St Brigid is known for many things – her magical cloak, the ability to turn lakes into beer and the woven Brigid’s cross that marks the start of spring. But while many know her as a mythical figure from their childhood, there are many layers to Brigid.  

Whether you choose to see Brigid as a saint, a pagan goddess or a feminist icon, there are plenty of ways to celebrate her – and not just on St Brigid’s Day. Though she lived in Kildare, Brigid was born in Faughart in Louth, where you can visit Brigid’s holy well and shrine. The nearby Hill of Faughart is also worth a visit, and you can tie it into a scenic road trip around the Cooley Peninsula. Over in Connemara, Brigit's Garden is a picturesque tribute to the saint’s ties with nature, with wildflower meadows, a nature trail and Celtic gardens that represent each of the seasons. There’s a great café, too. 

Brigid built her monastery and church in Kildare, and you can visit Solas Bhride throughout the year to see the Sacred Flame, lit in her honour by the Brigidine Sisters. And in Kildare town, you can drink a pint of Brigid's Ale in Boyle’s pub, made by Two Sisters Brewing – what better way to celebrate the patron saint of beer?  

When it comes to fiery, trailblazing Irish women, Constance Markievicz (née Gore-Booth) sets the standard. A revolutionary and suffragist, Markievicz was a fierce advocate for women’s rights and a key figure in the Easter Rising, a role which led to her death sentence (though this was later changed to imprisonment).  

Markievicz led a group of rebels to take over St Stephen’s Green during the Easter Rising, and you can walk in her footsteps on a stroll through the park, paying respects at her statue – download the free audio guide to hear the tale of the battle while you’re there. The Women of Ireland Tour also includes a stop there. Pop into the Shelbourne Hotel and you can see her in the mural in the 1824 Bar, or stay in the suite named after her. There’s another statue of Countess Markievicz and her dog, Poppet, on Townsend Street, and you can visit her final resting place at Glasnevin Cemetery – take their Women in History Tour to learn about her and other revolutionary women buried there.  

Markievicz wasn’t the only suffragist in her family – her sister, Eva Gore Booth, was a quieter character but another champion for women’s rights, calling the first Woman’s Suffrage meeting in Drumcliff in Sligo. She was also a poet and writer, producing plays and nine books of poetry over the years. The sisters grew up in Lissadell House, and in the summer months you can take a tour of this grand mansion – be sure to look closely at the windows in the drawing room, where you can see the signatures of Eva and Constance scratched into the glass.  

Knocknarea is few miles south of Lissadell, and its distinctive domed cairn at the top holds another Sligo legend – Queen Maeve. The warrior queen was the daughter of the High King of Ireland, and so powerful that no man could become king without her say so. In Celtic mythology, she’s fiercely independent and commanding, but has a strong tie to the natural world and fertility – her burial cairn supposedly mimics the shape of a pregnant belly.   

The climb up to the summit, Queen Maeve’s Trail, is one of the most scenic in Ireland, leading you through the woodland of Knocknarea until you’re at the top of the mountain, with views out over Strandhill, Coney Island and the whisps of sandbanks along the coastline. It’s steep in parts, but the trail is easy to navigate, with raised boardwalks and steps through the forestry and a pathway to the cairn itself. Along the way, you can scan the QR codes on the signposts to hear the Celtic myths and folklore associated with Maeve and the mountain.  

The Dublin theatre scene would not be what it is today without the writer Lady Gregory. Along with her friend WB Yeats and others, she co-founded the Abbey Theatre, with one of her own plays, Spreading the News, performed on its opening night in 1904. She also played a pivotal role in the Irish Literary Revival, and translated many of the classic Irish myths and legends into English, after a trip to Inis Oírr (Inisheer) reignited her love of the Irish language and folklore. 

Over a century after it opened, the Abbey is still a cornerstone of Irish theatre, and as well as the lineup of plays performed throughout the year you can take one of their regular backstage tours, to get a glimpse behind the scenes and hear stories of theatrical legends from over the years.  

Lady Gregory was born in Roxborough, Co Galway, and while her childhood home no longer stands, you can visit the estate where she grew up. Coole Park Visitor Centre and Gardens has 1,000 acres of gardens, wetlands and woods to explore, with an exhibition on Lady Gregory in the former stables, along with a tea room. Don’t miss the Autograph Tree in the walled garden, where writers like Yeats and George Bernard Shaw carved their initials into the trunk. The Kiltartan Gregory Museum is in a former schoolhouse a few minutes away, and has an extensive collection of Lady Gregory’s personal items and memorabilia.

Many know her as the muse and (unrequited) love interest of WB Yeats, but there’s so much more to Maud Gonne than just this part of her story. While Yeats remained a friend until his death (when she brought his body to Sligo for burial), Gonne was also a loyal friend to Constance Markievicz, with whom she shared a passionate belief in the nationalist cause – the two were imprisoned together in Holloway Jail in the UK.  

You can visit her grave in Glasnevin Cemetery, and there are several portraits of her in the National Gallery of Ireland.  

The Yeats men may steal the spotlight, but sisters Susan and Elizabeth played a significant role in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. Along with Evelyn Gleeson, the sisters founded the Dun Emer Guild in 1902, which was the artistic iteration of the literary revival. Susan (also known as Lily) focused on embroidery after working with William Morris in London, with Elizabeth heading up the printing department. Later known as Cuala Press, the house only employed women and published books by their brother William, as well as Lady Gregory, JM Synge and Patrick Kavanagh.  

