TLRH | Brigit: A Day for Renewal and Healing

Monday, 1 February 2021, 1 – 2pm Christian saint or Celtic goddess,
Brigit has long been associated with the spring season,
representing renewal, healing and fertility. But who was the
enigmatic Brigit, Brigid or Bríg and what lessons does her legend
offer us today? In the midst of a global pandemic which has shaken
the world, can we find ways to generate hope from centuries old
wisdom and tradition? Join us on the 1st of February for a
conversation with Professor Katharine Simms, Dr Mary Condren,
artist Rita Duffy, Early Career Researcher Nandini Gupta, and
Trinity Long Room Hub Director, Professor Eve Patten. Rita Duffy is
an artist in residence at the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and
Humanities Institute. Born in Belfast, Rita was awarded a B.A. from
the Art & Design Centre and an M.A. in Fine Art at the
University of Ulster. She was elected to Aosdana in 2017. She is
one of Northern Ireland's groundbreaking artists who began her work
concentrating primarily on the figurative/narrative tradition. Her
art is often autobiographical, including themes and images of Irish
identity, history and politics. Rita Duffy’s work has grown and
evolved but remains intensely personal with overtones of the
surreal. Professor Katharine Simms Ph.D. was Senior Lecturer in
Medieval History at Trinity College Dublin until her retirement in
2010. She has written three books, From Kings to Warlords (1987),
Medieval Gaelic Sources (2009) and Gaelic Ulster in the Middle Ages
(2020) as well as numerous articles on Gaelic politics and society
in later medieval Ireland, including several on the role of women,
and the later commentaries on Brehon law tracts. Dr. Mary Condren
is a Visiting Research Fellow and teaches at the Centre for Gender
and Women’s Studies, in the School of Histories and Humanities,
Trinity College Dublin. She is director of Woman Spirit Ireland and
has organised and resourced Festivals of Brigit, in Ireland and
North America, for over thirty years. She is the author of The
Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion and Power in Celtic
Ireland. Articles on Brigit and feminist topics:
https://tcd.academia.edu/MaryCondren Learn more at:
https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/