Farah Elle / Singer-Songwriter

Singer-Songwriter

We interviewed Farah on 6 November 2020.

Farah, can you tell me a bit about your childhood, and growing up?

We moved to Ireland when I was 1 ½ years old from Libya, from Benghazi, and we came to Dublin. We were living in Dublin for pretty much my entire childhood, until I was 11, and then we moved to Meath. I’m quite similar to my 4-year old self. I think everyone is happy by nature, especially children, and I just rolled with it. I’m the only one that my mam named; my dad named my siblings. My name means joy and happiness in Arabic.

Photo by Abe Neihum Photography

I definitely saw a lot of chaos as a child and witnessed a lot of culture clash. I think everyone has a different path laid out for them, and I think mine was very apparent from a very young age, in tiny symbolic ways. Like things that are very particular to a person. For example, my mum got me a sunflower when I was like 4, and I’ve always loved sunflowers and yellow was my favourite colour since I was a child. And then when you get older you realise that colours represent different things and … I just think childhood was a path paved for how I am now.

Who were your role models growing up?

My siblings. I always looked up to my siblings. I have one sister and two brothers and they’re all really creative. Whatever music they were listening to, I would listen to. They were always drawing or jamming and they’re all a bit older than me, so when there’s that age gap … we weren’t exactly peers, I had them on a platform, so they were always my role models growing up. Then when I was 17, I was old enough to be friends with them, and to be their peer. I was also obsessed with my mom as a kid. If she liked something, I liked it!

I also really loved certain musicians and artists. I actually really loved Shakira when I was 9-years old because her first album that came out featured a lot of Lebanese artists and it was super edgy, and sort of rock music meets Arabic music. I really enjoyed her vibe.

Has music always been a big part of your life? Can you tell us about when you began to explore your own music?

I really started committing when I got a piano when I was 11. I had a keyboard before that, but my mom got me a piano when I was 11 and it couldn’t be taken away from me, I was playing all the time. Then I started writing poetry when I was 12 or 13 and I started to sing the poetry. I saw poetry as lyrics.

Photo taken in Berlin by Stephen

I wasn’t really concerned with discovering my own sound, I just knew that I had to keep doing it. I kept writing and playing and forming bands or jamming with friends and then by the time I got to college, that’s when I started discovering my own voice and exploring the depth of it. I started considering culture and background, and the role they play in our voices. The first time I sang in Arabic was when I was 18 or 19 and I realised it felt completely different, and that was a big discovery. Even now when I sing in Arabic I really feel like I’m expressing something different, like a secret! I’m still learning a lot about that.

I feel very secure in my belief in the importance of expression. I really strongly value that, I think everyone needs to sing and needs to dance and needs to create, or paint or cook, or something creative. Things that are creative need to be done as part of our wellbeing and as a way of preserving our souls. I strongly believe in that.

You love writing music. Where do you draw your inspiration from? Are there certain topics you find yourself writing about often?

For so long I wrote from a place of pain. It was cathartic for me. I used it as a tool to process painful emotions, and of course for celebration, but the reason it was a need was to process the world around me. That was my inspiration for a long time – just getting things off my chest. Now … everything is everything … nature plays a massive role in my life, and the behaviours and rituals that we would have done indigenously. Things that are at our core, and in our nature, those things really influence me. Like how everything feels different when you’re on a beach, or how chilling up in a forest is a totally different vibe than sitting in your house! I also gain a lot of inspiration from people, I really genuinely care for people, I really love people. I think listening is really powerful, and I’ve only learned to really listen in the past two years.

Your music has been described in terms of ‘alternative pop,’ ‘hip-hop,’ ‘R&B,’ and with some features of Arabian influence … is this how you would describe it? Is there one style or genre that you feel most at home with?

I got a word, me and my band found a word that works, and that word is progressive. For years people have been asking me what kind of music I make – ‘what’s your genre’ - and I just melt down inside because I’m like ‘I sing in Arabic sometimes … I sing in English sometimes …’ but it turns out there is a word, and that’s progressive. So, the music is progressive, but also the ethos and values is progress and progression.

What is the music scene/industry like for women in Ireland today? Have you come up against many obstacles/setbacks?

Photo taken in Toronto by Jerick Collantes

I find this question funny because I don’t know what it’s like to not be a woman. In order to ‘know what it’s like for women’ I’d need to know what it’s like for everyone else. I can speak from my own experience … there’s times when you might not be taken as seriously and I often thought that this was down to my personality because I’m very friendly, I can be sweet, so I thought that was the reason why people maybe didn’t take instructions as seriously or think that I needed a hand or whatever. I’m all for kindness, but I’m not okay with disrespect. But I’m going to be really honest and say that I don’t really focus on that stuff, it doesn’t really phase me. I don’t like talking badly about people.

The music industry is what it is. I don’t think Ireland is any different than the rest of the world. There is an expectation for women to be super sexy which I can tell you on a humane or cultural level is problematic and not inclusive … I was raised Muslim, I’m clearly pretty liberal, I’m not the most practicing Muslim out there, but dressing modestly is something that’s often practiced in Islam and I feel because women are so sexualised and objectified sometimes that it can be difficult to go out there and be your total self without people thinking you have to be really sexy. I’m all for sexual freedom, and that takes many forms, but it’s not the same for dudes. 

Your mother, Dr Fatima Hamroush, is an ophthalmologist and in 2011 she was made Libya’s first female Health Minister. Your upcoming debut album is called FATIMA …is this after your mother? Can you tell us about the influence that she’s had in your life and on this album?

So, my mam is obviously super rebel in her own right and in many ways. Even if we just look at it on a generational level as Libyan women, my grandmother was not allowed to learn how to read and write and then you have my mom who not only completed her education but became a doctor and then took that post as Health Minister. She also went against her social norms in Libya and divorced my dad which was very much frowned upon by the Libyan community, but she had the courage to do what was right and what was needed. She always prioritised our freedom and our safety. Nobody’s perfect, but that takes a lot of courage and a lot of strength and you can’t help but be inspired. She’s a powerful person, she has a strong presence in a room. She could walk in and not say anything, but you would feel her there. So, I’ve definitely drawn a lot of inspiration from her nature as a person. The album is named after her, but I also love the word Fatima because it’s globally very intercultural and means different things in every language and every culture. It’s also a place of sanctuary and I’d be so over the moon if people found the album as a sanctuary for themselves to go to and listen and feel seen and heard.

Your most recent single, Sunblock, is a gorgeous song which you yourself said is an exploration of ‘the emotional complexities of choosing joy over sorrow in our day-to-day lives. Making sure that we take a moment to reflect on ourselves and consider how often we ‘block out the sun’ each day.’ 2020 has obviously been so tough for so many, and now that we’re back in level 5, a lot of people are struggling. How do you personally ‘choose joy over sorrow’ in times like this? Have you advice for people who might watch this who may be ‘blocking out the sun’?

It's honestly little things. Our feelings are our feelings. If you feel like crying all day, then cry all day. It’s important not to suppress those feelings. So, by choosing joy over sorrow it’s very much in tiny behaviours. It sounds funny because this is actually quite literal but it’s little things like opening our curtains and letting light in. And I like to get very meta about everything, so when it comes to choosing joy over sorrow, there are things we can do like not talking negatively about other people. I also don’t really believe in this positive-negative thing anymore, I just think things are things and that’s okay.

