St Brigid's Day/Lá Fhéile Bríde: Caitlín Nic Gabhann performs new slip jig & dance, St Brigid's Day

To celebrate Lá Fhéile Bríde/St Brigid's Day 2022, the Irish Traditional Music Archive, in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs, commissioned three traditional artists to compose new works inspired by lore relating to Brigid: Caitlin Nic Gabhann, concertina/dancer; Louise Mulcahy, uilleann pipes/flute and Síle Denvir, harp/sean-nós singing. These new works are featured on TO BE IRISH ON ST BRIGID’S DAY an online celebration of St Brigid and the lives and legacies of women at home and abroad.
Concertina player and dancer Caitlín Nic Gabhann from Ashbourne, Co. Meath, decided that St Brigid should have a tune and a dance in her honour, just like St Patrick!
“The name Brigid or Bríd is ‘all around us’ in Irish life. Both my grandmothers were Brigid and Biddy and my own name is Caitlín-Bríd. My grandmother came from St Brigid’s Well, at Liscannor in Co. Clare and my first dancing lessons were at Kilbride hall in Co. Meath. 
There is a tune and dance called ‘St Patrick’s Day’ that is known all over the world, so for St. Brigid’s Day this year, I thought it was time she got a tune and a dance of her own.
When trying to decide on what type of tune to compose for St.Brigid’s Day, I settled on a slip-jig for a couple of reasons. It’s traditionally a feminine dance and I also felt that the slip-jig suited the feast of St Brigid - the first day of spring.
Legend has it that Brigid asked the King of Leinster for some land in Kildare so that she could build a monastery. When he declined, she didn’t give up. She later returned and asked him if he’d give her the land that her cloak would cover. He laughed and said he would! So four of her sisters took a corner each of the cloak and walked in opposite directions - north, south, east and west. As they walked the cloak spread and grew and stretched across many acres. And this is where she built her monastery, one of the first in Ireland. 
The tune I wrote has four parts, representing the St Brigid’s Cross, and also the four corners of her cloak stretching out so far and wide. The dance is a percussive slip-jig, which is unusual, as the slip-jig is usually a light-shoe dance, but I wanted it to represent Brigid’s strength and the ground she broke in her time. 
I called the tune and the dance 'St Brigid's Day'"
For more information and background on the newly composed tunes, song, and dance visit: www.itma.ie/blog/st-brigids-d...
For more events and projects celebrating St Brigid's Day: Celebrating the Creativity of Women / Lá Fhéile Bríde: Ag Ceiliúradh Cruthaitheachta na mBan, visit tobeirish.ie

[@kingofcelts]

Our music will never die with talent like this. Now, we need to bring our native language up to speed..

[@user-yg7ks9yr9q]

Awesome as I would only expect from Caitlín. Best wishes William Irish Ways Radio Programme WFCF 88.5fm Florida

[@mjw12345]

Beautiful, but you say I always say this about Caitlin Nic Gabhan but I mean it thia time, That smile!

[@bobpegritz555]

Brilliant, Caitlin !!!!!

[@unabAshedVO]

OH! So joyful on this wintry day here in Colorado, thank you!

[@elenabyelkina709]

Wow-wow-wow!

[@MrBiorachanBeag]

Sárcheol ar fad é seo 7 is breá liom é! :-)

[@christaylor2070]

pure magic

[@callumstewart7230]

Beautiful tune and lovely video 😁

[@grahamburke8773]

Mustard 👌🏻 🎶 ☘️

[@Mykolas_Gricka]

Wow

[@torcceiliclub-westernaustr8805]

Love it! Beautiful tune and choreography!

[@ganainm124]

What a nice tune!

[@baroqueclassicalguitar8935]

Outstanding!

[@srmjo]

Brava!

[@norahrendell8609]

This is gorgeous!

[@taramcmahon5533]

Wonderful music and beautiful production.
Thank you for your work.

[@choonja]

Love this tune.

[@Elvisb981]

Excellent

[@eamonnclabby7067]

Peace and love from the wirral..E

[@tomgreene2282]

Great to see the music being carried on ...we older folk played but were not as good overall.

[@gloin10]

@Tom Greeene
"...we older folk played but were not as good overall"?
The "...older folk..." kept Irish traditional music alive through some very tough times. The malign influence of the Catholic Church early killed it off.
And yes, it is indeed "Great to see the music being carried on...", and very good indeed to see so many brilliant young women playing.
Our culture and music is in good hands...

[@JohnHillEU]

Very beautifullly put together. I have question about the tunes that ITMA commisions: Do the composers retain copyright on the works, or are they released under license/into public domain etc.? Many thanks, and thanks to Caitlin for the lovely composition.

[@ITMAVideos]

Hello John, thank you for your very kind comments about the new St Brigid's Day tunes. The copyright for these tunes as with those shared under the Saothar series, remains with the artist, with ITMA acting as a platform for their work. If you have any queries relating to any commercial use of the compositions, these should be directed towards the artists and permission cleared directly with them. If you need to follow up on this, please email: [e-mail]. Kind regards, Grace (ITMA)

[@bigzmoak7897]

Hmm, I left a comment but RUclips seems to have deleted it. It's not true to say there was no tune dedicated to St. Brigid's Day. John Kelly Senior from Co. Clare wrote TWO fine reels named "St. Brigid's Day 1 & 2". A google search will bring you to a recording of him playing them back in the 1980s.

Thank you for this, I'll definitely look them up and will have to learn them.