Laois artist Julie Scully (Síle Ní Scolaidhe) will feature at ‘Brigid 1500’ which is taking place in the Town of Kildare.
Her piece, titled “Cross in Copper”, was selected from over 150 entries for this unique exhibition – “Unravelling an Icon, Celebrating and Remembering Brigid and her Legacy”.
Julie grew up on a farm in Vicarstown, now home to the Merry Mill, and lives on a farm in Jamestown with her husband and four children.
She spent 2023 immersing herself in Brigid 1500 initiatives in County Kildare, including a creative writing course “Writing your way to Brigit/Brigid” with Dr. Shaua Gilligan from Maynooth.
An opportunity then came up to join copper workshops in St. Paul’s Secondary School ran by Maria Hanlon-Connolly from their art department and a small group met weekly and the “tap, tap, tap” of the group working collectively gave a real sense of the monastic in the workshops.
The inspiration for this piece came from the story of St. Brigid having founded a monastic settlement in Kildare and being Abbess of a dual monastery of men and women.
Her monastery became one of the most prestigious monasteries in Ireland and was famous throughout Christian Europe.
She also founded a school of art including metal work and illumination, over which St. Conleth presided.
Indeed “The Book of Kildare” now lost to time was famed in Christendom for its beauty and craftmanship.
Book shrines or “cumdach” (cover) would have been made to protect the illuminated manuscripts such as The Book of Kildare.
The “cumdach” would have been made with various metals including copper, using the repoussé technique drawing on the earlier La Téne and Celtic styles as has my “Cross in Copper”.
Having her work selected for this exhibition was a highlight of 2023 for Julie and she is honoured to have her work side by side with some of the most renowned artists in Ireland and she would encourage anyone with an even slight interest in Brigit/Brigid to visit this exhibition in the heart of Kildare Town which will be there until February 19.
She has endeavoured to bring “Brigit/Brigid” to various celebrations thourghout 2023 using both symbols and spoken word performances.
In addition to her writing on Brigit/Brigit she has worked with Beth Murphy and Bríd Brophy as part of the “Brigid Willow Weaving Group” based in The Athy Community Arts Centre that had an installation in the church in Vicarstown over Christmas representing the stories told particularly in the Scottish Tradition of Brigid as Midwife to Mary and foster mother to Jesus.
Already for 2024 she is busy with upcoming performances as part of the very special Feile Bhride for Brigid 1500 in Kildare Town.
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