The weather gods were finally looking down on Dublin on Sunday as the capital celebrated the patroness saint of Ireland, St Brigid, and the official beginning of spring.
The rain took a welcome and much needed pause as hundreds of people lined the streets of the north inner city for the “Brigit” parade.
Now in its fifth year, the event, which included Irish dancers, rollerskaters, women’s groups and local schoolchildren, travelled from Capel Street down Henry Street and finished at the Spire on O’Connell Street.
Among those taking part was the Sliabh na mBan Brigid’s Cloak group, with the women from Clonmel, Co Tipperary designing and making textile patches for a large cloak that was carried along the route.
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Theresia Guschlbauer, who conceived the project three years ago, said the cloak included an extended train made by 50 Italian women from Florence.
“This is really Brigid coming to life; we are creating our own incarnation of Brigid for the Tipperary area,” she said. “I would see her as the patron saint of biodiversity, because biodiversity is rejuvenation, fertility, wellbeing, creativity, all the things that produce life and which we badly need to nurture. A culture that nurtures women and people that are vulnerable is very important for society.”
Also taking part were pupils and parents from St Brigid’s Primary School, the Coombe, Dublin 8 who had designed a large cloak with their own artwork.
Cathy Mooney, from the Coombe, was joined by her daughter Cara (11), who is in sixth class.
[ St Brigid: ‘There’s so much more to her than I’d ever realised’Opens in new window ]
“I actually went to the school, a lot of my family did too, nieces and nephews and my own children,” she said.
“Up until a couple of years ago, it was an all-girls school from second class upwards. It has changed now, but it’s important to show our girls that St Brigid was a woman who wasn’t afraid to ask for what she wanted off somebody in power and she went and got it.
“She was a leader, a helpful person, her helpfulness came from her inner strength and power and that’s something we should be showing, especially to our girls.”
Ava Loran (22), an Irish dancer with the High Kicks group from Co Westmeath, said this was the first year they had participated.
“We’re actually delighted to take part in something like this. It is quite a new parade so it’s great to take in all the culture around us,” she said. “We’ll be trying to show off as much traditional Irish dancing as possible.”
Lord Mayor of Dublin Ray McAdam, who was there with his family, said it was “a wonderful festival”.
“You just have to look at the crowd and atmosphere on Capel Street today. It’s great to see so many people out celebrating St Brigid, celebrating Dublin women and Irish women. It’s another great addition to the holiday calendar here in Dublin,” he said.
“What’s great is the colour and the carnival atmosphere here. It’s a growing festival, it might be a while before it matches the scale of St Patrick’s Day but it’s certainly heading in that direction.”
