Ukrainians set to receive welcome for St Brigid’s Day

Ukrainians set to receive welcome for St Brigid’s Day

1 February 2023

UKRAINIAN refugees are set to receive a traditional welcome in the spirit of St Brigid and St Patrick as part of celebrations in Downpatrick this week.

Newcomers from Ukraine will be welcomed to the Saint Patrick Centre to learn about St Brigid, make crosses and taste some of the flavours of the fifth century.

The event, in honour of St Brigid’s annual feast day, is a partnership between the Saint Patrick Centre, the world’s only permanent exhibition to Saint Patrick, and Brigid Watson of Sustainable Journeys Ireland.

“This is very much in keeping with our community outreach, and partnership,” said Dr Tim Campbell, Centre Director.

“St Brigid was inspired by our patron St Patrick and their spirit is still very much alive in Downpatrick where both saints are buried.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to welcome Ukrainian refugees who are so in need of our friendship, our support and our care.”

Brigid Watson conceived of the idea as she prepared her annual Legacy Experience of St Brigid to mark the February 1 feast day. 

“I decided to offer an extra day on February 4 and welcome, as guests,  Ukrainian people living in County Down,” she said.

“I really wanted to help and support them, as St Brigid reached out to the needy and the poor. And I feel this is something I can do for these good people who have been through the trauma of war and the trauma of having to flee their home country.

“We are aware there are Ukrainian people who would like to know about the culture of this country. St Brigid is a well known cultural and Christian icon and there is a growing interest in Brigid both from the point of view of Brigid the goddess and Brigid the saint.”

“And you know St Brigid was very much associated with agriculture and rural life. She was, in effect, Ireland’s first environmentalist and that is very timely as we are obviously facing an environmental crisis. We would do well to take heed of and reflect on the wisdom of those early Celtic saints who recognised, as did the earlier people,  that they depended so much on  nature, so therefore they had a great respect for nature.”

“St Brigid in that sense was before her time.”

As well as sharing the history and legacy of St Brigid, Ms Watson will demonstrate how to make the traditional St Brigid’s cross.

“I have already gathered the rushes for the cross which come in bunches of 25 with little elastic bands. The hard part in weaving the cross is just getting started. After that it gets easier,” she continued.

“I tell everyone about St Brigid,  and who she was and share a bit about what Ireland was like in the Fifth Century. That’s important for local people but also for the Ukrainian people to get a sense of the setting.

“For those too young to weave a cross we have crayons to colour in a variety of  images of St Brigid’s cross.”

Once the crosses are complete, participants experience the story of St Patrick in a 20-minute IMAX film before visiting the grave where the saints rest on Cathedral Hill, in the shadow of Down Cathedral, just steps from the Saint Patrick Centre.

There are a limited number of free places available for Ukrainian refugees interested in the cultural experience.

Ticket information is available at the Saint Patrick Centre, tel 028 4461 9000.