Photo taken by Tara Thomas Photography

There’s no need to rain on someone’s parade. If someone tells us good news, celebrate. If we hear good news, celebrate. When we have access to food and water and shelter, that’s also something to celebrate. That doesn’t mean we have to be like ‘oh I’m so happy’ even when we feel bad, no. I can continue to exist and to accept who I am. It’s very important that we do that, because it doesn’t work to suppress feelings no matter how hard people try, they always come back. So the reason the whole joy over sorrow thing came into fruition or was articulated like that was because while I was sitting and writing the answers to that interview I was looking out the window and a magpie came and sat on the shed and there’s this superstition that if you see one magpie it represents sorrow and two equals joy and so on. And they say if you salute it it gets rid of the sorrow. So, this ridiculous superstition got in my head and I was sitting there writing this press release and this magpie came and sat on the shed and I was like ‘oh no, where’s the sorrow? Why does it always find us!?’ but the truth is, sorrow will always find us. But so will joy. There will always be joy in the world. And joy often tries really hard to be with us and we can get so used to being drained and being upset that we actually forget about joy sometimes. Sorrow finds us and joy we have to really open our eyes to find.

I’m really not into telling people how to live their lives but I’m really passionate about people being happy because I feel like being happy is very revolutionary these days and a lot of time people try to take our joy away and you know what, that’s worth fighting for. I’m not up for crushing someone’s dreams either, if someone tells me something good, I’m like ‘yes! That’s great! Give me more of that!’ But there are people who will receive good news and will be like ‘yeah but…’ Stop doing that to each other! Can we just like be? Things are the way they are. People often think that I’m this super positive force but the truth is, it’s not about positive, negative, good or bad, I actually like to throw that stuff in the garbage and be like ‘this is the way this is and every day is different.’ Last week I cancelled all my work stuff and just cried all week, I was so sad. But I was so happy to be so sad, because I let it all out, I didn’t keep it in.

When can we expect your new album?

2021. I’m going to release some singles before then.

If we’re sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year you’ve had, what would we be celebrating?

Transformation. This has been the year of transformation. I would also like to celebrate stillness and our shadows, and you know, some people have only gotten the chance this year to stop and think and heal and consider things like health, which is everything. So, I honestly could name a million things that could be celebrated but I would sum it all down to transformation.

Thanks so much to Farah for talking with us and for providing us with the photos throughout.

You can find Farah on Facebook here. She is also on Twitter as @FarahElleMusic and Instagram @farahelle. You can find her music on Spotify.

Eileen Flynn / Traveller Rights Activist & Senator

Traveller Rights Activist / First Traveller elected to the Seanad

Eileen Flynn (Picture: Maxwells. Source: irishexaminer.com)

On 14 July 2020, we talked to Eileen Flynn who made history (or herstory!) when she became the first Traveller to be elected to the Seanad in June 2020. She has been an activist for many years now, speaking out on issues that affect her community, and particularly the women in her community. As she pointed out though, it took her a long time to get to where she wanted to be, and she faced many obstacles along the way in the form of societal discrimination and racism …

‘I was born and reared in a halting site. I lived in Labre Park and for me as a Traveller person, I’ve always been faced with obstacles in the form of societal discrimination directed at the Traveller community. As marginalised people it’s very difficult to reach your dreams. I was in a really bad accident which impacted my school days and I lost my mother at ten years of age. For me, as a young woman, and not only that but a young Traveller woman who was barely put together, stitched and screws in many parts of my body – I was that troubled young person in school. I was suspended eight times, but something changed for me when I was 16/17 - I wanted an education.

I went back to school and completed my LCA Leaving Cert and then did an Access course in Trinity college. I went to Ballyfermot college for two years then and absolutely loved it. I did pre-nursing and caring for people with special needs. Then I took a year out because my father was dying, but I went back when I was twenty-five as a mature student to Maynooth University where I got a BA in Community and Youth Studies, which I’m very proud of. When you’re a member of the Traveller community, that’s one thing, but when you’re a woman there’s an extra layer of societal oppression that comes with that. Today Ballyfermot is integrating much more, there’s people from many ethnic minority groups, but as a child going back over twenty years ago, it was different, you could feel that prejudice from a very young age. I remember being a child in a shop and just wondering why were people staring at me or my mam? Why were they looking at us differently?

It took me a really long time to get to where I wanted to be, I have dyslexia too and that was tough. Those challenges aren’t just there for me but for every marginalised person on the island, for people of colour, refugees, migrants and for women in those communities. It’s very tough to be a woman in these communities and be successful and by successful, I mean opportunity of success. The opportunity to go on to third level education and employment.’

How can we as a society and as individuals make sure that there is equal access and equal opportunities for everyone? In Eileen’s opinion, it’s about working with marginalised groups.

Photo via @Love1solidarity on Twitter

‘You don’t blow out someone else’s candle and think yours is going to burn any brighter – it’s about giving marginalised communities a hand up, not a handout. When we go into spaces and there’s discussions and decisions being made, we need to look around us and think ‘who is not here?’ In Ireland I believe we need Hate Crime Legislation that works. I’m going into my third week in this role and I’m already looking into it and I believe we need different voices around. It’s not going to be about one community of people, but many communities. We want equality for Traveller people, for the LGBTQI+ people, for Trans people… It’s about listening, and after you listen you can then take action.’

Hate Crime legislation is so important to Eileen (and to many) because up until now, people have had to rely on the Prohibition of Incitement to Hatred Act 1989, and only a small number of people have ever been convicted under it because of ‘the requirement to prove beyond reasonable doubt that there was an intent to incite hatred.’ In addition, as Dr Patrick McDonagh wrote for GCN, ‘transgender and intersex individuals, for example, are not covered under existing legislation, yet Ireland’s transgender community are one cohort who are most in need of protection in this regard.’

As well as the Hate Crime Legislation, what does Eileen want to accomplish in her new role?

‘I’d love to see the Traveller Culture and Education Bill that Collette Kelleher has already started passed [this would introduce Traveller culture and history to the school curriculum]. I’d love to do some work around Traveller accommodation as well. The Committee on Key Issues affecting the Traveller Community was set up last year for six months but I’d love to see it set up again so that TDs and senators can sit together and have discussions on the needs of the Traveller community, and what we can do better. I’d love to work with people of colour, and other ethnic minority groups. I can’t be the voice of black people, or of Muslim people – I can’t go in and say that I’m the marginalised voice for all these people because I haven’t lived that life, but what I can do is bring these people around the table and work along with the NGOs and individuals that want to come around the table. What can we do better, how do we do it, and how do we do it together? I’m a community development worker and being a senator, I’m going to do it through the eyes of community development work, and every choice that I make will be through the eyes of human rights and equality.’

Have you any words of advice or encouragement for younger people who may be reading this?

‘For me, I was the young  person who came from Labre Park and the young Traveller woman that even some members of my family never thought would be anything because of the lack of employment and education opportunities. There was no hope in me, and I began to have no hope in myself until I was about 25 years of age. I always had a place in my heart to be a changemaker for my own community but also for women in my community. Travellers have always had an interest in politics, take Nan Joyce for example, who was the first Traveller candidate in an Irish general election in 1982. She has been an inspiration for Travellers in Ireland, I always used to read about Nan Joyce and think hopefully someday I could make a change like that.

Nan Joyce, via. RTÉ Archives

I have a little girl and if I die tomorrow morning she can look back and say, ‘my mammy did that.’ Bernadette Devlin used to say, ‘we’re born in an unjust world, but we’re not meant to grow up in it.’ So, I hope that when my child is a young girl, she won’t have to grow up in the world that I did.

I would just say to have hope and keep going. My lecturer used to say it’s like a big wall, but you just keep hammering away and take down one pebble at a time. You keep going.’

Thank you to Eileen Flynn for taking the time to speak to us, and to John Campbell who helped to set up the interview.

Sources and further reading:

O’Brien and O’Halloran, Carl, and Marie, ‘Traveller history to be ‘obligatory’ in schools if new Bill passed,’ The Irish Times, 17 Oct. 2019, accessed online at: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/education/traveller-history-to-be-obligatory-in-schools-if-new-bill-passed-1.4053016  [accessed 15 July 2020].

