Open Day
We are happy to announce our upcoming Open Day, which will take place on Saturday 24th of February 2024 from 11.00 am to 13.00 pm.
Wether you are parents of young children, expecting a baby or someone interested in working with you children, this could be valuable for you. We welcome you to visit our premises, to hear about our holistic approach and to meet us.
As some of you may know, we are a Community Develop Project that can offer the Government subsided programmes as well as part time and full time care for children from walking age to 6 years old. We work with the principles of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler.
You are welcome to bring your children. We have an outdoor space where they can play, just remember to bring appropriate gear. For this we recommend two adults present, so one of you can attend the children.
Please confirm your attendance by email at brigitsmantleboard@gmail.com
We look forward to seeing you!
For directions click here (eir code: V94XD37)
Part Time Educator required
Warm, caring Educator required to support the work with the young children aged 1 to 3 years.
Tuesday to Thursday from 9.15 am to 12.15 pm.
Further hours may be available in the future.
Qualifications in Early Childhood Care and Education up, to at least, Level 5 are required.
Knowledge / interest of the insights of R. Steiner and E. Pikler into to child developmemt will be very valued.
To apply, or for further details please email us at brigitsmantleboard@gmail.com
Parent & Baby Gatherings
Babies learn by interacting directly with the world through all their senses.
These gatherings offer a space for babies 3 to 12 months, to move spontaneously in a safe, well planned environment, appropriate for their age.
Sufficient, undisturbed time is required for babies to discover what their body can do and the possibilities for movement. Understanding of their world is gained as they explore more.
For parents/carers is a time to sit back and relax, while learning to observe your chid more closely and trust their innate wisdom. There will also be time for sharing, learn from each other, discuss topics of interest and concern, and look at different aspects of respectful parenting.
Veronica Crombie has worked for many years at Brigit’s Hearth as an Educator, Manager and Mentor. As well as a training in Steiner/Waldorf Education, she holds a master’s in Early Childhood Education from the University of Galway and has studied extensively at the Pikler Institute in Budapest, which focuses on respectful care of infants up to the age of 3.
The introductory evening and all sessions will be announced shortly.
Opportunity to Volunteer
We have a placement for a volunteer to help with our younger children - age one to three in our beautiful and unique setting in the west of Ireland.
This may be of special interest for any students or professionals working with young children or looking for work experience.
You would have the opportunity to work with the insights of R.Steiner and E. Piker in early childhood development. Experience or knowledge in these areas would be very appreciated but not required.
The position is short term (October to December)from 9.15am to 12.15pm, Tuesday to Thursday.
If interested contact us at:
brigitsmantleboard@gmail.com
Open Day
We are happy to announce our upcoming Open Day, which will take place on Saturday 25th of February 2023 from 11.00 am to 14.00 pm.
Whether you are parents of young children, expecting a baby or someone interested in working with young children, this could be very valuable for you. We welcome you to visit our premises, to hear about our holistic approach and to meet us.
As some of you may know, we are a Community Developed Project that can offer the Government subsided programmes as well as part time and full time care for children from walking age to 6 years old. We work with the principles of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler.
You are welcome to bring your children. We have an outdoor space where they can play, just remember to bring appropriate gear. For this we recommend two adults present, so one of you can attend to the children.
Please confirm your attendance by email. We look forward to seeing you!
For directions and contact information click here (eir code: V94XD37)
0 Likes
Open Day
We are happy to announce our upcoming Open Day, which will take place on Saturday the 19th of 2022, from 11.00 am to 13.00 pm.
Whether you are parents of young children, expecting a baby or someone interested in working with young children, this could be very valuable for you. We welcome you to visit our premises, to hear about our holistic approach and to meet us.
As some of you may know, we are a Community Developed Project that can offer the Government subsided programmes as well as part time and full time care for children from walking age to 6 years old. We work with the principles of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler.
You are welcome to bring your children. We have an outdoor space where they can play, just remember to bring appropriate gear.
Please confirm your attendance by email. We look forward to seeing you!
For directions and contact information click here (eir code: V94XD37)
Open Day
We are happy to announce our upcoming Open Day, which will take place on Saturday 16th of February 2019, from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm.
Whether you are parents of young children, expecting a baby or someone interested in working with young children, this could be a very valuable morning for you. we welcome you to visit our premises, to hear about our holistic approach and to meet us.
As some of you may know, we are a Community Developed Project that can offer the Government subsided programmes as well as part time and full time care for children from walking age to 6 years old. We work with the principles of Rudolf Steiner and Emmi Pikler and we are members of the Irish Kindergarten Association (ISKA).
