The Brigid Festival Vancouver started in 2020 through an initiative by the Irish Benevolent Society of BC.. 

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This one-day event that brought together an incredible line-up of speakers, workshop hosts, storytellers, exhibits and music, and was an incredible success. The keynote speaker included Dr. Angela Byrne, former Historian-in-Residence at the EPIC Museum in Dublin. 

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Local Irish-Canadian artist Deirdre Keohane was commissioned to paint her version of Brigid. This painting has become the representative image of the festival. Below are images from the two exhibitions: Blazing a Trail: Lives and Legacies of Irish Diaspora Women and Herstory.

To end the 2020 event we hosted a candlelight procession of the women speakers and guests as a traditional way to reflect on light we bring together.