Tag: Mary Condren

Writing News

Brigit’s Blessings Festival, Dublin 1st February

I’m delighted to be working with Woman Spirit Ireland (WSI) for the 2026 Brigit Festival “Brigit’s Blessings: Healing and Peace Weaving”. I’m looking forward to reading from Mantles, my collaborative exploration of Brigid with visual artist Margo McNulty. Other speakers and performers include Rosari Kingston, Michelle Le Baron, Mary Condren, Bridget O’Connell-Regan, Mari Fitzduff, Moya Cannon, Ruth Marshall, Anne O’Reilly, Grace Wells, Nuala Hayes.

Join us to celebrate the spirit of Brigit through ritual, music, poetry, dance and creative expression. The festival will take place in The Round Room Conference & Events Venue Dublin – Mansion House Dublin 2, on Sunday, Feb 1st from 2pm to 10:30pm.

Festival tickets are available here. Please note that a significant donation arising from this event will be made to Médecins Sans Frontières.

Read Mary Condren’s article “Time to restore Brigid’s distaff as a symbol of peace and healing” in The Irish Times.

Writing Life, Writing News, Writing Workshops

Brigid Celebrations 2025 – “Fire” news!

Exciting Announcement!

With thanks to our publisher Arlen House and Syracuse University Press Fire: Brigid and The Sacred Feminine is now available in USA.

Nearer to home, Women Spirit Ireland are hosting a Brigit Weekend at An Grianán in County Louth which focus on Brigit as Peace-Weaver and is curated by the wonderful Dr Mary Condren.

*NOTE: Due to Storm Éowyn, this event will now take place on the weekend of 1 February. All registrations for the original event are valid for the rescheduled event. However, if anyone is unable to attend the rescheduled event, please contact wsibrigit2025@gmail.com and they will arrange for your refund. See WomanSpiritIreland Website for more information.

With thanks again to Kildare County Council/ Brigid 1500 for awarding me a Brigid 1500 Grant in 2024 which allowed me to work with Niamh Boyce and Arlen House to curate Fire: Brigid and The Sacred Feminine which is also available for purchase from KENNYS (free postage in Ireland), BLACKWELLS (free worldwide postage) and to borrow from libraries across Ireland.

Book launch, Collaboration, Writing Life, Writing News

MANTLES: Encountering Brigid (Arlen House: 2021, Dublin)

Cover of Mantles: Encountering Brigid. Art work showing rolling hills in various shades of green, by Margo McNulty.

I’m delighted to announce that Mantles: Encountering Brigid (Arlen House: 2021, Dublin) is published! It is currently exclusively stocked by Maynooth Bookshop (shortlisted for Irish bookshop of the year in the Irish Book Awards, winner of the Leinster category) – buy it here.

Margo and I are delighted with the critical praise so far:

“….thoughtful, evocative…the book is a rich meditation on folklore, tradition and contemporary experience.” Lia Mills, author of Another Alice

“This book will inspire many others to search out and walk in Brigit’s footsteps.” Mary Condren, ThD. author of The Serpent and the Goddess, and National Director, Woman Spirit Ireland.

“The interweaving of artworks by Margo McNulty with the writings of Shauna Gilligan can only be compared with the overlapping plaited strands of Brigit the Goddess and Brigid the Saint.” Clodagh Doyle, Keeper, Irish Folklife Division, National Museum of Ireland, Country Life, Mayo.

We were delighted to partake in Samhain @ Sult in Kildare Town on Wednesday 24th November, the first public reading from Mantles. It was wonderful to read surrounded by such inspiring artwork by Sult Collective and to be accompanied by live music from James Blennerhassett. We hope to mark the publication with another event soon!

This publication forms the final part of the Creative Ireland funded collaboration between myself and artist Margo McNulty.

We are grateful to Alan Hayes at Arlen House, our publishers, and Kildare County Council and Roscommon County Council, our funders.