‘Why Hate Crime Legislation?’ accessed online at: https://inar.ie/hate-crime-legislation/ [accessed 14 July 2020].

McDonagh, Patrick, ‘Hate Crime legislation in Ireland - The journey so far and what happens next,’ GCN (Feb. 2020), accessed online at: https://gcn.ie/hate-crime-legislation-ireland-what-happens-next/ [accessed 15 July 2020].

‘Traveller Culture and History in Education Bill 2018: Report and Final Stages,’ Seanad Éireann debate - Wednesday, 16 Oct 2019, Vol. 267 No. 12, accessed online at: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/seanad/2019-10-16/13/ [accessed 15 July 2020].

Razan Ibraheem / Journalist & Activist

Razan Ibraheem

Syrian Irish Journalist / UN Speaker / Irish Tatler’s International Woman of the Year 2016

(We sat down with Razan on 27 Feb 2020 to interview her)

Could you tell us about your childhood and about growing up in Syria?

My childhood was interesting, I was born in a Mediterranean town near the Turkish border. It’s open and diverse. Different religions, ethnicities, backgrounds – all living in one city. It’s also known for it’s culture, the music and tasty food. My mam and dad were teachers and became principals later, so I came from an educated background.  I was then a teacher for eleven years – I got this from my mam and dad. Syria was extremely safe at that time. We would play outside from 8 in the morning until 10 at night. I was a street child, a tomboy! I was always wearing shorts, playing football, my hair was short. As I grew up, I changed a little bit. I graduated from High School and I did English literature. That was one of the turning points in my life – it opened doors for me to learn other cultures through literature. I studied Irish culture as well, we studied the work of James Joyce, Bernard Shaw, and Samuel Beckett. On a personal level, I think I used to be a one-dimensional person but when I finished literature, I became multi-dimensional with Syrian, Arabic, Muslim, Christian cultures all in me in addition to different cultures from the West. It shaped my life. After that I did a Diploma in Education in Syria and then I wanted to continue my studies, but I had no money. My dream was to continue my studies and do my Master’s, but I needed money, so I worked abroad to save money and eventually saved my university fees to travel to Ireland. 

Were you always so outspoken?

No. I used to be very shy and self-conscious. I was conscious of my English – I didn’t want to say anything wrong.

Did you speak English as a child?

I started learning it when I was 9-years old and then I did it in college too. I was way better at writing English but then I was really shy when I started to speak it in case I said something wrong. But then I realised that people were not judging me or checking my mistakes so I began to get confidence and educate myself.

You went to university in Limerick  - what attracted you there?

Many things. I had already studied Irish literature, and I wanted to go to the best school in English Language Teaching. So, after exploring options, Limerick came back as one of the best universities doing this course. I already knew about Ireland and the culture and I had a friend who used to live in Ireland, and he had had a great experience in the country.

Do you have a favourite book?

Zorba the Greek  by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis. This novel had a big impact on my life.

Who were your role models growing up?

I’ve started to realise my role models recently. I would say I have role models and one of them is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – someone I absolutely love and respect. She is my true inspiration. What she’s doing – she started from zero and look at her now. She is a powerful speaker and her words are full of confidence and knowledge.

You’ve said before that the land is really important in Syria – the same could be said in Ireland. Have you noticed any other similarities or differences in cultures?

Yeah, definitely. Land and owning a house are important in Syrian culture. I think it is similar to Ireland. The family connection is another similarity. Many friends of mine at the weekend go back to their families. So the Irish society is somewhat family oriented, especially in rural Ireland and this is very similar to Syrian culture. There is also a love for culture, music and art which is also very similar to Syria. The sense of humour is sometimes different – but there are similarities! We welcome new people, we smile, we’re friendly like here in Ireland. I would say that Syrian culture though is diverse, you could go from city to city,  from neighbourhood to neighbourhood and it can be very different in it’s culture. This could be down to different languages, religions, migration etc. Syria has also Armenian and Kurdish cultures, different religions, so it’s very diverse from place to place. That’s why, when I look at the war, I can’t comprehend what is happening now. We had an inclusive society and we had our own problems like any country – but when I look at my homeland now, it is a country I just don’t know. A stranger.

Have you been back to Syria since coming here in 2011?

No. I haven’t been back since I left, almost nine years ago. I can’t tell you how much I dream of the day when I can go back. I never imagined I would stay in Ireland. My plan was to finish my studies and go back home and start up my own language school. When I finished my Masters, I started to give my winter clothes to charity because I thought, you know ‘I won’t use them at home for a while’ – but circumstances were against me and against millions of Syrians and things changed. So, I had to make a decision and stay. It was very hard.

You went to Greece in 2015 to hear the stories of the refugees and to help in any way you could – could you tell us about this?

It was another turning point in my life. At that time in my life I was working in social media and 24 hours a day, at work and at home, I was exposed to these images and stories of people fleeing wars. People I recognize sometimes, people from my homeland, my neighbourhood! I was watching all the time and I felt so drained and powerless and I thought – what is the end? What can I do? At that time, one of the images I saw on social media was of a man, an Arab man, arriving in Greece holding his two children and crying. So, I knew I had to be there and helping the people there. For me, sitting and watching wasn’t helping me at all. So, a few days later I was in Greece. I volunteered for around ten days – and every day we used to wake at about 2am and go to the beach with binoculars to watch refugees arriving. If we identified any boats coming, we would straight away run to them and give the people food, clothes, water – whatever they needed. The heart-breaking thing was when they arrived, sometimes you could hear a mother screaming ‘my child! Where is my child?’ – when they would realise one member of the family was missing. That was in 2015 and at that time the refugees would arrive and continue their journey. Greece was a transitional country. But now the camps are like detention centres.

Last year I received a random message from some person, and it said ‘Hi Razan. Maybe you don’t remember me, but you gave me shoes in Greece and I wanted to say thank you. I am in Sweden now and I am learning the language of the country and I’m working as well. I’ve been looking for you since 2015 and finally, I found you!’ So that made me feel that all I did was worth it, that’s why I volunteered another year. For me, to see the reality of what was happening was important – seeing people as human beings and not just as ‘refugees.’

The media coverage of the ‘refugee crisis’ in 2015 was constant. There were reports of water canons being fired at people, this country and that country closing its borders, etc. The images coming out of these places were horrific as well. Can you talk to us about the rhetoric that was used and how this maybe influenced how western society perceived everything? And also, what is going on in Syria right now, because obviously the conflict is ongoing…

When we saw the image of the three-year old boy, Alan Kurdi, washed up on a beach, we saw a turning point in refugee narrative. There was more of an emphasis on highlighting what was happening on the ground with refugees.

But then we started to see key words like refugees ‘flooding’ -a flood is something negative and danger, something that causes destruction. The media started to use these terms ‘refugees are flooding…’ and ‘crisis’ etc. If there was one negative story then that story became the focus of the media and they would neglect the other positive ones, and this was really damaging. The media dehumanised refugees and made them a category of people, not people. The media  also started using the word ‘immigrants’ to describe refugees – but they are not immigrants, they are refugees. They are different. An immigrant is someone who chooses to leave their homeland and travels to another country for work, an adventure or for education. A refugee is forced to leave for safety. They’re escaping persecution and war.

The media now is underreporting on the refugee’s situation, though their situation on the Greek islands is worse than ever. What refugees are facing now is extremely bad. What people in Syria are facing is worse than anything you would imagine. In the past two months, one million people have been displaced – half of whom are children. They don’t have food, water or heating. It’s freezing in Syria in Winter. People have no heating. There are families living in caves right now and there are women burning plastic to provide heat for their children. There’s no milk or clean water. People are hungry. There is no mention of what’s happening in the media. This is the biggest humanitarian crisis since World War II.

