St Brigid
We are delighted to work with Kildare County Council to develop a strategy for celebrating St Brigid in 2023
Brigid is undoubtedly one of the most important, yet enigmatic, figures in the story of Ireland. Her significance has led to her being chosen as one of the three patron saints of Ireland alongside Patrick and Colmcille. The story of Brigid permeates almost every corner of County Kildare, from the town of Kildare itself, where the fire of Brigid still burns, to the rolling plains of the Curragh where she laid out her cloak, her influence and legacy can still be discovered today.
Brigid is believed to have died in AD 523. A new project seeks to understand Brigid’s story, and to develop a programme to commemorate and celebrate this iconic saint in the 1500th anniversary year – in 2023. This project was initiated as an Action of the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee funded by Kildare County Council, and all of us at Abarta Heritage are thrilled to have the opportunity to work on this exciting new project.
The Brigid 1500 Project
The Brigid 1500 project is a wonderful opportunity to create a foundation that will help people to discover, experience and celebrate the story of Brigid in a myriad of ways. A thorough and insightful report including a heritage audit, cultural strategy and business plan will help to provide a solid foundation for the development of a deeper understanding of this influential figure, and also a platform for the celebration of her sesquimillennial celebration in 2023.
This project will have a lasting legacy, not only in helping to provide a platform for tourism and discovery, but also as a resource for anyone wishing to conduct their own journey into researching the story of Brigid and her influence nationally and internationally. We will not only identify the key sources, objects and places associated with the saint, but we will also develop a cultural strategy exploring how the stories can be animated and creatively told to a wider audience through interpretation and art. This work will help to form a rich resource that will be an invaluable educational and promotional asset for the region. By empowering the local stakeholders and communities to become champions of telling these stories in multiple different ways, visitors and locals alike can benefit from a truly authentic experience.
Abarta Heritage’s Role in Brigid 1500
We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with the County Kildare Decade of Commemorations Committee and Kildare County Council on this project. It is similar in a number of respects to the Audit of Columban Heritage that we carried out on behalf of Donegal County Council and Derry City & Strabane District Council in 2018. That project was tasked with considering ways to commemorate St. Colmcille in 2020 & 2021.
During this project we will approach it in the way that we do all of our projects – not as ‘experts’ who have their own prescribed ideas to dish out, but instead our role is to be mediators and facilitators, to work alongside stakeholders, communities and organisations, to listen and act as a sounding board for ideas, to offer suggestions and engagement strategies to reach different audiences and to help to cohesively plan a co-ordinated approach that will help people to discover the many different aspects and stories of Brigid and to ensure that the project develops a lasting legacy.
We are really looking forward to engaging with the project partners and stakeholders in the new year, and we can’t wait to get started!