You are welcome to bring your children. We have an outdoor space where they can play, just remember to bring appropriate gear.
We look forward to seeing you!
For directions and contact information click here
Connecting with our Neighbours
Part of our vision, when we decided to build our center in Raheen Woods, was to connect with our neighbours from the adjacent Raheen Nursing Home.
We felt there is a connection between these two very vulnerable ages: the young children and the elderly. Years ago the younger children were, in many homes, left to the care of the grandparents. Things have changed for many of these children and elderly people whom, more and more, have been pulled away form each other and placed in care centers.We feel children, need the moral richness that exudes from the elderly as the elderly need to feel the miracle of life that expreses, so purely, in the young children.
Two years ago with the help of LEADER, we started the development of an Intergenerational Garden that is now open to the children and our elderly neighbours. We also received a donation from TOMAR to build a pavilion (Tom & Mary Circle of Life Pavilion), that could serve as shelter and a siting are for everyone and. Once that s was completed by Silvabuild (experienced carpenter on children’s playgrounds), this in September 2021 we avail of the expertise of Caherhurley Nurseries to plant our flower garden.
A garden is an alive organism, an ongoing project but for now we can say we have successfully finished what we started.
Brigit
For those of you who are not familiar with how we chose the name of our project, here is the story:
In February 2000, we opened a space for the children under three years, where they could be cared for as ‘at home’ when their parents needed support. We realized we were going to need a lot of inspiration and a lot of courage.
Caring for someone’s child –serving as a foster mother– is a very delicate profession.
During my first year workimg with young children we recited a verse called Brigit’s Prayer. Already at that time we spoke of a project that could welcome and serve the needs of the youngest of the children of our community. And the name of Brigit’s Garden was born.
The following year with the help of a friend, who donated the funds to purchase an iron cast stove, we started the work in one of the drawings rooms of an old parish mansion. We rented this very cold room for very little money, supplemented by ironing the white clothes of a farming family of five children.
The organic gardens were quiet, old and full of enchantment with an old orchard and sheep, cows and hens all around. The house was by the old parish church and every day at 12 we heard the bells of the Angelus.
The enormous Georgian front door was painted in a golden yellow color. I still remember the time when I opened the door to a new little boy and his mum and he said: ‘are you Brigit?’ I said I wasn’t Brigit but that I was a very good friend of her. I felt so humbled and inspired.
During this time we continued reciting Brigit’s prayer every morning as we put our work with the children, under her protection and guidance.
Over the years as we celebrated Brigit’s day we read and discovered all the many aspects that relate our work with this mother, warrior, healer and goddess of the Irish. I really liked the idea of being under the protection of an Irish identity when working in Ireland and felt a great connection with the etheric forces that are represented in Brigit’s green mantle. I liked her relationship with the fire, the fire that gives courage to the heart, the fire that represents also the warmth that is one of the main pillars when caring for very young children.
I read wonderful inspiring stories about Brigit over the years while looking for strength and inspiration. There this one of how Brigit’s parents house went on fire when she was a baby and how they all ran out of the house to find out that they had forgotten to bring out Brigit who was in her cradle. Someone ran back into the house for her and discovered that the source of the flames was Brigit’s cot, although she was intact. Inspired by this image we decided we wanted our permanent house to have a 'heart of fire', a hearth at the center. When the opportunity to build such house arrived, we fought for this idea and today we have a sophisticated but simple wood burning stove cladded in clay in the middle of our main room that heats the entire house.
One of the many things that stroke me when I first came to Ireland was the profound simplicity of the crafts found here. The beautiful and warm wool garments, the stone crosses and the little wild Irish animals carved in Connemara marble were my favorites. I remember being a tourist and walking into the shops and being stunned by the heart that came out of everything. Everything was made of natural materials that could be found outside all around. I must add that my first encounter with Ireland took place in the little village of Cleggan in Conemmara where I stayed three weeks in the summer of 1991 (It has rained a lot since then and I have been a witness of this). One of the souvenirs that caught my attention, even then when I knew nothing about Brigit or about my destiny, were the Saint Brigit’s crosses.
How would I know that a few years later I would come to Ireland and spend every first of February making Brigit’s crosses. These crosses are a perfect example of the elaborated, full of meaning although simple character of all that is Irish.
In our work with the children we have also tried to surround them with simplicity and meaning. Our programme, the house, the food, the toys, the stories, everything we do is guided by these principles and supported by the blessing and protection of Brigit, great mother of the Irish.
by Lina Peláez
Brigit's Hearth Director