The Quickening

In the Great Wheel of the Celtic year on February 1st we arrive at Imbolc. It is known on the Isle of Man as Laa’l Breeshey where it marks a sacred time in which we have moved past the skeletal silence of winter and reached the threshold of "The Quickening". This is the moment when the land begins to breathe again. It is not the loud, vibrant bloom of spring, but a subtle, internal shift, the first stir of life deep within the iron soil.

On Mann, this period represents the survival of the island’s core. The air is damp and the nights are still long, but the light has begun to stretch. It is a time for purification, for sweeping away the old embers of the Yule hearth, and for making space for the return of the sun.

Oie'll Vreeshey: Hosting the Sun Bride

On the eve of January 31st, the Manx cottage transformed from a winter fortress into a place of radical hospitality. This was the night of Breeshey, the Manx Brigid. Whether she is called Brigid in Ireland or Brìghde in Scotland, she represents the same ancient spark—the patron of fire, poetry, and healing. These names are different breaths of the same word echoing across the Irish Sea, proving that the Celtic heart of Mann beats in time with our neighbors.

Traditionally, families would leave out food, drink and gather rushes to place at the threshold, inviting the goddess to find rest and warmth within their home. When all is ready they would call out:

Vreeshey, Vreeshey, tar gys my hie,

Tar gys y thie ayms noght.

Breeshey, Breeshey, come to my home,

Come to my home tonight.

To find the mark of her foot or the print of her staff in the morning ashes was more than a superstition; it was a physical sign that the spark of life had returned to the family’s center.

Caillagh ny Groamagh: The Bird of Winter’s End

On Februrary 1st (Laa'l Breeshey) as the community welcomes the light, a much older power is making her final stand. Caillagh ny Groamagh, the Gloomy Hag, who has ruled the island since Samhain, is said to undergo a final transformation on this day. Manx lore tells us she takes the form of a giant bird, perhaps a restless bird of prey scouring the fells to gather her brasnags, the kindling needed to keep her frozen reign alive.

This created a unique form of Manx weather divination. If Laa’l Breeshey is bright and sunny, the Hag has flown out early to gather wood, intending to stretch winter for another six weeks. But if the day is misty and "soft," she remains grounded and her fire goes out. On the Isle of Man, we root for the grey skies, knowing that a "bad" day for the Hag is the only way the spring can truly begin.

The Waking Waters

The "Quickening" is literal in the uplands. As Breeshey walks the land, the winter ice begins to melt, turning into the "water serpents" of the moors. Fresh, cold streams that trickle through the peat and bring the first life back to the glens. These rising waters act as the island’s circulatory system, waking the dormant roots and washing away the stagnation of midwinter.

The Flame Within

Imbolc is more than a date on the calendar; it is a harvest of intention. Just as our ancestors cleared the hearth and invited the Sun Bride in, we are asked to look at the "fire in the head", the ideas and growth we have been nurturing through the dark months.

To stand in a Manx glen at Imbolc is to stand at a threshold. You can hear the landscape waking up in the rush of the water and see the first snowdrops breaking the soil like tiny beacons of white fire. It is a reminder that we are part of this cycle. We do not just observe the spring; we host it. As the days lengthen and the Cailleach retreats back into the stone, how will you be tending your own spark this season?

Join the Journey

As this chapter of our residency begins to bloom, we invite you to step further into these stories with us. Follow our journey on Instagram @adamamorgan & ciaraswildisland for behind-the-scenes glimpses into the Manx wilderness and the rituals of the turning year.

We are also incredibly excited to announce our upcoming Biosphere Photographer in  Residence Exhibition at Artreach Studios in Peel, opening publicly on the 2nd of March. We would love to see you there to celebrate the culmination of this year-long exploration of the Isle of Man's nature and culture.