St Brigid of Kildare (c. 451–525) is one of Ireland’s most enduring and resonant figures, bridging ancient belief and early Christianity. Long before she was venerated as a saint, Brigid was revered in pre Christian Ireland as a goddess associated with healing, fertility, poetry and craftsmanship. These qualities carried seamlessly into her Christian legacy, where she became closely linked with care for people, land and community.
One of the best known stories connected to Brigid is the legend of her cloak, or Brat Bhríde. Seeking land to build a monastery at Kildare, Brigid asked the King of Leinster for only as much land as her cloak could cover. When the king agreed, Brigid instructed her companions to take the cloak’s corners and walk in opposite directions. As they did so, the cloak expanded to cover acres of fertile ground. Often read as a story of generosity and cleverness, the legend also speaks to collective action and shared responsibility for land and shelter.
This ancient story has found a powerful contemporary expression at Newry & Mourne Museum through Brigid and the Brat Bhríde, a collaboratively woven cloak created by Interwoven, a sub group of the Dolmen Climate Change Network. Woven over ten weeks using reclaimed fibres and materials gathered from local beaches, the cloak brings St Brigid’s symbolism into direct dialogue with one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time: pollution caused by fast fashion. Modern fast fashion prioritises speed, volume and low prices, producing garments designed to be worn briefly and discarded. Many of these clothes are made from synthetic fibres which shed tiny plastic microfibres when washed. These fibres pass through wastewater systems and enter rivers and seas, accumulating in marine life, sand and seaweed.
For coastal communities, this global problem is increasingly visible. Beach walks today often reveal frayed threads, tangled fibres and fragments of fabric embedded among natural materials. These remnants tell a story of distant production and consumption washing up on local shores. In Brigid and the Brat Bhríde, these discarded materials are gathered, woven and made visible, transforming pollution into an artwork that prompts reflection rather than denial.
The cloak forms the centrepiece of Fashioned by Nature, a programme of free talks, workshops and creative events currently taking place at Newry & Mourne Museum. The programme explores the environmental and economic impact of fashion from the 18th century to the present day, using Newry’s history as an international port to examine how global trade in dyes, fibres and materials shaped fashion, altered ecosystems and affected communities worldwide.
Fashioned by Nature is part of, and supported by, Fixing Our Broken Planet, a major initiative led by the Natural History Museum in London, which encourages science based, hopeful responses to the climate crisis. At Newry & Mourne Museum, this global framework is interpreted through local history, creativity and participation. The programme launched on Thursday 23 April with a public unveiling of Brigid and the Brat Bhríde.
Hands on engagement continues Saturday 25 April (11.00–16.00) with The Exploding Wardrobe, a talk by textile artist and academic Gillian Steel followed by a drop in mending workshop. Participants can print their own fabric patches and learn decorative Japanese Sashiko stitching techniques, highlighting repair as both a practical life skill and a quiet challenge to disposable fashion culture.
Talks form a central strand of the programme. On Saturday 2 May at 11.00, curator and author Charlotte McReynolds will speak about Ashes to Fashion: A Collection Reborn, recounting how the Ulster Museum’s original textile and dress collection of over 10,000 items was destroyed by fire in 1976, and how, 50 years later, it has been rebuilt into a stronger and more representative collection.
Creative exploration continues on Sunday 3 May (11.00–16.00) with a stop frame animation workshop led by artist and filmmaker Kevin Cameron. Working in small teams using clothing, simple props and iPads, participants will create short, animated films exploring fashion and sustainability. No previous experience is required, making the workshop accessible to all ages and backgrounds.
The programme concludes on Saturday 9 May at 11.00 with a talk by Newry & Mourne Museum curator Shan McAnena, focusing on the region’s historic embroidery industry known as flowering. This industry employed thousands of local women working from home in the 19th and early 20th centuries, offering an important reminder that fashion has long been embedded in local lives, labour and creativity.
Through the lens of St Brigid’s expanding cloak, Fashioned by Nature asks audiences to consider how clothing connects us to land, labour and responsibility. Just as Brigid’s cloak spread through collective effort, our everyday choices about what we wear, mend and discard ripple outward, shaping environments far beyond our sight.
For further information about the Fashioned by Nature programme and how to book for these free events please visit www.visitmournemountains.co.uk/museums/newry-and-mourne-museumor contact Declan Carroll, Education & Outreach Officer declan.carroll@nmandd.org.
A lecture about the Ulster Museums' dress and textiles collection
