 3 and will not be open to walk-ins due to the limited capacity.
Another event, Bantracht, will open to the public from 5.30pm on Thursday, February 2 until Monday, February 6.
Hosted by selected members of Mná na nEalaín, the exhibition at Treaty City Brewery, Nicholas Street features works from Rennie Buenting, Eva Byrne, Angelina Foster, Lara Grufferty, Carol Kennedy, Sibéal Riordan, Emily Robards and Sinéad Cunneen Williams.
Mná na nEalain is a network of established and emerging female artists and creatives in Ireland, which evolved from the Creative Europe Womarts Program.
Another exhibition, The land of Saints and Glamour, features work by Aoife Cawley who has put on an exhibition of work centered around Brigid and other figures from Irish folklore and legends.
It will be open to the public at King Johns Castle from 4pm on Thursday.
Commenting on the new series of events, Mayor of the city and county of Limerick, Cllr Francis Foley said: “Limerick’s Saint Brigid’s Festival will be a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contribution of women in Irish society. Limerick has a rich history of iconic women from Órlaith Íngen Cennétig Queen of Ireland to Kate O’Brien and Dolores O’Riordan, never was ‘Limerick you’re a lady’ more apt."
Mayor Foley added that hopes the celebration of Limerick and Irish women will grow further with the advent of a new annual bank holiday in February.
Eileen Coleman Senior Executive Officer, Tourism, Arts, Festival and Events with the local authority added: "We in Limerick City & County Council see this (new bank holiday weekend) as an opportunity to celebrate and highlight the contribution and achievements of Irish women and particularly women in Limerick. Irish women have been of vital importance to the development and well being of Ireland and all areas of Irish society including education, health care, culture, heritage and sporting arenas. It is a golden era for Irish women’s sport and this year the Irish women’s soccer team will play in the World Cup for the first time with the country right behind them, cheering them on. It is wonderful to have a dedicated weekend to celebrate Mná na hÉireann.”
This year, the Limerick St Brigid’s Festival will also highlight Women of Limerick by Sharon Slater.
An Ormston House initiative, this award-winning mobile phone app celebrates and remembers women from Limerick’s history. In the app, we meet thirty women mapped across the city at important locations from their stories – from Órlaith íngen Cennétig who was Queen of Ireland in 941, to Dolores O’Riordan who earned international stardom with The Cranberries in the 1990s. Ten permanent public artworks by women artists are also highlighted.