Honouring the courage of Ballarat’s Irish pioneers

BALLARAT will celebrate Irish culture, and the empowering effect it has had on the city’s pioneers, with a special event next month.

Brigid Fest will be held at St John of God hospital on Sunday 1 February from 4pm to 6pm.

In Ireland, 1 February is St Brigid’s Day, a national holiday that honours the influence the patron saint of women has had on the nation’s people.

The Ballarat Irish Association will this year use St Brigid’s Day to pay tribute to the city’s early settlers from the emerald isle, particularly its women.

Association vice-president Mary Darcy said Irish women made a significant contribution to Ballarat during its gold rush.

“They came to a totally unknown place which was in its infancy really,” she said.

Ms Darcy said the association has long had a focus on promoting the courage that “was needed for people to come and start their lives in a completely new place”.

“Particularly based on the women who came to the goldfields and began their work there as teachers. They set up small businesses; they were very entrepreneurial,” she said.

“Many of them of course suffered terribly and had a great deal of hardship.”

Ms Darcy said Brigid Fest was an opportunity to celebrate the “myth and culture” that had inspired the Irish and Australians throughout the years.

“They’re quite powerful in bringing our past into the present and celebrating what is so many people’s ancestry,” she said.

Brigid Fest will be held in the hospital’s gardens. Ms Darcy said the venue was chosen for its Brigid ward.

She said the hospital’s early history of being run by Irish nuns also complemented Brigid Fest’s themes.

The event will begin with an introduction of both St Brigid as well as the ancient goddess of the same name.

It will feature the development of St Brigid crosses, storytelling and sharing of descendants’ history.

Brigid Fest is free, but bookings for catering purposes are required.

To book, phone Ms Darcy by Wednesday 28 January on 0407 041 998.

For more information about the association, visit ballaratirish.org.au