Celebrate the Spirit of St Brigid at Ireland’s Festival of Spring
In the depths of winter, spring is the light up ahead that offers hope, renewal and abundance, and in Ireland its arrival has been celebrated down through the millennia.
In ancient Ireland each of the four seasons was marked by a great fire festival: Imbolc in February, Bealtaine in May, Lughnasa in August and Samhain in October. Today these ancient festivals have been revived and sit alongside Christian and modern secular celebrations.
St Brigid’s Day (1 February) echoes Imbolc and in the Irish Christian calendar marks the arrival of spring. One of the three patron saints of Ireland, St Brigid is known for her work with the poor and is also respected as a trailblazing feminist and environmentalist. But her story is entwined with a much older figure. Brigid, a Celtic pagan goddess of healing, fire and poetry, was a key deity in the Tuatha dé Danann, a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Both Brigids are now part of the St Brigid’s Day/Imbolc celebrations standing as symbols of nurturing, creativity, renewal, female strength and community spirit.
Brigids Cathedral Kildare - Gareth Wray
A tradition renewed for modern times
Across the island of Ireland, regional and national events are reimagining St Brigid’s legacy for contemporary audiences. Mixing ritual with arts, music, craft, wellness, and community gatherings, these events joyfully welcome the change of the season.
A central aspect of the celebrations is a focus on storytelling. The age-old tradition of gathering to share stories has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years, not just in Ireland but across the world. Seanchoíche, a global storytelling platform that started in Dublin and now runs in over a dozen cities worldwide, is leading the way in reviving this inclusive and community-led activity. Events dedicated to the art of storytelling take place in Ireland across the year
Seanchoiche-Dublin event
Where to celebrate St Brigid’s Day and the arrival of spring
Ireland’s flagship celebration of St Brigid is the Brigid, Spirit of Kildare Festival (29 January – 2 February 2026). Taking place in County Kildare, where Brigid founded a nunnery in around AD 480, the festival presents a stellar programme of performances and cultural experiences including concerts, dance, storytelling, fire shows, craft workshops, talks, walks and wellness events. Among the headline shows this year are concerts by Altan – one of Ireland’s top trad bands, Jack L, Picture This and internationally acclaimed soprano, Celine Byrne. The Candlelit Tales Awakening Brigid is one of a number of storytelling events that reflect Brigid’s enduring legacy as a living cultural force. And on 1 February the festival’s fiery procession through the streets of Kildare town will mark the end of the darkness of winter.
At the Brigid of Faughart Festival, County Louth, where Brigid was born, the focus is on pilgrimage and craft rituals. Here you can learn to weave the famous St Brigid’s Cross that is traditionally displayed in homes to ward off evil. Or you can celebrate Brigid, goddess and saint, and the arrival of spring at a Dancing at Imbolc event. There are also tours of sacred sites and a pilgrimage walk from the Hill of Faughart to Dundalk. Along the way, there will be ritual and ceremony, recounting of Brigid’s legends and insights into the history of this storied landscape which is part of Ireland’s Ancient East. The festival connects ancient tradition to today’s cultural revival, grounding it in lived heritage.
Brigids Shrine & Well - Louth - Gareth Wray
In Dublin, the St Brigid’s Day celebrations are about honouring the contribution of women to Irish culture and society. Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women is rooted in the figures of the Celtic goddess and Christian saint but focuses on contemporary female figures. Across four days, more than 120 events will put the spotlight on women’s voices and achievements through a vibrant programme of talks, performances, walks, workshops, music, visual art and shared moments.
Elsewhere across the island, people will mark St Brigid’s Day, Imbolc and the arrival of spring in ways as diverse as sunrise yoga, communal meals, meditation, music and workshops connecting ancient rituals and a modern interest in wellbeing, authentic crafts, and sustainability.
The St Brigid’s Day celebrations are an example of how Ireland is reclaiming old traditions and ancient festivals that celebrate the seasons and add colour and meaning to the passing of the year. As well as providing first-class festival entertainment, they create a space for reflection and reconnection with community, the natural world and the island’s rich heritage.