Ireland has three patron saints: St. Brigid, St. Patrick, and St. Columcille.

For years, the organisation Herstory pushed to introduce the public holiday.

The first Monday of each February will be the holiday, with the exception of the week when February 1 occurs on a Friday.

Poet Laura Murphy was one of the advocates for St. Brigid's official recognition.

“Brigid is a figure in Ireland that represents feminism; and with patriarchy, colonisation and the Church, the feminine has been written out of history and out of our society,” she stated.

“So, the symbolic significance of honouring women and a woman as eminent as Brigid is about signalling a new era for Ireland based on her principles of equality, unity, truth, compassion and love.”

The day should be declared a national holiday, according to Ms. Murphy's open letter to the Irish prime leader, the Taoiseach, which garnered 16,000 signatures.

“She is one of the few characters in history that you can relate to whether you’re an atheist or a religious or spiritual person,” she stated.

“There is a lot of wisdom to be remembered and to be gained by connecting in with Brigid and it's time that the feminine officially was recognised in modern Ireland.”