Into Kildare, the tourism board for Co Kildare, and Solas Bhríde Spirituality Centre & Hermitages have jointly launched their global ‘Pause for Peace’ movement which sees the residents of Kildare calling on people all around the world to stop for a minute’s silence at noon on St Brigid’s day, 1 February.
2024 marks 1500 years since the passing of Saint Brigid, the patron Saint of Kildare and Ireland and The Pause for Peace movement and other special events are planned to mark that milestone and formally recognise the importance of Saint Brigid from a cultural, religious, spiritual, and historical point of view.
Áine Mangan, CEO of Into Kildare, said: “From this year onwards Ireland will celebrate a new annual national holiday in honour of Saint Brigid, one of the three patron saints of our country. Saint Patrick had a national holiday declared in his honour in 1903.
“Finally, 123 years later Saint Brigid has been granted a similar honour. This decision marks the modelling of the equal dignity of male and female at national level.
“The new public holiday this year is on 6 February.
“The Saint Brigid’s Day Public Holiday is hugely important not just for County Kildare, but for the whole country when we expect to see hundreds of thousands of visitors travel to Ireland.
“Equally, from a domestic point of view, the new holiday will serve as a welcome uplift for hospitality providers who will enjoy a business boost in the shoulder period between Christmas and Saint Patrick’s Day.”
Sr. Rita Minehan of Solas Bhríde said: “This movement for a Pause for Peace sets the scene for marking the new national holiday. It reflects a spiritual underpinning to the day and is consonant with the value of peace which Brigid stood for in her time.
“By pausing for peace, we send out a message that we actively oppose warfare and the proliferation of arms, which wreak havoc on human beings as well as on the natural world. This movement aims to awaken and build a spirit of global solidarity in our search for peace.
“We are delighted to have three ambassadors for Pause for Peace, they are Ewan Morris, Lily Tyrell Kenny and Ben Ryan, senior students from Kildare Town Community School.”
Word has already spread through the Irish diaspora and New Zealand will be first to start the Pause for Peace movement when they will have a minute’s silence for peace on 12.00 noon, their time on Saint Brigid’s Day 1 February.
Sr. Rita explained that Pause for Peace asks people of all faiths and none to stop for a minute’s silence and send out peace from their hearts to the people of the world.
She said the movement has been inspired by Saint Brigid whose legacy is most relevant in our war-torn world today.
“Saint Brigid was renowned as a peace maker and one of the most popular stories associated with her is that of her giving away her father’s precious jewelled sword to a poor person so that he could barter it for food to feed his family.
“She was compassionate, a protector of the natural world and a formidable force for justice whose light shines ever more brightly today.
“From New Zealand to New York, from Brisbane to Barcelona, a minute’s silence for peace will take place all around the globe on the 1 February and will form part of the rolling Pause for Peace movement.”
Pause for Peace will be at 12 noon, Saint Brigid’s Day, 1 February 2023.
For more information see www.intokildare.ie or visit www.solasbhride.ie.