You talked at the UN … could you tell us about this?

The UN came after my experience in Greece. At that time there was a conference about providing safe pathways for refugees instead of taking these dangerous ways. So, it was a call to think out of the box and help refugees arrive to other countries safely. I was invited to speak at this conference at the UN in Geneva, and I talked about my experience in Greece and be the voice of the people I met.

You’ve said before that being Syrian outside of Syria and watching the devastation happening there is like watching your child die. This must be really difficult on your mental health?

Oh, it is, it’s very hard. When I came back from Greece I was depressed for a while. I lay on my bed and I looked up and I was like ‘I have a roof. I have a warm bed. But what about those people?’ I didn’t leave my room for a week. I didn’t go to work or do anything. But after that, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought ‘Razan, wake up. If  I stay like this in my room and do nothing, then what have I learned? What benefit am I to these people?’ So, I said to myself, I can’t stay silent in my bedroom, these stories should be told and heard. These stories that I’ve witnessed. I started to speak about it, and do interviews and I just tried my best to highlight what’s going on.

You were made Irish Tatler’s International Woman of the Year in 2016. Tell us about that.

I received an email and I couldn’t believe it. It’s been one of the biggest honours of my life. But it’s not just for me, it’s for Syrian women who are struggling, who are suffering, who are neglected, who are double victims – victims of the patriarchal society and victims of the war. So, I dedicated it to the Syrian women and to their resilience and strength. They come from war and death, they watch their children dying, they pull their children from under the rubble, but they are still resilient and strong and holding the family together and trying to get a better future for their kids. It was a great honour and opportunity to speak about these women.

Can you tell us about what you’re working on these days?

A lot of things! So, I’m an Assistant Editor and senior journalist at Storyful, a news agency. We at Storyful verify content on social media. We identify misleading information and debunk fake news. It is very interesting and challenging work.  We work with the biggest news agencies in the world. We provide, clear and verify content for them. My focus is on the Middle East and North Africa region.

I also involve myself in many projects, for example I’m on the Amnesty National Board in Ireland. I’m involved with some projects about community sponsorships in Ireland. I try to participate in fundraising for refugees, women’s issues etc. It’s very busy but this is who I am, and this is what I love to do. I have so much energy and I want to use it. I try my best.

If we were sitting here one year from now celebrating what a great year you’d had, what is it that we would be celebrating?

We would be celebrating something I’m currently working on which is a documentary on women from the middle east. I’m focusing on women who are challenging their community and are trying to make real change. It’s going to be a positive, uplifting story of these women.

We asked Razan to provide a few suggestions and links for further information on what Irish people can do to help refugees:

Community Sponsorship

 http://www.integration.ie/en/isec/pages/community_sponsorship_ireland

Also email : info@amnesty.ie

https://www.unicef.ie/donate/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqoaU2unp5wIVh6ztCh3CHgKBEAAYASAAEgJGe_D_BwE#1

https://www.trocaire.org/whatwedo/wherewework/syria

https://www.savethechildren.net/

https://www.concern.net/

Fatin Al Tamimi / Activist & Chairperson of Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Credit: The Daily Slog

Photographer / Human Rights Activist

Fatin is a Palestinian/Irish photographer and human right activist. She is the chairperson of Ireland Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) , anti - war and anti - apartheid activist who has been living in Ireland since 1988.

Although she grew up outside of her native country, like Palestinians she carries the hope, determination, courage and the love of Palestine with her, and she dreams of going back and living in her native city of Al - Khalil (Hebron). Fatin believes that resistance, in its many forms, is the right and the duty of Palestinians and the route towards freedom. She believes that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement, is one of the most effective ways to promote Palestinian rights and achieve justice against Israel’s ongoing ethnic cleansing. Her main goal is to raise awareness and work on ending oppression, inhu manity and injustice in the world and strive for peace in Palestine.

Fatin illuminating the GPO for the 2018 International Herstory Light Festival

Shekemi Denuga / Student of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Student of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Shekemi Denuga by Adrienne Geoghegan

Twenty-year old Nigerian-Irish woman, Shekemi Denuga, has always enjoyed ‘a really good challenge.’ As a child she was ‘curious about everything, from why people have different eye colours, to what things are made of.’  While Denuga did not have many role models growing up, her father’s emphasis on education steered her in the same direction and a good education became a top priority for her. As she got older, science became a lot more than a subject to her; it became her passion.

This passion was further fostered in secondary school (Coláiste Bríde, Clondalkin) when Denuga became involved in the Young Social Innovators Community Programme. Along with a group of other young people, Denuga developed a ‘Breaking Boundaries’ scheme with the aim of ‘changing perceptions, promoting unity and making connections within our community.’ The initiative was launched by inviting various different groups of people to the school to speak about their own experiences and the issues they faced within the community. They also held a ‘positive day’ which included writing post-its of encouragement on every locker, among other things, to inspire positivity.

‘It took time for me to truly realise I belonged.’

Despite organising positive initiatives such as the one above, Denuga herself faced a lot of ‘self-made barriers of self-doubt and feeling inadequate.’ Not only was she anxious of the racial difference between herself and her classmates, but also the class difference. For this, she pushed herself even harder to ‘keep up’ with her peers, however, when she got her results and performed exceptionally well, ‘it was the first time I felt I deserved my place here and that I might actually be good at doing what I love.’

In her final year of secondary school, Denuga remained unsure of what course she wanted to pursue in university. Like a lot of students, she was tempted to choose her course based on the subject she best excelled at, which at the time, was biology. However, when she came across UCD’s common entry science course – which would allow her to explore her love of science before specializing – she knew it was right for her. It was here that she met her ‘first true role model in chemistry’ – a teaching assistant named Lola; ‘It may not seem like much, but she was the first black female scientist I had ever met, and for the first time I could see myself in someone else doing what I loved.’ Because of this meeting, Denuga was encouraged to believe in her own capabilities and henceforth adopted an ‘if she could do it, so can I’ mentality.

As well as pursuing her love of science, Denuga joined the Africa Society in UCD as the Events Officer for the academic year 2017/18. It was her job to execute the plans organised by the society as a whole, make sure no details were overlooked, and that all events ran according to plan. A lot of these events were focused on ‘creating a sense of community within the African population of UCD’ but also ‘including non-African students to teach them about where we came from.’ Denuga was able to chase yet another passion when she helped to co-found the Gospel Choir with friend Grace Oladepo and three others. Oladepo, who was already a member of the music society, approached the committee to ask if they could temporarily build the Gospel Choir under the umbrella of the Music Society until they could have their own society approved. While decisions regarding song choices were decided as a team, Denuga became the head conductor, and often led performances. Her participation within the society turned out to be ‘one of the most fulfilling parts of my education in UCD as I was able to do something with another one of my passions.’

‘Science is a never-ending well of knowledge. It is mind-boggling, exciting and challenging.’

For those thinking of pursuing a similar path in science as Denuga, she recommends coming to university ‘curious.’ Getting involved in programs like the Trinity Access Programme, Community Mentors and ‘anything that will put you in contact with people who may be walking down the same path as you career-wise’ is a good step forward. Denuga is currently (Oct 2019) in her final year of Medicinal Chemistry which she feels was a perfect mix of ‘chemistry and the biology of human diseases.’ Her ideal job out of college would be ‘something where I can continue to gain more knowledge such as Research and Development in the pharmaceutical industry.’ Her final bit of advice: ‘the more information you have, the more able you are to make an informed decision about your future.’

Update (August 2021)

In August 2021, Shekemi updated us with what she’s been up to more recently. Since last we spoke in 2019, she’s graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology from UCD, and was awarded the Travelling Studentship Scholarship from National University of Ireland to pursue her postdoctoral studies at UCD investigating novel methods to detect infectious diseases.

