Heritage Week 2020: An Exhibition of ‘The Brideógs’
To celebrate the upcoming National Heritage Week, Lough Lene Gaels’ Healthy Club P.L.A.C.E. group, which stands for Positive, Learning, Art, Culture, and Exercise, is delighted to exhibit their ‘Brideógs’ that they made earlier this year. I have facilitated this group for the past three years, through my work on RRS in the community.
A ‘Brideóg’ is a small, doll-like effigy of one of Ireland’s patron saints, St. Brigid. St. Brigid is Ireland’s most-loved female saint, and her feast day falls on 1st February.
Earlier in 2020, when the P.L.A.C.E. group members could gather for their weekly Wednesday workshop at the Lough Lene Gaels clubhouse, it was decided that the focus for the new term would be on Folklore and Traditions.
During my visit to the National County Museum in Mayo last summer, the idea came to me that making a ‘Brideóg’ would be an excellent way for group members to learn more about St Brigid, while passing on stories and traditions associated with her feast day.
So on Saturday, 1st February, the P.L.A.C.E. group gathered at the clubhouse and spent time making St Brigid’s crosses for their homes, with members Chrissie Murtagh and Maura Carty having kindly gathered the rushes from their fields.
In olden days, it was a custom in some parts of the country to leave some fabric outside on a bush or a window ledge on the night that St. Brigid was said to have travelled the country and bestowed her blessing on families and animals. So, just as daylight was fading on Friday, 31st January, we did this, reviving the tradition.
When we met on the following Wednesday, these fabrics were split into two halves. One half would be used in the making of the ‘Brideógs, for her dress bodice or blouse, and the other half would be kept, with the belief that it holds St. Brigid’s blessing and could be passed over to family, friends, and neighbors to ward off ailment or illness.
Members made the clothing for their ‘Brideóg’, fashioning her with individual garments to their own liking, using fabrics and cloths which held particular meaning for them. They also drew illustrations, and made notes to document the making of their Brideóg.
It is now August of 2020, and because of COVID-19, we are holding a virtual exhibition to present some of the finished ‘Brideógs’. The beauty of this story lies in the fact that each ‘Brideóg’ has sat or hung lovingly in our homes throughout the past five difficult months, and it is our wish that they will continue to do so long into the future, protecting us and our heritage. - Teresa Doyle
