Brigid’s Awakening Festival – Two Lecture Seminar Celebrating Women

Dr. Catherine Swift, Mary Immaculate College

“Celtic goddesses and women of power”

Abstract: In the twenty-first century, there is considerable interest in the history of pre-Christian goddesses called Brigit and their potential influence on our understanding of the woman commemorated as the Christian St Brigit. In Ireland, our traditional approach has been to try and disentangle one from another through careful reading of the documentary sources. In this lecture, it is proposed to begin rather with consideration of various depictions of goddesses from those countries in north-west Europe who spoke Celtic languages in the centuries before the adoption of Christianity and to consider which attributes, if any, they share with the descriptions of Brigit found in Irish texts.

Elaine Conroy, Rathcroghan Visitor Centre Tour Guide & Research Assistant.

Re-Affirming the Position of Women in the Story of Roscommon

Abstract: For much of recorded history, the role of women has been overshadowed by the history writers, meaning that many fascinating and inspiring women have been neglected on the record, and their influence and achievements not fully recognised. This talk, inspired by the theme of the Brigid’s Awakening Festival and the speaker’s own career experience at Rathcroghan, will take a look at some notable women who contributed or left an impression on this county. Elaine will look at a number of women down through the centuries – their involvement in religion, literature, art, politics and their lived experiences. Some were born here, some came to settle here, some spent only a brief time here but all contributed in some way to Roscommon’s story.