Michelle McMahon delivered an inspirational presentation on her ecofeminism artwork and on the history of Goddess cultures, on International Women’s Day at Rothe House, in collaboration with the Kilkenny Creative Ireland Program and Kilkenny County Council’s Biodiversity Office.
Michelle introduced the enthusiastic attendees to some of the many prehistoric civilisations who worshipped the Great Mother as the source of all life. She also spoke about our own Irish ancestors’ deep connection with the Goddesses of the land, such as the Goddess Ériu, who gifted her name to Ireland, meaning “abundance” or “the land of plenty”.
Kilkenny County Council Cathaoirleach – Mary Hilda Cavanagh, welcomed everyone to the event. She commented on how Michelle’s participatory arts practice “reflects a belief in a sustainable, inclusive society that values women, nature, and community”.
She also stated that she was delighted to see so many young women in attendance. She said that “women are a formidable force of Nature”, and she encouraged them to use the event to consider how they might act as a collective “to help shape a society that protects and respects our natural world”.
Bernadette Moloney, Kilkenny County Council’s Biodiversity Officer, also spoke at the event, providing an insight into the types of projects which are proposed this year including habitat restoration projects and plans to repeat the Community Biodiversity course which ran last year. Bernadette also spoke on how individual and community action can bring great benefits to biodiversity, and she echoed a call for action to support the Kilkenny Biodiversity Action Plan 2025-2030.
Visually, the attendees were treated to a display of some of the environmental participatory art projects that Michelle leads in the local community, including the We are Nature banner and the Brat Bríde Project cloaks – co-created by some 300 women.
Robed in these bespoke cloaks, participants Eadaoin Walsh, Maria Dollard, Monica Fleming, Freda Murphy and Helen Costelloe brought an element of drama to the event, by embodying some of the Irish goddesses – summer Goddess Éiru, the river Goddess Boann, spring Goddess Brigid, Samhain Goddess the Morrigan and winter Goddess the wise Crone / Cailleach.
