Brigid’s Cloak and an effigy of Brigid were created by interwoven – a subgroup of the Dolmen’s Climate Action Network.
The work was made over ten weeks in the autumn of 2025, with support from the Community Arts Partnership through CEMENT project.
This environmental project involved beachcombing to highlight the amount of litter on our shores. Participants collected natural and man-made objects, all of which were found on the beach or reused and brought to the loom each week.
The Brit Bhride, or Brigid’s Cloak, reflect Ireland’s Pagan and Christian traditions. in folklore, simple cloth becomes a symbol of healing and protection, honouring St Brigid and/or the Goddess Brighid, a protector of the earth and all life.
Woven from gathered materials, the cloak became a shared symbol of creativity, care and love for our seas and rivers, and a reminder to protect them.
The story of St Brigid’s Cloak – Brigid wished to build a monastery at the edge of the Curragh in Kildare. When the King of Leinster refused her request for land, she asked only for as much as her cloak would cover.
As her followers walked in all directions holding the cloak, it grew to cover hundreds of acres. The King kept his word and Brigid founded the Church of the Oak around the year 470. A cathedral and around tower still stand on the site today.
