Caucus honours St Brigid

Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus has commissioned its 1st short film in honour of Brigid the saint and the goddess.

The Women’s Caucus in Cork County Council was established in 2022, almost 1,500 years since the anniversary of St Brigid’s passing.

The caucus was established just over 100 years since Irish women were permitted by law to vote and stand in parliamentary elections, with the objective of addressing the ongoing under representation of women in local government.

Reflecting St Brigid’s existence as both a Celtic goddess and a Christian saint, Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus aims to bring women elected representatives together across party and ideological lines.

Chair of Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus, Cllr Eileen Lynch said: “St Brigid’s founding of the first nunnery was an amazing feat for a young woman in a very patriarchal and hierarchal society, but she succeeded then and continues to inspire success now.

“Much of the folklore around goddess Brigid and St Brigid reflects the aims of Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus. St Brigid was a clear inspiration for Cork County Councils Women’s Caucus because she was a woman of peace, a woman who straddled paganism and Christianity, a woman of generosity who treated everyone equally and welcomed everyone in.”

Deputy Chair of the caucus, Cllr Gillian Coughlan added: “The Council’s Women’s Caucus wants to welcome more women into politics and let them know they will be treated equally and supported through cross-party co-operation. Most importantly of all, to increase our influence in areas of significant importance for all the women of Cork county.”

The short film can be viewed by visiting corkcoco.ie or Cork County Council’s social media accounts.