You can see some of Susan’s embroidery in the Yeats Building in Sligo, and behind the Holy Table in St Nahis Church in Dundrum, Dublin. The National Print Museum frequently honours the sisters with printing workshops and talks, and they tell the tale of Cuala Press on their regular tours.

One of Ireland’s most fabled (and feisty) characters, the pirate queen Grace O’Malley is known for defying gender roles to rule the seas, and rebelling against the British crown. In 1593, she sailed to London and up the Thames to confront Queen Elizabeth I in the hopes of releasing her son from Athlone Castle, where he was imprisoned for treason. She succeeded, and the story of this meeting is the basis of an upcoming Kirsten Sheridan movie.  

Grace O’Malley was born in Mayo and there are plenty of places in the county that pay tribute to her – she is synonymous with Clare Island, where she ruled from her castle, and she’s supposedly buried at the island’s Cistercian Abbey. Stand on one of the island’s wind-battered peaks, and you’ll be looking out at the same wild seas she ruled all those years ago. Ferries to the island depart from Roonagh, a few miles from Louisburgh, where you’ll also find the Granuaile Visitor Centre. The nearby Westport House was built by direct descendants of Grace O’Malley on the foundations of one of her castles.

She’s one of Old Hollywood’s iconic stars, but Maureen O’Hara stayed close to her Irish roots for her entire life. Born in Ranelagh in 1920, O’Hara joined the Abbey Theatre at the age of 14, before starting in film at just 17. When she applied for US citizenship in 1946, she refused to pledge allegiance to England, and became the first person to be recognised as Irish, not English, by the US government. 

They filmed The Quiet Man in Cong, County Mayo, and there are countless reminders of it throughout the quaint village. The Quiet Man Museum is in a replica of the cottage used in the movie, with a duplication of the set, newspaper articles from the time and vintage posters on display. They also run walking tours of local sights used in the movie.  

There’s also an extensive Maureen O’Hara Exhibition in the Foynes Flying Boat & Maritime Museum – her husband flew flying boats into Foynes in the 1940s, and she opened the museum and remained a patron until she died in 2015. Incidentally, you can pay homage to another trailblazing Irish woman when you’re there. Lady Mary Heath was born nearby and was the first woman to hold a commercial flying license in Britain, and also the first person to fly a small open cockpit plane from South Africa to London. There’s a scale model of her plane at The Little Museum of Dublin. 

If you’re a design enthusiast, pay a visit to see Eileen Gray’s work in person. A pioneer in the early 20th-century design scene, Gray was born in Wexford but spent much of her life abroad, studying art in London and then working in Paris as an architect and designer. An avant garde artist, she worked with lacquer and carpet in innovative ways, and was the first designer to use chrome.  

At the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks, there’s a permanent exhibition in her honour, with pieces like her adjustable chrome table and non-conformist chair brought over from her apartment in Paris. There’s another permanent exhibition dedicated to her work in Enniscorthy Castle.

Mainie Jellett and Evie Hone weren’t just two great friends – they were influential Irish modernists who made waves in the art scene. Jellett even represented Ireland in the 1928 Olympics, when art was part of the games. She met Hone while studying in London, and the two travelled to Paris together, where they discovered cubism and abstract art – Jellett was the first Irish artist to create an abstract painting.  

That piece, Decoration, is on display in the National Gallery of Ireland, which has previously held an exhibition dedicated to the work and friendship of the two women. Keep an eye out for the gallery’s tours themed around Irish women in art, which run periodically. Hone became known for her stained glass work, and there’s a huge piece of hers in the Government Buildings, which you can see on the guided tours held on Saturdays. There’s another of her windows in the visitor centre at St Patrick's Church on the Hill of Tara, which is open from May to September.  

Ireland was the second European nation to ever elect a female president – Mary Robinson was inaugurated as the seventh president of Ireland in 1990. When she resigned seven years later, she took the role as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her childhood home in Ballina is now The Mary Robinson Centre, where you can attend climate themed events, swap shops or visit their urban garden for free on weekday lunchtimes.  

Mary McAleese succeeded Robinson and was president from 1997 to 2011. She has said that the theme of her presidency was ‘Building Bridges’, so it’s fitting that you can visit the Mary McAleese Bridge in the Boyne Valley – walk or cycle the greenway from Drogheda to the Battle of the Boyne Visitor Centre, and you’ll get a great view of it from the canalside path.  

Ireland’s current president Catherine Connolly is following in Robinson and McAleese’s footsteps, and you can go deeper into all of their stories on a free tour of the Áras an Uachtaráin in the Phoenix Park. On Saturdays, they open the doors of the official presidential residence to the public, so you can get a glimpse of the drawing rooms and wings.  

It’s no secret that Ireland has produced many stellar writers over the years, and contemporary women writers are making just as strong an impact. Sally Rooney is one of the biggest writers on the world’s stage, with her novels found on many a millennial’s bookshelf – visit Trinity College and Sligo’s Streedagh Beach if you want to spot locations featured in the pages of Normal People. While novelist and playwright Maeve Binchy passed away in 2012, she’s still celebrated at Dalkey Castle, where they run guided literary walks telling the stories of Binchy and other local writers.  

At the Museum of Literature Ireland, female writers feature in both the permanent collection and themed exhibitions – they recently held one dedicated to the romance novels of a wide range of writers, from Lady Morgan to Marian Keyes. It’s worth keeping an eye on their First Fridays events, where the museum is free to visit and they hold readings and discussions with writers. Likewise, both the Dublin Book Festival and International Literary Festival Ireland include readings, interviews and panel discussions with writers like Naoise Dolan, Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Eimear McBride.