Spectators dressed as leprechauns attend St Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin on March 17, 2014. More … [+] than 100 parades are being held across Ireland to mark St Patrick’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Ireland, with up to 650,000 spectators expected to attend the parade in Dublin. AFP PHOTO/ PETER MUHLY (Photo credit should read PETER MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images
The Other Saint of Ireland: Why Brigid Deserves Her Day

Growing up as an Irish woman, I often wondered why an Romano-British man became Ireland’s enduring global icon, eclipsing nearly every Irish woman in history. Yet every March, millions worldwide eagerly don emerald garb, and take to the streets to celebrate a fifth-century British missionary: St. Patrick.

Patrick, born Roman, raised Welsh, and famously credited with banishing snakes (a reptilian issue geology had resolved millennia before) dominates the global imagination. Despite its allegorical significance about paganism, the snake myth has persisted unquestioned. Meanwhile, St. Brigid, an equally venerable Irish patron saint, credited with the infinitely practical miracle of turning water into beer, has languished quietly, her February 1st feast day traditionally observed through subtle devotion rather than parades and festivities.

Until now, that is.

Brigid’s famous sheltering cloak gathered women of all traditions.

Jane Brideson via the Irish Times

Over the past five years, Brigid has become the face of a profound cultural reclamation. The third annual Brigid’s Day, celebrated as a national holiday since 2023, positions Ireland among the few countries worldwide to honor a woman with a public holiday. More than a mere day off, it represents a deliberate rebalancing of historical narratives that have long relegated women to the margins.

“If Ireland lights up the world green on St. Patrick’s Day for one man, why can’t we illuminate the world in celebration of women?” asks Melanie Lynch, founder and CEO of HerStory Ireland, whose persistent advocacy was instrumental in establishing this historic commemoration.

Lynch makes a good point. The contrast between Ireland’s two patron saints is striking. The short summary: Patrick drives snakes from Ireland and becomes a global icon; Brigid establishes Ireland’s first co-educational monastery and pioneers gender equality, yet remains in his shadow. Patrick gets worldwide parades and merchandising – a day estimated to add north of $7 billion to the US economy this coming Monday; Brigid gets quiet contemplation and handwoven rush crosses. Patrick’s shamrock-based theology lesson becomes Ireland’s defining symbol; Brigid’s revolutionary fifth-century monastery, where men and women worked as equals, barely receives historical mention.

The Women Written Out of Ireland’s Story

Brigid was not alone. Irish history brims with influential women whose stories merit equal prominence alongside St. Patrick. Queen Medb, one of Ireland’s earliest warrior queens, ruled Connacht and led armies into battle in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Centuries later, Countess Markievicz helped shape modern Ireland as a revolutionary, becoming instrumental in the War of Independence and making history as the first woman elected to the British House of Commons in 1918. Between these bookends of myth and modernity, countless Irish women have shaped history while receiving limited recognition.

This sidelining wasn’t merely symbolic. It was institutionalized in ways that directly affected women’s lives. As recently as 1990, Irish women couldn’t legally purchase contraceptives without medical prescriptions, exemplifying the church and state’s iron grip on women’s bodily autonomy. Divorce remained illegal until 1995. Abortion was constitutionally banned until 2018. Homosexuality was criminalized until 1993. All told the control of women’s bodies, choices, and freedoms was codified into the very fabric of Irish society.

From Catholic Conservatism to Progressive Powerhouse

DUBLIN, IRELAND – MAY 26: A woman breaks down in tears as the results in the Irish referendum on the … [+] 8th amendment concerning the country’s abortion laws takes place at Dublin Castle on May 26, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland. Savita Halappanavar who became the symbol of the Yes campaign to repeal the 8th amendment died aged 32 due to complications following a septic miscarriage in Galway, 2012. Exit polls indicated that the Yes vote has won by a landslide majority and the No campaign has conceded defeat. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Yet Ireland has undergone a profound and rapid transformation within a single generation. Within thirty years, the country has evolved from a deeply conservative Catholic stronghold to one of Europe’s most progressive nations. The sequence is remarkable: homosexuality was decriminalized (1993), divorce was legalized (1995), same-sex marriage was approved by popular referendum (2015), and abortion was legalized, also by referendum (2018). This evolution, so unthinkable to previous generations, culminated symbolically in 2023 with the establishment of Brigid’s Day, Ireland’s first public holiday explicitly dedicated to a woman.