Since graduating, she had also been looking for a way to share her passion for education with others, particularly minorities in disadvantaged areas, which led her to co—found The Student Collective (TSC), alongside her friend Grace Oladipo. TSC is an initiative that aims to equip Leaving Certificate students with practical tips for navigating their sixth-year journey, to provide one to one guidance and mentorship for students who need it, and to promote the development of new skills and strategies to help students to realise their full potential whilst completing their studies. The Student Collective are on Instagram and LinkedIn at TheStudent_Collective.

Many of the things Shekemi intended to do during this period were made difficult to accomplish due to the mandatory national lockdowns over the Covid-19 virus. ‘It did, however, give rise to new inventive ways for us to cope with our new normal,’ Shekemi said, ‘I had the pleasure of working with Phil of Science and Aoibhéann of Little Big Questions, who worked with UCD to conduct Science Experiments that kids can follow at home while watching the videos. This again, was just an incredible opportunity in which I hope young girls, once like myself, can see someone they identify with on TV and dream beyond what they see around them.’

Watch more videos like the one above by clicking here.

Thanks to Shekemi for the photos and for taking the time to answer my questions.

This herstory by Katelyn Hanna.

Salome Mbugua / Founder of AkiDwA

Salome Mbugua

Image: The Irish Times

Founder of AkiDwA / Head of Operations and Strategy at AkiDwA / Chairperson, European Network of Migrant Women, Commissioner for Irish Human rights and Equality

Founded in 2001, AkiDwA works to promote equality and justice for migrant women living in Ireland by ensuring equal opportunities and access to resources. Their activities are focused on helping migrants to participate fully in all aspects of social, cultural, economic, civic and political life in Ireland. Salome Mbugua has been Head of Operations and Strategy with AkiDwA since September 2018. She is a researcher, gender equality activist and human rights advocate with over 20 years’ experience of working with under-represented groups, in particular with women, children, and young people, in Europe, Africa and internationally.

(We sat down with Salome on 16 Jan 2020 at the AkiDwA offices in Dublin to have a chat about her life in Ireland).

Your current role is Head of Operations and Strategy at AkiDwA – what does that entail?

So I’m the founder of AkiDwA, and I actually left back in 2014 to undertake my research which I’m just now finished, and I came back in September 2018 to work as Head of Operations and Strategy and at the time, when I got that role it was because the organisation was restructuring, things were changing and I had to work with the board, the staff, our members, and all other stakeholders, to check out if we’re still relevant as an organisation. As a migrant-led organisation this means there is high expectations both from migrant women, from service providers and others. So, I’ve finished development of the strategy and we’re now in the process of hiring a manager.

We’ve been working on mental health research at AkiDwA. All the experiences of women seeking asylum in Ireland – all the things people are talking about now, these things have actually been talked about previously, but the state and the government aren’t doing anything to change those situations. The issues have been known – it’s taking action on the recommendations that are coming up, is what needs to happen. For example, people get abuse before they migrate, and then during their migration and then when they come here and they stay in the asylum process for five years, that abuse doesn’t end. They might come from war and then you’re in the asylum process for five years it triggers all that you’ve gone through before and it makes the situation worse. So, there’s a disengagement that the health system doesn’t incorporate the intersectionality of gender migration and health. Migration in itself is problematic, it’s an issue for the person migrating, and then when they get here they’re kept in a state of dependency. They don’t have a support structure, they don’t have family, they may have a language barrier – so whom do you turn to – and that can be a trigger for mental health. And if your mental health isn’t good that determines everything; you won’t be able to take care of your children, you won’t be able to navigate the system, you won’t be able to function.

What are your insights on young people, young migrants, and how can the indigenous Irish make them feel more at home?

The major challenge with young people has been identity. My daughter was five when we came into this country in 1994 and back then, there weren’t really any people like her, there weren’t many migrants at the time so she actually didn’t really experience the racism that people do now – at school everyone actually wanted to play with her because she was different. But then more people started coming and there was an attitude change. But the way a young person copes is influenced by two things; the first is the situation at home. If the parent experiences discrimination or has a language barrier then that can impact how they act around their child. And then the child can be impacted by what they see and experience at school and the parent can see this as rebellious, because it’s not in their culture. For example, myself – I was brought up in Kenya, my ethos and values and norms were formed there around my family, and I want my child to be brought up the same way. But she grew up here in Ireland and for example, sleepovers, we never had them in Kenya! So, migrant children are dealing with all of this – they go to school and try to fit in and find their identity, but their parents also don’t want them to forget where they come from, their culture. Young people are struggling to fit within two cultures, the culture of the mother and parent, and the culture of being your real self – going to an Irish school and acting your age and being influenced by your peers. So, this issue of identity is very difficult for migrant children. Of course there are issues of poverty and discrimination that young people face, they can be helped by embracing them and giving them opportunities, to participate in all aspect of society especially at the community level.

You’ve just finished your Doctorate on conflict, peace building and reconciliation and your special case study was on the Congo - can you tell us a little bit more about that?

Yes, I was looking into the role of women in peace building and how women are involved at different levels of decision-making. I was studying in Trinity college for four years and I just submitted it. My focus was on the Congo because I wanted to look into the whole area of women participation and women contributing to peace and negotiations given the incurring conflict in Eastern Congo. So, I wanted to find out  how it’s happening, and the Congo for me was very important because there is a lot going on. A lot of people call it the Capital City of Rape and I really wanted to know are women being involved to ensure this conflict, and this abuse of women, stops. So, I worked with over 8 focus group discussions, and individual women and service providers in Goma which is in North Kivu Provence of DRC. My argument was also backed up by a scholar named John Paul Lederach and he has we call the pyramid of peace. And in this pyramid, you have different actors (elite, civil society and grassroots actors) who can help bring peace if they are supported. So there is the top level where you have the government, then you have the schools, the churches and all that, and then you have the bottom level where you have the community, and it’s in this level that you expect women to be. In these other two levels he assumes women will be involved but my argument is that we have a problem with gender divisions of power so to get women at the very top levels is actually very difficult. Women at the bottom level are pushing themselves to even get in that bottom level, male domination in particular is a key hindrance to women participation in peacebuilding and my research confirm even grassroots women are not involved at the very bottom level of this pyramid hence everyone assumes they are, therefore discussion on gender balance, gender equality are vital.

You came here in 1994. Have the attitudes toward migrants changed? Have they gotten worse, better?

Well when I came here first, I was very young and at that time, there weren’t as many migrant people. There were very few. I was sort of a novelty. And I left for a while and came back here in 1998 and coming back then I could see so many people – the economy was booming. So that time was a little bit horrific. The reality had sort of hit Irish people that we were coming and staying. We weren’t going back. And then people were hostile from about 1998 until maybe 2003, and then you could see the support for migrant, a good example was the Athlone Families together who came to challenge deportations for families and children in 2004/5, I got a lot of support from Irish people, in developing AkiDwA and support by way of funding. We got good funding to help the organisation to progress. It changes, society changes in many ways – now we have a lot of Irish people talking about, and challenging, Direct Provision.

You’ve said that you have a strong belief in equality and justice. Did that come from your childhood, or role models?

It came through my father. My father always believed in equality and the way people are treated. I was brought up in a rural part of Kenya, about 40 minutes from Nairobi, and my father believed that people should have equal access to everything. He taught me that you can never hide from the truth. If something is happening and it’s wrong, then speak up!

