St. Brigid’s Well exhibition returns to the Hamilton Gallery on the 4th February, as the nation and other countries around the world celebrate the life and work of St’ Brigid, patron saint of creativity, protector of the vulnerable and Goddess of Fire. The exhibition includes work by almost 100 female Irish artists, including fresh work by our own gallery artists together with newly invited artists.
To leave the dead end behind, Angela Fewer
Davey Orr, Ann - The Brimming Pond l
From a Dark Place on the road, Grainne Dowling
The exhibition is themed around a specifically commissioned poem by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin as part of Lá Fhéile Bríde 2022, the global celebration of Women and Creativity initiated and run by Irish consulates and embassies around the world.
We look forward to inviting artists and friends of the gallery to a reading of “St Brigids Well” by Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin to officially open the exhibition on Saturday 4th February at 12 noon.
Hamilton Gallery has been a significant contributor to the Irish Foreign Ministry inspired Brigids Day / Lá Fhéile Bride celebration of women and creativity since 2019, hosting a series of invited artists exhibitions centered on the life and work of influential Irish women such as Leland Bardwell, Eva Gore-Booth and most recently Eiléan Ni Chuilleanáin.
Hundreds of Irish women artists have contributed to these exhibitions which have been shown in Sligo, Dublin and London, and in association with Irish Consulates and Embassies in New York and Berlin.
Martina welcoming everyone to the 12 Star Gallery exhibition and celebration of the life of Leland Bardwell in London, 2019.
Martina Hamilton has been representing and promoting Irish artists through her work as a gallerist and curator for over 30 years. She has built relationships with embassies around the world to generate awareness and interest in contemporary Irish artists with a particular focus in women’s creativity. This year, she has been invited to participate in a short film commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs to commemorate St. Brigid’s day. The film aims to appeal to audiences across the world and is ‘a celebration of creativity and feminine energy.’
In pre Christian ancient Irish mythology, Brigid appears as a fire goddess, as a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, the daughter of the Dagda and wife of Bres, with whom she had a son named Ruadán. She was the god of numerous skills and qualities including wisdom and poetry. She had curative and protective powers. She was also the god of fire as well as being the god of metal forging and blacksmithing.
Her qualities were so numerous and significant that she may well have been a triple Deity, or indeed that she had two sisters, Brigid the Healer and Brigid The Smith. Her feast day was known as the Celtic celebration Imbolc.
With the onset of Christianity in Ireland she became Brigid of Kildare, and ranks as of the nations 3 patron saints alongside St Patrick and St Columba.
Many legends and myths surround the wisdom, gentleness, ferocity and miracles of St Brigid's life to match her pre-Christian influence and power. Pre-eminent is the story of how she wove crosses from wild Irish rushes, a tradition carried on throughout Ireland to this day.
Offerings St. Brigid’s Well, Hilary Morley
Among the Voices, Catherine Patrickson
‘Having St. Brigit’s Day as a National holiday is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate women’s creativity today whilst keeping alive the enduring traditions that are associated with Brigit such as weaving crosses from rushes and giving thanks for our health and general wellbeing.’ Martina Hamilton
St Brigid’s Well exhibition continues until Saturday 25 March.