The Brigit Festival in Dublin, to take place from Jan. 31st through Feb. 3rd, pays homage to the Celtic goddess Brigit, reimagined by Christians as Saint Brigid, Ireland’s female patron saint.
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The fourth annual Brigit: Dublin City Celebrating Women will host over 80 events across the city, offering a diverse celebration of the contribution that women have made to Irish culture, society and history.
In Celtic mythology, Brigit is seen as a powerful symbol of inspiration, healing, wisdom, poetry, magic, smith craft, protection, fire, and earth.
The festival also coincides with the pagan holiday, Imbolc, which marks the beginning of spring.
Here is a sampling of what's on during the Brigit Festival.
The Forgotten Women of the 1916 Rebellion
Over 100 years after Ireland’s failed Easter Rising, this tour reveals the overlooked role of 77 women who took part in the rebellion. Among them is nurse Elizabeth O’Farrell, who carried the flag of surrender, Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a pioneering physician and activist, and Margaret Skinnider, a young Scottish school teacher who became a markswoman for the cause.
The tour takes participants to locations associated with the fighting, including City Hall and the GPO. Discover how these women risked their lives, why they fought and how their stories were suppressed for so long.
When: Jan. 31-Feb. 3
Cost: €10
Purchase Tickets
Women’s Lives Hidden in Buildings: A Walking Tour
This tour, part of the Brigit Festival lineup of events, reveals the lives of women who lived, worked and struggled in Dublin's lesser-known neighborhoods.
The tour begins on Henrietta Street, Dublin’s first Georgian street which was once the home of Dublin’s elite, only to be turned into tenements years later.
Other stops on the tour include the Green Street Courthouse as well as the site where Newgate Prison once stood. Other landmarks on the tour include Dublin's historic fruit and vegetable market, built in 1892, where many women worked under harsh conditions.
When: Jan. 31-Feb. 3
Cost: €11.70
Purchase Tickets
Cycle to Brigit’s Well: A Cleansing Ceremony and Pilgrimage
Visitors to the city looking for a way to get outdoors and to honor Brigid during the Brigit Festival might want to consider joining this cycling group to the hidden Brigit’s Well in the Phoenix Park led by Dr. Karen Ward of Brigid’s Way, a nine-day walking pilgrimage honoring the saint.
It includes a special cleansing ceremony, using the pure spring water of Brigit’s Well. All are invited to bring their St. Brigid crosses with them so they can dip them into the holy waters.
When: Feb. 1st, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Cost: Free (but you must reserve your spot)
Guided Tour: Saints, Scholars, and the Power of Writing in Early Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland Archeology is the location for this special guided tour exploring the artifacts and relics connected to Saints Brigid, Patrick and Colmcille.
It also examines the influence of Christianity, along with the rise of scholarship and how it helped shape the development of the written word.
You’ll be taken through the museum’s Treasury Exhibition, which houses the saints’ relics and other medieval treasures.
When: Jan. 31, 12 noon
Cost: Free (no booking required)
Brigit: Celebrating Women
This tour features selected works by women artists in the National Gallery of Ireland’s permanent collection, from the Renaissance right up to the 20th century.
When: Feb. 1st, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Cost: Free (no booking required)
In addition, images of Brigid will be illuminated on prominent buildings in the city, including the GPO and the Palace Building on Barnardo Square.
Discover more events on the Brigid 2025 website.