On Monday 3 February, I spent the Bank Holiday for St. Brigid’s Day taking part in the Brigid’s Way Imbolc Pilgrimage. Myself and over 60 pilgrims started at The Sanctuary Holistic Centre in Dublin 7 and walked along the Liffey, through Phoenix Park, past Kilmainham to the canal, to part of St. Brigid’s Pilgrim Path, and ended at St. Brigid’s Well in Clondalkin for a ceremony. It was a total of over 16 km (about 10 miles) and more pilgrims joined us along the way.
We started by walking The Sanctuary’s Labyrinth and were sent off with a poem and a prayer from Sister Stan Kennedy who started The Sanctuary as a place for meditation and social change in the heart of Dublin city. Dr. Karen Ward led the group and shared stories of Brigid’s life as a woman, Saint, and Goddess and her impact on Irish culture along the way. This was part of the Féile Bríde Festival Clondalkin and we were greeted with musicians, singers, storytellers, a Brigid Water Blessing, a Fire Ritual, and a large crowd of over 100 people ready to celebrate when we reached St. Brigid’s Well in Clondalkin.
It was a great opportunity to learn more about Brigid as an early Celtic Goddess and St. Brigid of Kildare who are both celebrated on 1 February or Imbolc, the Celtic festival marking the beginning of Spring. I was able to meet other pilgrims and learn about their perspectives on the holiday and how some honor the duality of Celtic spirituality and Christian traditions. Overall, it was a day of prayer, meditation, learning, female empowerment, and spending time outside!
