News
Biddy tradition alive and well in Kilgobnet
By Sean Moriarty
After a two year hiatus due to the pandemic the Biddys were back with music, dance and in great form in Kilgobnet on Sunday evening.
The rural community near Beaufort is one of the few areas in Ireland still celebrating St Brigid’s Day in the traditional ways.
Dressing as the Biddies is one of the oldest and most colourful customs in Ireland, a blend of pagan and Christian pageantry, held on February 1 each year.
Next year the day will be marked nationally with a Bank Holiday for the first time but the rest of Ireland will have to look to the small mid-Kerry community to see how it is really done.
Not unlike the Wren Celebrations in West Kerry, celebrating the Biddy is all about tradition.
Locals dress up in uniform – the official colours of the Kilgobnet Biddy is red and green – and they visit local areas to dance at crossroads and play music.
Two local guardians, Mike Coffey and Kilgobnet National School Principal Maura O’Connor, ensure the correct protocols are followed.
Miss O’Connor passes these traditions to her pupils and staff. The school’s Board of Management identified the Biddy as a potential fundraiser and apart from the pandemic, the school has organised an event every year.
“It was fantastic,” teacher Mary Anne Leane told the Killarney Advertiser. “Local man Mike Coffey makes all the costumes and he knows the protocols. It is great to have the proper traditions – often things get diluted when you try to revive them. This year we could not go around from house to house as we usually would, but we were at Sweeney’s Cross which is a known location for crossroads dancing. We visited Kissane’s Shop too. The older people were able to see us there.”
She praised her school Principal Maura O’Connor who has done so much to keep the Biddy tradition alive in both the school and in the locality.
Glenflesk GAA hosts cardiac screening clinic
Glenflesk GAA Healthy Club recently welcomed the Dillon Quirke Foundation to run a cardiac screening clinic for its young members.
A total of 45 club players aged 12 to 18 underwent vital heart checks designed to promote early detection and heart health awareness among young athletes.
Medical personnel from Advanced Medical Services conducted the screenings with professionalism and care, while the club’s Healthy Club Team oversaw the smooth operation of the event.
The Dillon Quirke Foundation operates without government funding, relying entirely on public support to raise awareness of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SADS) and provide non-cost cardiac clinics to sports clubs across Ireland.
Glenflesk GAA encourages anyone wishing to support the foundation’s ongoing screening work to consider making a donation online at dillonquirkefoundation.com.
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