Spring has started for Mike Coffey, Sheep Farmer from Kilgobnet, Beaufort, Co Kerry, on St Stephen’s Day, as Captain of the Kilgobnet Biddy Group, he began making the ‘Biddy' straw hats. The tradition of the Biddies is one of the oldest and most colourful customs in Ireland, a blend of pagan and christian pageantry, held on the 1st February each year, heralding the beginning of Springtime, and honouring St Bríd the patron saint of the farming community. Mike has been making the biddy hats for over fifty years, and is one of the few left in Ireland, making and dressing the ornate pampas hats Nowhere is it the tradition of the Biddies as theatrical and vibrant as the culture-rich parish of Beaufort. Photo:Valerie O'Sullivan /Issued 23/12/2020
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