By Rosemary Sheehan from the Brigidfest Committee
St Brigid is now commemorated by so many events worldwide. In Melbourne, each year, a small and committed Brigidfest committee organises a lunch to celebrate St. Brigid, as close as possible to her Feast day, 1 February. St Brigid is celebrated as the ‘mother saint’ of Ireland, a patron of women, her reputation enduring as a strong woman who stood up for herself, or others, and who defied male leaders. In Kildare, Ireland, a perpetual candle remains alight, to venerate Brigid.
Brigidfest is one way of keeping alive the great links between Ireland and Australia. We invite a speaker who talks about a topic of interest to Australian women, typically connecting Ireland and Australia and in some way resonating with the women-centred values of Brigid. Brigidfest warmly acknowledges the support of the Government of Ireland, and the Irish Embassy in Canberra, and the Celtic Club Victoria to achieve this.
The Irish Ambassador to Australia, the Hon Tim Mawe, was not able to be present this year but sent warmwords of welcome to the guests at Brigidfest 2024. He described Brigid in a contemporary context as a pioneer of gender equality and feminism. He invoked Chaka Kahn ( the queen of 1980s funk) describing Brigid as ‘she’s every woman’, which especially well received! He spoke about examples of some contemporary Brigids: an elderly sheep farmer from Antrim, and a 12-year-old Bridie who loves Taylor Swift- and her concertina!
Professor Pat McGorry AO, President of the Celtic Club of Victoria, spoke about how much the Club values its connection to Brigidfest.
Over the twenty years of Brigidfest, we’ve enjoyed thought-provoking addresses from an Irish-born Magistrate in Victoria about family violence and the work of the courts; our Victorian Minister for Women spoke about the women prisoners in Armagh in 1970 during the Troubles; and an Irish Professor of Infectious Diseases working here in Melbourne who spoke about COVID-19, and the notion of governing for the common good. The raffle proceeds benefit the Brigidine Asylum Seekers Project.
Brigidfest 2024 featured the Hon. Dr Monique Ryan MHR, Member for Kooyong, who spoke on ‘Women in Parliament: Doing Politics Differently?’. Around 120 guests attended the lunch to hear about Dr Ryan’s experiences in the Federal parliament and how they might reflect the values of Brigid. Dr. Ryan was introduced by the Hon. Gabrielle Williams, Member for Dandenong and Minister for Government Services, Consumer Affairs and Public and Active Transport in the Victorian Government. Gabrielle has long been a friend of Brigidfest, and herself a previous speaker.
Monique spoke about the values of St Brigid, and how her previous career in paediatric neurology was aligned with those values, particularly the need to care for our sick and most vulnerable. She spoke about what motivated her to stand for Parliament, and of how remarkable her 2022 campaign in Kooyong was, with more than 2000 passionate and inspiring volunteers turning out to help to work together for change. Monique described the transition to political life – its challenges and its joys, and what it’s like to be a member of Australia’s largest crossbench. She spoke about how it is possible to achieve outcomes in politics even without the balance of power, and the power of community-driven social change. She said she felt compelled to stand up for her community after years of federal government inaction on so many issues of concern: climate change, declining integrity in politics, persistent gender inequality, and lack of serious economic reform to tackle the big issues like taxation, housing affordability, and cost of living pressures.
Hers was an inspiring address, and the lunch guests applauded her tireless work in Canberra, and her calls for accountability and fair decision-making. The enthusiastic audience was interested to ask questions of a sitting member of parliament. All answered with directness, grace, and honesty.
Dr Ryan made it plain the women in the Federal Parliament can and do make a difference, and we enjoyed hearing how about she works with that aim, and the differences they are making. We are most grateful to Dr Ryan, who flew down from Canberra during Parliamentary sittings so she could speak to us.
The Brigidfest Committee thank the Embassy of Ireland (Canberra) and the Celtic Club for their support of this annual event.
We now look forward to Brigidfest 2025!
Rosemary Sheehan AM FASSA
17 March 2024.
Tinteán 