“Ireland’s transformation is deeply personal,” Lynch reflects. “Many of us grew up in a country where women’s roles were rigidly defined and our stories secondary at best.”

Mary Kennedy, Deirdre Ní Chinnéide, Siobhán McSweeney, Laura Murphy and Melanie Lynch

Melanie Lynch
Reclaiming Brigid: From Forgotten Goddess to National Icon

Lynch has dedicated her career to illuminating overlooked narratives of influential Irish women, leading a cultural movement to challenge historical imbalances by elevating the stories and contributions of women that have long been overlooked.

Inspiration for the reclaiming of Brigid came during HerStory’s 2016 launch when comedian Tara Flynn’s witty “Brigid Not Jones Diary” breathed contemporary life into the ancient figure, transforming her from forgotten saint into a modern day woman navigating relatable problems, the everyday frustrations and feelings of self-doubt while maintaining her inherent power and wisdom. Although initially hesitant due to catholic associations, Lynch discovered Brigid’s pre-Christian roots transcended religion. “Reclaiming Brigid wasn’t about endorsing tradition—it was about reclaiming power and confronting erasure,” Lynch explains. “Women’s history isn’t just about individual achievements; it’s about collective strength, shared values, and cultural memory.”

“Tara’s performance was revelatory,” Lynch recalls. “She showed us how Brigid’s ancient wisdom could directly speak to contemporary women’s experiences. Her humor shattered centuries of dusty interpretations, making Brigid accessible again.” Lynch shares that the power of reclaiming Brigid runs even deeper when you consider how her name had devolved into a slur used against Irish women, particularly immigrants and domestic workers. In her journey from revered saint to degraded slur and now resurrected national icon, Brigid embodies the quintessential Irish heroine – a figure who has traversed the heights of adoration, the depths of humiliation, and everything in between, making her the perfect symbol for generations of Irish women whose own stories contain both struggle and triumph. Above all Lynch shares Brigid is a reminder that Irish women aren’t in the pursuit of perfection in their Heroine. They want relatability.

FILE – Dancers perform in front of an image of St. Brigid projected onto The Wonderful Barn in … [+] Leixlip, Kildare, Ireland, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023 during the Herstory Festival of Light. Devotees of St. Brigid in Ireland plan to celebrate on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, with the scheduled return of a relic associated with the so-called “matron saint of Ireland” — about a millennium after her remains were removed from her hometown of Kildare. It’s part of a series of observances in Ireland and around the world marking the 1,500th anniversary of her death. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)

AP via HerStory
Women’s Collective Power: Beyond Individual Achievements

This message resonated deeply with Tammy Darcy, founder of The Shona Project, an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to empowering teenage girls across Ireland by fostering resilience, confidence, and a sense of community as they navigate the complexities of adolescence. Darcy shares how young girls seek role models they can truly relate to rather than idealized figures of perfection – “Through our programs, we’ve seen how transformative it is when girls encounter stories of women who’ve faced similar challenges yet thrived. We need to see that women like us can achieve remarkable things, despite challenges and often because of them. Our stories are our superpowers; they deserve to be heard and celebrated.”

Tammy Darcy takes a selfie with the attendees at the multi award winning Shine Festival, hosted … [+] annually by The Shona Project.

The Shona Project

This reclamation of Brigid reflects something more substantial than symbolic parity. It demonstrates how quickly cultural narratives can shift when motivated citizens challenge historical imbalances. What began as a grassroots campaign, in just three years transformed into a national holiday, suggesting that other entrenched historical inequities might be similarly vulnerable to focused advocacy. The contrast between Ireland’s two patron saints remains instructive—one celebrated globally with parades and merchandising, the other still establishing her modern significance. But the gap is narrowing. A country that officially celebrates Brigid alongside Patrick is deliberately rewriting its cultural script, making a public statement about evolving values and identity. For a nation that has undergone such rapid social transformation, the parallel rise of Brigid’s Day alongside the long-established St. Patrick’s Day offers a fitting metaphor for Ireland’s journey.

So as the world turns green tomorrow and Patrick remains our man of the hour on the global stage, Brigid is on the rise. An Irish heroine who reminds us that over 1,500 years ago, a woman brewed beer, led men and women as equals, and challenged power structures. If that’s not a feminist icon worth celebrating, I don’t know who is.