Bridget Spain, Church Minister

Bridget was born in Edenderry, Co. Offaly, and raised in a very traditional Catholic home. The religion she knew as a child involved a lot of fear, and instinctively she felt that fear as part of religion was wrong. As a teenager, Bridget distanced herself from the Catholic Church, and happily remained away from all religious practice for many years. She studied Commerce in University College Dublin, and later qualified as an accountant. Although she was a good accountant, she always felt it wasn’t her true calling.

When she came to the Unitarian Church for the first time, she was looking for a community. Immediately she felt at home. In the Unitarian Church, members of the congregation take it in turns to lead the service. On hearing this, Bridget knew straight away this was what she wanted to do. In 2003 she began her studies for Ministry and did an Arts degree with the Open University. She became Assistant Minister to Rev. Bill Darlison in the Dublin Unitarian Church in 2007 and became full Minister in Dublin in 2010. Bridget is the first Irish person, and the first woman to hold her job.