Celebrating Impactful Irish Women

Over the years, many Irish women have been synonymous with courage, bravery and strength from folk figures such as Queen Medb and Grace O’Malley to nationalist heroes such as Constance Markievicz and Hanna Sheehy Skeffington. However, it was not always an easy path for women and it can sometimes feel strange to believe that a mere fifty years ago, Irish women were not allowed to work after getting married, obtain a divorce, or control their own reproductive rights.

We have come a long way in those fifty years and over that time there have been many women that have trailblazed the road of feminism and female empowerment. So with International Women’s Day just around the corner, let’s take a walk down memory lane and appreciate some contemporary Irish women that are making a difference.

Mary Robinson

A barrister from Ballina, Co Mayo, Mary Robinson was elected as Ireland’s first female president in 1990. Having a transformative impact on Irish history, Robinson played an active role in decriminalising homosexuality, contraception and divorce, issues that gained her plenty of adversity at the time. Following her resignation, she served as the  UN High Commissioner for human rights, a role that allowed her to explore and challenge racism, poverty and xenophobia around the world. In 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal for Freedom, an honour that epitomises the work of a woman who has had an undeniable impact on Ireland and the world at large.

Holly Cairns

Holly Cairns is a TD from Cork and leader of her party, the Social Democrats. I first became aware of Cairns back in 2021 after watching a clip of her speaking for the introduction of Coco’s Law and immediately was intrigued by her ability to speak candidly on important topics. Over the years, she has consistently given voice to major issues including; period poverty, the gender pay gap, homelessness, sexual assault, climate change, and most recently, the conflict unfolding in Gaza.

In Ireland, women have been consistently absent from the decision making tables. Since the formation of the state in 1922, only 131 women have been elected to the Dáil, not even enough to fill one single sitting and concerns around political inequality have been only reignited in recent weeks following the unveiling of the current government cabinet which consists of just three women holding senior ministry positions. Inevitably, with a lack of female representation in the political arena comes a lack of awareness for issues that benefit us. Given these factors, it is clear that dependable and inspiring women like Holly Cairns are essential in positions of power. Her candour, directness and authenticity is something else that young people desire from politics and something that Cairns’s readily delivers.

Sally Rooney

One would  be living under a rock to have missed the success and domination of Sally Rooney in recent years. At only 34 years old, Rooney has cemented herself as one of Ireland’s literary greats with all four of her novels; “Conversations with Friends”, “Normal People”  “Beautiful World Where Are You”  and “Intermezzo” becoming global bestsellers and accumulating widespread critical acclaim. Her simple but evocative style of writing captures the heart and mind of her readers, transforming the most mundane of daily occurrences and actions into noteworthy and sensually pleasing experiences.  At the heart of her novels are tales of complex and authentic characters, with tangible psychological and realistic dispositions that enable us to develop emotional connections with them that linger long after the final page is turned. 

Sinead O’Connor

Following O’Connor’s death in 2023, the media and wider society were quick to celebrate the talented songwriter and fearless social activist that was Sinéad O’Connor. Born in Dublin, O’Connor championed the music industry, accumulating eight grammy nominations and securing a further eight songs within the top forty of the UK charts. However, it would be an insult to O’Connor’s legacy to reduce her cultural impact to merely her musical output and ignore the vast amounts of social and political activism that permeated her reputation within the pop culture domain. In 1992, she infamously ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II during an SNL performance to protest against the physical, psychological and sexual abuse of children at the hands of the catholic church.

Additionally, in 2014, she refused to perform in Israel as a protest to their unjust treatment of the Palestinians. Even her signature shaved head served as a protest against the men who controlled the music industry and the manner in which they reduced and attempted to commodify female musicians to a broader commercial audience. 

Ellen Keane

A two time olympic medalist, Ellen Keane is a swimmer from Dublin. Having been born with an undeveloped left arm, Keane was Ireland’s youngest ever paralympian when she competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 at just thirteen years old. Since then, she has claimed a bronze medal in the 100m Breast stroke competition at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics in 2016 before returning for gold in the same discipline at the Tokyo Olympics five years later.

Beyond sport, Keane has established herself as an  inspiring disability advocate, presenting a TedTalk in 2017, entitled “My Lucky Fin”  where she discussed how she has changed her outlook on her disability and learned to embrace it as a part of her life. In 2022, she competed in Dancing with the Stars, securing second place in the competition and in 2023, she released her first book “Perfectly Imperfect”.

With her contagious enthusiasm and vigour, Keane represents a woman who can succeed despite the forces that attempt to hold her back, achieving greatness in both the sporting and media domains and serving as a force of inspiration for young girls all around the country, to embrace their differences instead of allow them to hold them back.

Honestly, there are so many other impactful Irish women who we could add to the list, and just think some day that could be you too!