On Sunday, January 31 we met Gerard, Dominique, Yann and Lucca at Muckross Park for the St. Brigid's Day celebration. The weather was beautiful and we had a nice time. Here is a bit of a description - Gerard tells us that there is actually a bit more to it - some of it risque, at least as he remembers from his youth.

St. Brigid's Day is celebrated on 1st February, the pagan feast of Imbolg, the festival of Spring, the coming of fertility to the land. Even today it is still the occasion of popular and partently un-Christian rituals such as the Bridoge and the Biddy doll. St. Brigid's crosses are very common in jewelry and tourism! There was a man there making them from reeds. He said the tradition is for a comely man to pull the reeds, so he did it himself! St. Brigid is second only to Patrick as a patron saint of Ireland.

The dancers were pretty good - especially the broom dancer. You can't really see, but one person was carrying the "Biddy Doll" mentioned above.