THE EPIC STORY BEHIND HERSTORY’S  BRIGID’S DAY CAMPAIGN

In 2019 Herstory launched their successful campaign to make Brigid’s Day Ireland’s new national holiday. Herstory reveals this epic story and the many people, twists and turns that led to this herstoric moment for the women of Ireland.

Firstly, it’s important to spotlight that this campaign builds on the legacy of visionaries and trailblazers who have kept Brigid’s flame alive for decades, including the legendary Brigidine sisters of Solas Bríde, co-rediscoverers of Brigid’s Way Dr. Karen Ward and Dolores Whelan, Trinity College academic Dr. Mary Condren, Bard Mythologies co-founded by dynamic duo Ellen O’ Malley Dunlop and Sandy Dunlop, and many more. 

National treasure, actor and writer Tara Flynn sparked Brigid’s light from the beginning of Herstory, performing ‘Brigid not Jones’ Diary’ at the Herstory launch in the Rotunda back in 2016. Tara introduced Herstory Founder Melanie Lynch to the Celtic Goddess Brigid for the first time. With brilliant wit and wisdom, Tara demonstrated how this extraordinary triple goddess of fire, water and the arts, should be the celebrity of Modern Ireland.

In Spring 2019, Herstory board member Treacy O’ Connor approached Melanie Lynch with the brilliant idea to start a petition to make Brigid’s Day Ireland’s national holiday. 

““ Brigid is the bridge, crossing the threshold from Goddess to Saint, Celtic to Christian, North and South, winter and spring, water and fire, masculine and feminine, ancient and modern.” ”
— Treacy O’ Connor

Together with Lorna Evers Monaghan, they penned the petition and launched it into the world, first securing the backing of the Irish Women’s Parliamentary Caucus and calling on the Irish people and our diaspora worldwide to celebrate Ireland’s matron saint Brigid and Celtic Goddess equally to our world famous St. Patrick. 

Our pitch was comprehensive, outlining the potential of Brigid’s Day for Irish culture, equality, spirituality, tourism, politics, business, health, environment, Northern Ireland and the European Union.

Melanie harnessed her communications skills to weave Brigid’s wisdom, values and the fledgling campaign into Herstory’s strategy and the major Herstory on RTÉ production that launched on Brigid’s Day 2020 with the call to make her day Ireland’s new national holiday. The petition went viral in Ireland and with our diaspora and Brigid’s cloak spread far across the world.

The Herstory Festival of Light was sparked by an epiphany Melanie had when she was meditating one rainy day: “If Ireland lights up the world green on St. Patrick’s Day for one man, why can’t we illuminate the world in celebration of women?”

In 2019 Emily McCormack from the Department of Foreign of Affairs requested that Herstory move their annual Festival of Light from Nollaig na mBan to Brigid’s Day as a number of Irish Embassies had expressed interest in illuminating landmarks in honour of women. The DFA and our diaspora are always at the forefront of Irish culture and have been celebrating Brigid for years. 

The Herstory illuminations gave huge power, energy, and media attention to the Brigid’s Day campaign with illumination going viral in the press and on social media. Melanie explains: “Our partners Dodeca were pioneers in co-creating this magic. When we had no funding, Geoff, Mark, Jef and Sharon offered to do the light shows pro bono because they believed in the power of light, the alchemy of Brigid, and the importance of celebrating Mná na hÉireann.”

Artists were instrumental in the campaign, generously creating art inspired by Brigid for the Festival of Light, and forging a new understanding of Brigid - Goddess and Saint - and how she can be presented as a modern icon and role model: as environmentalist, feminist, Pride icon, healer, pioneer, human rights activist, goddess of the arts, alchemist and wisdom weaver. Herstory project manager and researcher Katelyn Hanna ran the artist’s open calls and social media activity, epic feats of multi-tasking and dynamism.

In the healing spirit of Brigid, the Herstory team were working with survivors and victims of the Mother & Baby Homes in 2020. Melanie explains; “We asked survivors what was their fear and they said it was being forgotten. In response we produced a spectacular pilgrimage of light on Brigid’s Day 2021, illuminating iconic museums, castles and Sean Ross Abbey in honour of all those who suffered. Peter Martin captures this powerful tribute in SOLAS, a hauntingly beautiful film.

On Brigid’s Day 2021, poet Laura Murphy joined the campaign and penned a powerful Letter to the Taoiseach, seeking justice for the Mother & Baby Home survivors and victims. In her letter she also called for Brigid’s Day to become a national holiday. The Abbey Theatre invited Laura to read her letter in the acclaimed production HOME, created in direct response to the report on Mother and Baby Homes and focusing on the testimonies of survivors.

The momentum was building and on Spring Equinox 2021, Herstory CEO Melanie Lynch wrote to every politician and stakeholder on the island, calling for Brigid’s Day to be made a national holiday. You can read the letter here. Advisors in this process were Maria Bourke, Ruairí McKiernan, Susan Quirke, Ellen O’Malley Dunlop, Treacy O’ Connor and Laura Murphy. The response was strong, with many female and male! politicians and stakeholders backing the campaign, commending the strength of the pitch.

So it was some shock when in September 2021, Minister for Enterprise, Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar announced that there would be a new national holiday in Ireland and Fine Gael released their proposed ideas to public vote, including the favourite idea ‘Thanksgiving’, however there was no mention of Brigid’s Day. 

Herstory quickly got to work. The seeds were long sown and the groundwork was done. All we had to do was re-engage the politicians and stakeholders who had already pledged their support for Brigid’s Day, generating the perfect media storm and drumming up support from the public and diaspora. You can read the email here and insights behind the campaign in this Irish Examiner article.

The petition was signed by 16,000 people, and the campaign was backed by the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus, Green Party, Official St. Patrick’s Festival, Joe Duffy, Marion Keyes, Imelda May, Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl, Senator David Norris, Holly Cairns TD, Ivana Bacik TD, Minister Josepha Madigan TD, Martin Heydon TD, Minister Ossian Smyth, Frances Fitzgerald MEP, Charlie Flanagan TD, Maria Walsh MEP to name a few.

In January 2022 the government announced that St. Brigid’s Day and Imbolc would become Ireland’s new annual national holiday from 2023, the first in honour of a woman, our matron saint, celtic goddess and a celebration of all Mná. 

And the rest is history, or rather herstory!

Discover more about Herstory’s trailblazing workwww.herstory.ie and all the wonderful events, articles and art inspired by Brigid:www.brigidsday.org

If you are inspired to learn more about Brigid we recommend the following fascinating articles and books: 

 -  Ireland’s own 5th-century female bishop: Brigid of Kildare by Maeve Callan

Transition by Courtney Davis