‘ Girl power’ on International women’s day

ON a weekend when the Tuam Babies scandal dominated newspaper analysis, it is a relief that times have changed so much that we now celebrate women with their own special day.

Tomorrow, March 8th is International Women’s Day - a time to reflect on all that us ladies contribute to society, from the personal to the corporate, the late night feeds to the board room presentations; we are a versatile gender who most definitely can and do multi- task. My father mentioned to me that he would have known of teenage girls who simply disappeared for a year or two. ‘ Fallen’ women who God forbid found themselves pregnant out of wedlock.

“That was of the time,” he said, “It was the worst thing that could happen to a family.” Banished to mother and baby homes, these young girls - who did not get pregnant on their own - endured for the most part hardship, shame and a stigma that they had to live with for the rest of their lives. Most were forced into giving their babies up for adoption. For a mother, this must have been the greatest pain of all.

A Garda investigation has been confirmed into the discovery of hundreds of babies remains at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home ( pictured). Given the passage of time and the state of the remains, it will be difficult to determine how and why these vulnerable children aged from 35 weeks gestation to 3 years old died. Infant mortality was much higher in the Ireland of that time too. Why were these tiny children dumped in mass graves? How many more such graves exist, if any? Serious questions have been raised by the Commission of Investigation which must be answered.

It was a women who uncovered the mass baby grave at the Galway site and through her extensive research and will to succeed Historian Catherine Coreless has shone a light on this dark period in our history.

For so long, single mothers were treated like social outcasts, their fate determined by the ruling hierarchy of the male dominated Church. Now, at least, society can look back in shame as the facts - distasteful and shocking as they are - speak for themselves.

Women should never have been treated this way while men - the fathers - just got on with their lives. Still today we are a gender that is having to fight for equal rights worldwide. International Women’s Day aims to highlight the existing disparities between the sexes as well as celebrate ‘ girl power.’

This year on International women’s Day ( IWD) a campaign called # be bold for change was launched, calling on women everywhere to stand up for women’s rights.

Through a range of initiatives outlined on the IWD website, women can play their small part in effecting change, be it querying an all male panel or volunteering for a domestic violence advisory service. The issue of equal pay and gender bias in employment is also put under the spotlight- as the first female editor of a newspaper in its 176 year history - I believe that this is an issue that has to be addressed. Women deserve to be in positions of authority and thankfully the economic and social landscape in this regard is changing, albeit slowly.

In Sligo we can look towards the mainly female team under Marie O’Byrne at the Hawk’s Well Theatre for inspiration. This is an outstanding cultural hub for the area, which has recently secured € 500k in funding. Our own Mayor Marie Casserly is never shy about standing up for women’s rights and the busy Mum- of- five is a credit to the county.

Barrister and Lissadell House proprietor Constance Cassidy is another local lady to look up to, managing to juggle six children and a stellar career in a notoriously difficult profession. Director of Services Dorothy Clarke holds one of the most senior positions in Sligo County Council while the acting director of the Model is Emer McGarry. These are just some names that spring to mind but there are too many inspiring women in Sligo to mention individually.

International Women’s Day is not just about recognising those who have excelled in careers or otherwise. It’s about remembering the women who raised you without any need for compliments, the female friends who listen and care and the women who came before us, who did not have things as good as we do now.