Free Virtual St. Brigid’s Festival Vancouver; running Sunday, January 31 to Sunday, February 7, 2021
www.brigidfestivalvancouver.com
Celebrating women everywhere!
St. Brigid’s Festival Vancouver is a week-long online free festival featuring academic, cultural and wellness sessions dedicated to celebrating women through the medium of Ireland’s mythical matriarchal figure Brigid. Despite Brigid’s origins in mythology and religion, this festival is non-religious. All are welcome.
Festival Director Maura De Freitas said, “St. Brigid’s Festival Vancouver is an opportunity to celebrate and cherish the legacy of women everywhere, to learn from each other and share ideas.”
EMMA DONOGHUE
The expansive program of events will include a presentation from award-winning Irish- Canadian novelist, playwright and screenwriter Emma Donoghue. Well known for her novel “Room”, shortlisted for the Man Booker prize and adopted into an Academy Award-winning film. Donoghue will present the photographs that inspired her latest bestselling novel “The Pull of the Stars” set during the 1918 flu pandemic.
AILBHE SMYTH
Leading Irish activist and women’s rights campaigner Ailbhe Smyth, listed in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2019, will also host a presentation on the impact COVID 19 has on women.
MONICA McWILLIAMS
Proudly supported by the Irish Embassy, the Consulate General of Ireland in Vancouver will host a talk by academic, peace activist, former politician Monica McWilliams on her documentary “Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs”.
Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs is the extraordinary story of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition, a cross-community party formed in 1996 by local working- and middle-class women. Frustrated with the stalemate of local politics, the women ran a door-to-door campaign to win two seats at the historic peace talks, which culminated in the Good Friday Agreement. Wave Goodbye to Dinosaurs is a compelling example of how grassroots activism can bring about real change.
LEGENDS and MYTHOLOGY OF BRIGID
A storytelling session focused on the “Legends and Mythology of Brigid” will present Irish storytellers -- Philomena Jordan, Dolores Whelan of Brigid's Way Celtic Pilgrimage, and Anthony Murphy of Mythical Ireland.
MENTAL HEALTH PANEL
With a strong emphasis on wellness and mental health, the St. Brigid’s Festival includes a panel discussion on suicide prevention and recovery during COVID 19, hosted by Darkness into Light Vancouver.
Disclaimer: Event details may change at any time. Please review the official website or check with the
event organizer when planning to attend the event.
