‘Fire Goddess’ festival at lighthouse
HOOK Lighthouse is set to celebrate Ireland’s ‘Fire Goddess’ with an Imbolc traditional festival marking the beginning of spring on the first weekend of February.
It is also the feast of St Bridget. In ancient Irish mythology, Bridget was a fire goddess who was also the patron saint of boatmen, sailors, and mariners.
Celebrated annually by the ancient Celts, Imbolc was one of the four important festivals in the Celtic calendar. Opening the festival weekend on the morning of Saturday, February 1, is a sunrise tour of the lighthouse at 7 a.m.
During the weekend, visitors to the lighthouse can enjoy a tasting table filled with flavours of local foods and hosted by the award-winning in-house kitchen team, art workshops and St Bridget Cross making with the Hook Lighthouse resident artist Rose, a talk on the meaning of Imbolc with storyteller Baya Salmon-Hawk followed by a visualisation. The Hook Lighthouse Eco Sheriff will host a talk on sustainability and recycling and share insights at the Hook Lighthouse Eco-Education Station. Visitors can also walk the maze to place wishes on the Imbolc Wishing Tree.
On Saturday and Sunday afternoon from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. children’s entertainment, fun and games will be on offer with Pirate Pat. All Imbolc Festival events at Hook Lighthouse are available to enjoy free of charge, apart from the Sunrise Tour and art workshops with Rose.