Maynooth University is celebrating St Brigid whose life and legacy is being commemorated this year with a new public holiday.
The University took part in on one of the first initiatives of The Brigid 1500 programme, which specifically recognises St Brigid’s reputation as a champion for peace.
The series of events and initiatives includes festivals, concerts, talks, art commissions, illuminations, pilgrimages, and craft workshops and aims to seal St Brigid’s lasting legacy. The Brigid 1500 programme is chaired by Professor Mary Corcoran of the Department of Sociology at MU.
As part of the Brigid 1500 series the ‘Herstory’ Light Show took place at Maynooth Castle as well as other sites in Kildare and featured illuminations of Brigid on their façades.
Students and staff also participated in a global ‘Pause for Peace,’ an initiative involving Into Kildare, the Tourism Board for County Kildare and Irish diaspora around the world. People from New Zealand, New York, Brisbane, Barcelona and elsewhere stopped what they were doing for one minute of silence to express support and solidarity for those who have been affected by war.