Also, my grandmother. I was awarded to my grandmother when I was eight, to be a carer for my grandfather. He fell from a roof and he was completely paralysed, he couldn’t do anything for himself and so, my family insisted that I go and live with my grandmother to help her care for my grandfather. I was a carer at the age eight. So, for me, I’ve seen that helplessness, that vulnerability, from a very young age and I was able to understand those types of situations going forward. Equality and justice for the marginalised, for the most vulnerable, is very important for me. My grandmother wanted to empower me as well. I worked very hard with her and she taught me to be confident. She would face anything that came her way and she had to meet all the needs of the family. She used to get her money by selling maize that she grew in her farm. She would send me to the market, and she would give me some of the money we made for myself. I was exposed to a life that came with challenges and that inspired me to become a social worker.

Then I became a single mother at a very young age. The father of my child died when my daughter was six months old. So, I had to carry the burden of taking care of her alone. My life has been so much working with vulnerable people.

What do you miss about Kenya?

The people. The lifestyle is definitely very different, and the way we deal with situations. I miss my family. I grew up in a big family of nine. And now we are all scattered all over the world. But Kenya was also difficult to advance my career or work. As a social worker I was so frustrated because you’re trying to rehabilitate and to protect children from abuse. And we had big businessmen coming and picking girls to sexually assault them. We managed to take a case, but they ended up bribing and get away with it. So, I find Ireland easier to work in because often you can actually see the justice.

How long did it take for you to feel really at home in Ireland?

I think for me – when I found a job which was sort of like social work, I was working with young boys with challenging behaviour, and they were all young white boys, Irish boys, and they used to call me their ‘black mother’ and I felt so much at home because they accepted me, and I was in college, and I was just getting on with my life. So, I didn’t get challenged like asylum seekers do. But you know, I established an organisation and I got so much support from the Irish women so that was really good too. This support made me feel so much accepted and respected for the role that I am playing; it makes me motivated when we highlight issues as an organisation and they are acted upon. You feel acknowledged and valued and seen the fruits of my dedication through work make me feel so much at home

How do you feel, looking forward?

It’s an exciting time. Ireland has the opportunity to accept the changes that has happened in the last two decades. The time to change is now- and this is by ensuring policies, structures reflect on the diversity we have in Ireland, all people living here must be treated with respect and dignity, embracing of this diversity is key. In the recent years we have seen Irish society opening itself and endorsing change through the passing of marriage equality referendum and repeal the 8th Amendment, migrant issues such as abolishment of direct provision will become a thing of the past. The energy is there. The majority of people are open-minded, they’re open to challenge and they’re open to change.

Ifrah Ahmed / CSO Director for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation

Activist / Civil Society Organisation Director for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation

Ifrah Ahmed is an extraordinarily strong and courageous woman. She has overcome unimaginable adversity and turn it into a force for good, dedicating herself to work to protect others from what she survived.

Ifrah is an Irish/Somali activist, campaigner and CSO director working for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Having arrived in Ireland in 2006, aged 17, she set up her first organisation, United Youth of Ireland in 2008, in response to youth immigrant integration issues in her country of adoption. From personal experience, she leant her voice to the FGM campaign in Ireland and further afield in Europe and turned her focus to the specific gender issue of FGM by founding the Civil Society Organisation that carries her name, Ifrah Foundation in 2012. Now a charitable foundation registered in Ireland and Somalia, Ifrah Foundation has partnered on a wide variety of projects delivering impactful results with international NGOs as varied as Amnesty International, UNICEF and UNFPA in East Africa and has formed strategic partnerships with governmental agencies on policy and legislation, working at ministerial level as well as with religious leaders, international media experts, particularly the Global Media Campaign founded by The Guardian and community empowerment and education programs at grass roots level.

Ifrah illuminating the GPO in Dublin for the 2020 International Herstory Light Festival

Her focus over the past five years has been to deliver programs in Somalia intended to provide the evidence based results that inform Ifrah Foundation’s scoping of its proposed national action plan for the abandonment of FGM in Somalia in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of FGM eradication by 2030.

On April 3rd, 2020, a movie - A Girl From Mogadishu - based on the testimony of Ifrah, and directed by Mary McGuckian, will be released in theaters across Ireland. A Girl from Mogadishu celebrates the power of testimony, ‘for when women find the courage to stand-up, speak out, and tell their truth, the impact can be so inspiring and empowering that act as a meaningful catalyst for change.’

Saoirse Exton / Climate Activist & Founder of Fridays For Future Limerick group

Friday For Future Limerick protesting on Thomas St.

Saoirse Exton

Student Climate Activist / Founder of Fridays For Future Limerick group

In August 2018, a fifteen-year-old Swedish girl took time off school to stand outside government buildings to ask for action on what she called the ‘climate crisis.’ Soon, other students began to join her, and together Greta Thunberg and her fellow strikers organised a school climate strike movement under the name Fridays For Future. There has been some form of protest in some country or another, every week since.

A network of Irish student climate activists was formed under Fridays For Future Ireland, and from that, local FFF groups were established right across the country to strike for climate change. Their aim is:

Exton on Week 1 of FFF Limerick’s school strikes in March

to force the Irish government into taking action on climate change in Ireland, we want our government to align itself with its commitments to the Paris Agreement and to do their part in lowering our emissions to the point where we can limit global climate change to a 1.5 degree average warming target.

In Limerick, fourteen-year-old Saoirse Exton first became aware of the severity of the climate crisis after she heard about the thousands of Australian students who went on strike on 30 November 2018. By researching what was going on, Exton came across Greta Thunberg and like many, was inspired into action.

‘The climate crisis is the most important issue that has faced the human race EVER.’

‘Sick of the negligent government and the dying planet’ she reached out to FFF Ireland and was told that there was no local group in Limerick, but this didn’t stop her. After considering where would be best to draw attention to her protests, she made some posters, started up some social media accounts and from there, the Fridays For Future Limerick group was born. Currently (Sep 2019) Exton does the majority of the social media work (she manages a Twitter, Instagram and Facebook account, as well as a website) but the group is quickly determining how this workload can be divided amongst the members equally. She also does a lot of planning within the group, while also encouraging others to join her, by public speaking. While initially Exton used to strike for the entire day every Friday, she has since moved into her Junior Cert year and has had to shorten the time she spends striking each week but insists that ‘I’m still here!’

‘The days were work-filled, hot and long, but after them we got tasty vegan food and a swim in Lake Geneva, which was incredible!’

Because the FFF movement was reaching an unprecedented scale with strikes worldwide, it was decided that for one week in early August, members from more than 37 countries would meet, which became known as the Summer Meeting in Lausanne Europe (SMILE). The meeting aimed ‘to create a global cohesion and coordination through several conferences, workshops and discussions. For our future, for a better society, for our planet.’ Exton, Caitlín and Roisín ní Chaoindealbhain all represented FFF Limerick and attended meetings with up to 400 other people from around the world at which the ‘demands, strategic goals and values and principles of FFF Europe’ were discussed. Whilst there, they met Greta Thunberg, who Exton remarked was quite a lot smaller in person than one might think and made friends with students from all over Europe.

‘Unity is the key to overcoming the climate crisis because people power is the only way. We have to put aside our individual differences and band together to send a message to the ones in power that enough is enough, and we want change.’

Exton addressing the SIPTU Limerick District Council meeting, 29 Aug 2019.

Exton is a true believer in unity and people power when it comes to tackling the climate crisis. She quoted the findings of the Carbon Majors Report which found that ‘just 100 companies have been the source of more than 70% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions since 1988.’ ‘How can we overcome the powerful?’ she wondered. ‘By binding together and pitching all our little bits of power in. We will become more powerful than the rich companies killing our planet.’

‘It’s amazing to think that our protests, here in Limerick, have an effect on people from different parts of the world.’

