February Daughter of the Dagda Exhibition taking place at NUI Galway

In association with NUI Galway School of Medicine, and in anticipation of International Women’s Day, an art exhibition entitled 'Daughter of the Dagda' will run from 6-30 March, with an official launch taking place on Tuesday, 6 March at 3pm in the foyer of the Arts Millennium Building at NUI Galway.

The multimedia exhibition of nine women artists explores the manner in which the female and the feminine have been portrayed in Irish mythology and iconography, from pre-Christian Ireland to the present day.

The exhibition examines the exclusion of women from positions of power and influence in religious circles and how this has been mirrored by society in general, contributing to the lowly status of the female point of view and of the feminine side of human nature and the persistence of a patriarchal framework in modern society.

Professor Andrew Murphy, Established Professor of General Practice at NUI Galway, said: “The School of Medicine has identified gender diversity as a key objective for the next five years. More than half of medical students are now female and this diversity is not reflected in our senior school posts. The School has developed a comprehensive and radical plan to address this which is currently being rolled out. As part of this plan, raising awareness of gender diversity within the school is a key issue. The school is delighted to host for the month of March the ‘Daughter of the Dagda’ art exhibition curated by Hilary Morley and Patricia Timmons.”

Professor Murphy added: “The Goddess Brigit (known in pagan times as ‘Daughter of Dagda’) was transformed into a saint after Christianity came to Ireland but Saint Brigit continued to be associated with milk, lambing and sacred cows as well as healing. Each of the participating artists responds to Brigit, with a focus on healing, by looking at how the business of being female has been represented in Ireland past and present.”

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