Tipperary women inspired by the story of the cloak celebrate St Brigid
Over 80 Tipperary women inspired by the story of St Brigid’s cloak are marking the new Bank Holiday with a special project.
The cloak, stretched to cover the fields claimed from the King of Leinster on which St Brigid built her first monastery, moved textile artist Theresia Guschlbauer, to embark on the project.
Together they have created a giant cloak which will be unveiled in Clonmel on Sunday, February 5 to mark the occasion of the new national holiday in Ireland.
Responding to an open call from Guschlbauer made last October, women and girls of all backgrounds, experience and skills have stitched, collaged, painted, knitted, crocheted, and embroidered patches of fabric. The “Field patches” provided Tipperary women an opportunity to contribute their own unique and richly meaningful crafted pieces to participate in celebrating the spirit and symbolic values of Brigid, the Celtic Goddess and Irish Saint.
These patches have been collected and stitched together to create a majestic cloak that is over 30 square metres.
The cloak will be unveiled in a torch-lit procession on Sunday, February 5 leaving from the West Gate at 5pm.
It will be worn by stilt-walking artist Dee Tierney surrounded by makers and supporters who will carry the large garment and train.
The procession will make its way through the town centre past the historic Town Hall building unto the new Kickham Barracks Plaza for a final performance with Spoken Word artist Catherine McVicker and singer Breege Phelan who will perform an invocation to the Goddess Brigid.
This will be followed by the presentation to the Mayor of Clonmel Cllr Pat English of a Brigid’s cross to be hung in the municipal building for the coming year to bring prosperity, health and well-being to the citizens of the town. In conceiving of the cloak project, Guschlbauer wanted it to be a meditation and celebration of the fertility and regenerative powers of Irish women and of the Irish land and Sliabh nà mBan , the nearby Mountain of the Women.
Artistically, she drew inspiration from the stained-glass work of Irish artist Harry Clarke and from the painting of her Austrian compatriot Gustav Klimt.
Commenting on the project, she said that she wanted “to reflect the diverse and textured land that surrounds us and its community of women whose backgrounds, life stories and wisdom will be reflected in the multifaceted cloak made nearly entirely from patches of previously loved material”.
The project is funded by a Creative Ireland grant and produced by 2cando Arts and Ten 42 Productions. Special thanks to Hearn’s Hotel, the South Tipperary Arts Centre and Clonmel Applefest for their support.