Generally, FFF Limerick have had a good response on the ground, and plenty of support from students and adults alike – on more than one occasion the student strikers have been offered punnets of strawberries by passers-by. Exton has been particularly appreciative of the Brazilian people who have stopped to talk to her about the Amazon Rainforest. She said that they in turn have appreciated the fact that small groups in places like Ireland care enough to go out and try to bring as much attention to the rainforest fires as possible and demand change from their government.

‘Our lungs are on fire.’ FFF Limerick protesting the Amazon Rainforest fire.

On 20 September 2019, a mass school strike is organised to take place across the globe, with nine strikes confirmed across the island of Ireland alone. Exton has been busy helping to organise a strike in Limerick, with the theme: Unity. Anyone attending will be asked to assemble at Arthur’s Quay at 1pm before heading through the streets to City Hall ‘for speeches, music and rallying.’ While FFF Limerick protest in the area every week, this will be the first time they march through the streets. In order that as many students strike as possible, another student activist from FFF Limerick, Iona Logan - with the help of her mother - drafted a letter to the Limerick City school management boards and principles regarding the upcoming strike. In the letter, it was mentioned that education on the climate crisis should be mandatory in their schools and that they hoped for their support at the 20 September strike. Appended to the letter was about fifty signatures ‘from a really wide range of Limerick people, young and old.’ As of 11 September, they had not received a response.

‘Your goal is to achieve climate justice wherever you live!’

Update: August 2021

In August 2021, we caught up with Saoirse again to see how she has been getting on. She had the following to say:

‘The past two years have been absolutely insane. I spent most of my time working on my activism. In the beginning of lockdown in 2020, I was heavily involved with Fridays for Future International, attending meetings and contributing to various Working Groups, but after a while, I decided to turn my focus to other pursuits, such as student activism.

In May 2020, I was elected as Equality Officer of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union, where I began to work on various projects, such as writing ISSU's first Accessibility Guidelines, and creating the role of Disability Officer. In October, I was selected to become a Country Coordinator for the Conference of Youth, which will be happening before COP26 in Glasgow. In November, I was selected to become a member of the youth-led MockCOP26, which was a mock session of one of the most important meetings of leaders and lobbyists on climate change in the United Nations. In November, I also started transition year work experience with Brian Leddin, a local TD, as well as being selected as a member of the C40 Global Youth and Mayors Forum, which aims to provide a dialogue between youth activists and mayors of mega-cities.

In January 2021, I finished up my year with the Climate Ambassador Program, and was awarded an Outstanding Achievement Award for my year of action. I also finished up my term as Public relations Officer with Comhairle na nÓg. In March, I became a Youth Advisory Group member for the Environmental Protection Agency, where I contributed to the Youth Engagement Strategy and presented the report's findings to the Senior Leadership Team. In May, I became a member of the National Youth Council Ireland's Young People's Committee, in June I became a member of Friends of the Earth's System Reset team, and in July, I became a member of the European Youth Parliament. It has been an insane and busy year!’

FFF Limerick on 20 Sept. 2019

Like all student strikers, Exton is eager for more people to get involved on the climate issue. She recommends doing the following:

·         Research; Read up on things, follow climate strikers from all over the world, read the latest FFF news, follow websites, etc.

·         Plan; begin planning where and when you are going to start your strike. Usually a very central place is good, where you can catch the attention of media and passers-by easily. People generally protest in front of local/ national/ international Government buildings, so politicians going into work will see you protesting.

·         Strike; write letters to local/ national/ international politicians and media about the climate, write to your school, speak to your boss or your union and try and get them to join for the big strikes.

The stress and seriousness of the climate crisis – and trying to resolve it – can become overwhelming, as Exton is aware. While keeping the end goal in mind, she tries not to do so much as to get burnt out and keeps her supporters close-by.

If you want to follow the work being done by Saoirse and her fellow students strikers, you can find them on Twitter (@Fridaysforfut18), Instagram (@fridaysforfuture.limerick) and blog (fridaysforfuturelimerick.home.blog).

If you’re in Ireland and want to get involved, you can contact: Info@FridaysForFuture.ie

Sources:

Thanks to Saoirse Exton and her mam Geraldine, for talking to me about FFF Limerick.

Fridays For Future Ireland, online at fridaysforfuture.ie [accessed 11 Sep. 2019].

Smile For Future, online at smileforfuture.eu [accessed 11 Sep. 2019].

The Guardian, 10 July 2017.

Kate Fearon / Activist

Kate Fearon

President of Queens SU (’93-’94) / Women’s Rights Officer USI (‘94-‘95) / Member of Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition

‘In those days it was harder to see the beauty…’

Photo credit: Linda Forsberg

Catherine ‘Kate’ Fearon grew up in rural Armagh, a militarized zone during the Troubles. ‘Every day there were multiple helicopter flights landing in the fields in front of our house, depositing or picking up soldiers.’ Living where she did, ‘learning to navigate checkpoints’ became part of growing up; ‘whatever you said, you had to say nothing, but use sufficient words to make it seem like you were saying something, or else you’d just end up stopped for ages.’ Even as a child, there was a constant ‘us and them’ mentality. It wasn’t until Kate went to college at 18, that she met anyone who was Protestant.

Kate attended Queens University Belfast in 1988 to study English literature and Russian Studies. As well as writing for the school newspaper, she became involved with the Students Union and spent a year as the Clubs and Services Officer at which point, she also became involved in ‘making decisions about what issues to highlight and what campaigns to run.’ Coming from a working-class background and being the first generation in her family to attend university, issues surrounding access to education were very important to her, so one of her many campaigns was against the abolition of grants. Inclusivity was an important to Kate who organised ‘what may have been’ the first pride parade in Belfast during her time in the SU. ‘There were about fifteen, maybe twenty of us’ who marched from Botanic Avenue to what used to be the Art College. ‘There were more police and Free Presbyterian protestors than there were of us,’ she recalled, ‘but we did it.’ Fair employment rights and better representation of Catholics and women on the University Senate also took up much of Kate’s attention and helped motivate her towards running for ‘one of the most difficult but rewarding jobs’ she’s ever done; President of the Queens Uni SU. The biggest challenge she faced was ‘the division in the student body.’ While the University had a reputation for being pro-unionist, the majority of the student population had a pro-nationalist, ‘if not republican,’ reputation. Kate set out to at least challenge this.

Kate in 2022. Photo by Ranat Rysbek

The context in which Kate was working, however, made it difficult to represent all students. While she came from a republican area, she was ‘afraid of [the IRA], the police and army.’

The events of spring 1988, the year I went to college - the killings on Gibraltar, the Stone murders and the corporals killings continued to cast a long shadow. In February 1992, we had the Sean Graham bookies massacre on the Ormeau Road. Then in October 1992 the Sheena Campbell murder - she was a student at the time - in the York Hotel on Botanic Avenue. These were almost literally on the University doorstep. There was a rise in sectarian killings all round. The atmosphere was palpably tense. People were scared. We organised marches for peace and a rally in the Student Union building.

Kate was responsible for introducing community relations exercises into their Student Council practice. It ‘interrupted the cycle of blame and recrimination somewhat’ however, a ‘bigger structural change was needed’ in the long term and this would not come until the peace talks.

In 1994, Kate became the Women’s Rights Officer within the Union of Students Ireland (USI) and campaigned heavily on reproductive rights, consent and safer sex. At this time, USI was still fighting the SPUC vs Grogan case (Society for the Protection of Unborn Children against Stephen Grogan and fourteen other officers of students unions in connection with the distribution of abortion information in student guidebooks) and so there was a lot of fundraising and campaigning around that case. With others, she took part in a one-day action on abortion information and ‘got the morning ferry to Holyhead, picked up some reproductive rights literature, got the afternoon ferry back again, bringing the information back with us, and distributed it in Dublin.’ This was completely illegal at the time. More locally, she organised workshops on consent and safe sex and because HIV/AIDS was still relatively new in Ireland, she worked on bringing in new language to address campaigning on sexual health matters.

