On Feb.1, Imbolg rings in the spring season in Ireland and other Celtic lands. It is the time of new birth when lambs are born and the first flowers begin to bloom. A time of renewal when the ancient wheel of life is turning and the big dipper turns through the seasonal year like the hands of a clock.
A new bank holiday in Ireland was recently announced to celebrate the “woman of our ancestry” as Achill Island’s Sheila McHugh called her in a poem/prayer she recently penned in Brigid’s honor. The bank holiday is meant to honor St. Brigid and recognize the work and creativity of Irish women world -wide.
To celebrate with Nollaig Na mBan NY, which I founded a few years ago to remember the four Celtic fire festivals – Samhain, Imbolg, Bealtaine and Lughnasa and to raise money for a woman’s shelter, I planned a dinner gathering at the Landmark Tavern, where Don Meade leads a weekly traditional music session every Monday. Co-Owner, Michael Younge made sure we were comfortably set up and Nancy was our attentive server. I read Sheila McHugh’s poem followed by the traditional prayer to St. Brigid to commence dinner.
On this night when Brigid brings us into the spring of renewal and rebirth, we wanted time to step away from Covid negativity and focus on the positive. The guests shared blessings they had received during the year creating a nurturing experience at dinner. As we enjoyed our salmon, or vegetarian dishes, a flower garden of blessings bloomed forth.
Don Meade joined us for dinner along with the talented Liz Hanley who was the featured musician/singer that evening. Don shared that he is grateful after 30 years as a computer programmer to leave his job and enjoy retirement. Liz Hanley feels blessed that to have become more in tune with herself this past year. We loved her performance on fiddle and vocals.
Speaking of tunes, Mary McIntyre shared that she found joy in “Tune Supply” a virtual music session led by Caitlin Warbelow and Chris Ranney at Mary O’s in downtown Manhattan. She also mentioned gaining an appreciation for mat Pilates and said that her visit home to Ireland in December 2021 was an additional blessing.
Eileen Condon said that the pandemic has taught her to shop for food more carefully, to eat better, and to rely mainly on her own cooking and baking. She added that the result has been a relaxing process. “And I've also saved money” she added.
Welcoming an adorable puppy into her life this year was both a blessing and a challenge for Cousin Valarie Bisignani. Bennett brings joy to Valarie’s neighbors as well as herself - a reminder to us all that four-legged friends can help in times of loneliness and isolation.
For Allyce Fucigna, Covid’s isolation gave her the blessing of stepping away from texting and “rediscovering the art of a voice to voice phone conversation with those I love.” The pandemic taught her to “be fully present in those daily and abundant moments of human connection and joy, such as our celebration there at the Landmark.”
This appreciation of connecting with friends and loved ones was echoed by others at the table. Deirdre Batson found long phone/Face Time/ WhatsApp Happy Hour conversations a blessing especially with family in England and elsewhere. “The universality of the pandemic puts us all on common ground,” Deirdre added.
Maureen Farrell felt blessed that evening to be “breaking bread, sharing stories and listening to good music.” She added that she also was blessed to renew her love of nature and appreciation of the seasons.
Dan Brown honored me among his blessings in saying that my organizing the St. Brigid and other Celtic celebrations with my Nollaig Na mBan group has helped him learn more about the people and traditions of Ireland. “Sadly, as an Irish American, I had not made a strong effort to research and learn about my heritage” he added. Well, I say that Dan’s talent as a photographer at our events is in return a generous blessing. Last year, he brought my NYIC Irish language students’ voices to life when he edited our videos as souvenirs of our classes on Zoom.
Speaking of bringing voices to life, Karen Daly who noted that she finds joy and challenge in researching a project about New York City history also remarked that Dan Brown’s monologues in The Sometimes Why perfectly capture the woman’s emotional perspective.
I agree. To me, Brown’s writing is a modern day version of the Irish language author, Pádraic Ó Conaire’s Beirt Bhan Missinúil (Two Courageous Women) and Colm Tóibín’s Nora Webster. Check out Dan’s “Tales From The Sometimes Why” presented by Malachy McCourt as a fundraiser for Theater 80 St. Mark’s Place on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. The ticket link is here:
Finally, my own blessing is the joy I find in interacting with the people present. Planning Celtic fire festival events, teaching Irish and organizing my dance class in the park last year kept me connected during these days of isolation.
Our next Nollaig Na mBan celebration will be Bealtaine, May 1, when we’ll celebrate the beginning of Irish summer.
