Pause for Peace for a minute of silence and reflection at midday on February 1st, St. Brigid’s Day.
The people of Kildare, Ireland, call on people worldwide to Pause for Peace for 1 minute’s silence/reflection at 12 noon, local time, on St. Brigid’s day, February 1st 2026. By pausing for Peace we send out a message that we actively oppose warfare and the proliferation of arms in our world.
Inspired by St. Brigid: A Tradition of Peace and Global Citizenship
The global Pause for Peace movement was jointly launched in Kildare in 2023 by Into Kildare – Kildare Tourism and Solas Bhríde to mark the new national holiday in honour of St Brigid, who was renowned as a peacemaker in early Ireland. One of the most popular legends associated with Brigid tells of her giving away her father’s precious sword to a poor person so it could be bartered for food to feed his family.
From Kildare to the World: A Rolling Pause for Peace
The Pause for Peace is a rolling moment of reflection, beginning in New Zealand and moving seamlessly across continents and islands on St Brigid’s Day. Since its inception in 2023, the movement has gained widespread national and international support.
The Pause for Peace is promoted by trained peace ambassadors from schools throughout County Kildare and further afield, an initiative of Kildare Town Community School.
Kildare, and Ireland as a whole, will take part in this initiative that has received continuous growing support both domestically and internationally. It has also enjoyed the support of the Kildare Local Authority, numerous Irish embassies and consulates, members of both Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann, as well as the former President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, who, speaking on the Pause for Peace Movement said:
“Your efforts to bring together communities from across the globe in the name of Naomh Bríd (St. Brigid) is truly admirable. Mar Uachtarán na hÉireann (President of Ireland) may I thank you for this initiative which constitutes a form of active global citizenship at its best.”
Áine Mangan, CEO of Into Kildare, said
“The new bank holiday is an opportunity for the Irish public to follow in the footsteps of St. Brigid, one of Ireland’s three patron saints. There is massive interest in Brigid from a cultural, spiritual, and historical point of view. She isn’t solely a religious figure but is synonymous as a peacemaker and was in fact the first real climate activist as she was a protector and a custodian of the natural world,”