In 1995, Kate became the Deputy Director of the Democratic Dialogue Think Tank in Northern Ireland which was a social research think tank and a new concept at the time. She ‘commissioned and edited’ reports on gender and politics, and on young people and politics. It was in this role that she first met Mo Mowlam, shadow Secretary of State at the time, who came to their office ‘to discuss ideas about what she should do if Labour won the election.’

At a meeting on 17 April 1996 which was attended by representatives of up to 200 women’s groups, it was decided to lobby the government to allow a women’s network to be included in the upcoming peace talks. The government agreed to allow it, and the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition (NIWC) was formed. They managed to secure two seats for the All-Party Talks which began on 10 June 1996 and the only women at the table were the two elected to represent the NIWC – Monica McWilliams and Pearl Sagar. As a member of the NIWC, Kate supported the two elected delegates ‘on everything from drafting speeches to dealing with the media, to running policy consultations with NIWC members outside the talks, to taking minutes at meetings, to organising the logo for the NIWC.’

Photo credit: Lesley Doyle

A peace agreement between the British and Irish governments, and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland, came to pass in April 1998 in what is known as the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. Kate maintained that it was not so much the signing of the agreement, but the result of the following referendum that was ‘the main thing’ for her. She had helped to organise the drive for a ‘Yes’ vote and it had been a tough campaign; ‘questions of the early release of prisoners and the rights of victims came up all the time. And you had to look people in the eye and tell them it would be worth it, if they voted yes, that you believed in it so much that they should too.’ It was the first time that Kate had voted and been on the winning side and while she was proud of what they’d achieved, and the opportunity it offered, ‘I also knew that we in the NIWC would get squeezed out electorally.’

‘When negotiating: always make the pie bigger before dividing it.’

After serving in the inaugural Northern Ireland Assembly, where she drafted the first ever Private Members’ Bill (on a Children’s Commissioner for Northern Ireland) Kate worked internationally. With the National Democratic Institute in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she worked on supporting political parties on electoral campaigns and policy formulation. Working then for the Office of the High Representative she helped to implement another peace agreement – the Dayton Accords, reached in 1995 by the presidents of Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia which ended the war in Bosnia. While there is no ‘‘one size fits all’ solution to conflict resolution’ Kate believes that ‘there are certain dynamics that are common – a need for acknowledgement about past wrongs, a need for a fair chance to participate politically and a level playing field on which to do it.’ Following this, she worked on implementing another peace agreement (the Ahtisaari Plan) in Kosovo, and later for the EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) Mission there, EULEX Kosovo. Kate went on to work in Afghanistan and Sudan, and currently works for the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia.

‘Women might be good at crafting and nurturing peace, but I don’t think that ‘holding the peace’ should be women’s responsibility.’

Kate finds it a pity that the current parties in power have ‘squandered the opportunities we campaigned so hard for and deliberated upon with great creativity and care and integrity.’ She believes that if women can ‘mitigate the current situation’ in Northern Ireland, then they should act to do so, however, she is very clear in where the responsibility lies: ‘with the parties whom the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement gives a lifetime golden ticket of power to.’ It is with them that the responsibility of holding the peace should lie.

Herstory by Katelyn Hanna

Sources:

Thank you to Kate Fearon for answering my questions and outlining the role she played in the NI Peace process.

European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_Rule_of_Law_Mission_in_Kosovo [accessed 30 Sep 2019].

Ellie Kisyombe / Chef & Co-Founder of Our Table

Co-founder of Our Table / Activist / Chef

(We sat down with Ellie in her office on 30 July 2019)

What’s your story?

My name is Ellie Kisyombe and I was born and raised in Malawi and I moved over here to Ireland a few years ago. The first few months I had to find my feet because I was in a very dark place and it was a hard situation, and I also left my children back home, so I had to think of my family and that. Then I started my asylum process. As I was getting along the system, I found my feet and I started volunteering to help my fellow asylum seekers living in Direct Provision and all that. From there I lived with many different people who had their own difficulties – some of them had no English communication, they had their own cultural languages. I did my research and tried to connect myself with Irish sisters to get them to come and help them learn English. I went out and spread the message of Direct Provision, talked about migrants and the struggles of migrant people who are in this country, you know trying to break the cultural barriers. Then, I met Michelle Damode and we co-founded Our Table and through that we set up pop up cafes around Dublin and then around Ireland and we started cooking … and now the whole country knows me!

Can you tell us more of the insights around why you set up OurTable?

Well it was a response to the ban on asylum seekers being able to cook their own cultural meal, and not only their own cultural meal, but not being given the chance to prepare their own meals. As you know like, we as mothers from the cultural backgrounds from which we’re coming, children learn more about familyhood by seeing their parents and mothers cooking for them and passing down this cultural culinary skill – and even knowing the food from where your parents are coming from is being able to understand yourself. So, food is political. There is more to food. You can’t have a healthy family without healthy food on the table. And even in Direct Provision, their cooking process is this mass industrial cooking and most of their food is processed, there’s no fresh food or healthy food. And one thing I’ve learned of recently is that in Direct Provision they don’t have a standard menu – like what hospitals and schools might have. Direct Provision doesn’t even have that. You know, these are crucial things, these people in DP are being treated different to every other person. So, this was the start of Our Table. It was a response to that and not only that but when you’re in DP you live long periods in there where you’re unable to be active and not even able to go out. You know, mental health in these places are big problems. Some people have lived in DP for five and half years so you can imagine, you become unemployable and you get a low self-esteem. So, this is what we looked at when we started Our Table. So, when they come out, they can integrate in breaking bread and start a conversation. You know, these people have gone through trauma, and really tough stuff – you know they’ve seen family killed in front of them, tortured – these are traumatic situations and they tell you these stories. But then they have this food from home, and they start talking about this food and you know, you can eat food with anyone – even with your enemies – it really breaks that barrier. And also, asylum seekers are not allowed to work. When I started Our Table I was not taking a wage. The people working around me who had the right papers could get paid but I could not. We’re trying to expand now and looking at how we can get funding and how we can employ more people. There is a need to try and bring these different cultures in Ireland together and break those barriers.

Nollaig na mBan 2020

The power of sharing and breaking bread. And the healing of food.

Yes! Food is great. Like I’ve enjoyed every minute of running this project.

Have you any childhood memories that helped define who you are?

I was born into a loving family and we were very close. We have very loving parents who wanted the best for us, and I think that’s why I’m a people person. Something I love most about myself, something I encourage, is just ‘be you.’ The flaws, the goodies, just put it on the table! Be who you are. I’m vulnerable but I’m strong too.

Had you any role models?

I have Michelle Obama; I have Darina Allen. She is a very strong women, a very successful and strong businesswoman. Oprah Winfrey. Really incredible women. And Sinead Burke – I love the spirit and the ‘yeah, I’m here guys!’ Amazing. And I’m my father’s daughter. My mam and aunt were also great inspirations. My mam was a great cook. If she was here she’d be the likes of Darina Allen, and then my aunt took over when my mam died and she kind of modernised everything.

And when you say you’re your father’s daughter, what do you mean by that?

Well I’m the like of my father. Anyone who knows my father will tell you I have every character that my father had – he was smart, strong, intelligent and he was an entrepreneur. He had a big agricultural investment company. So, he was a huge guy in that, and he was also a property developer.

So, he was very supportive of you growing up, was he?

Yeah, he was. Unfortunately, I had kids when I was really young so that kind of made him to be a little bit harder on me – in a way that he wanted to make me more masculine if that makes sense. Like where I came from there was no feminism or being feminist or stuff like that. Men and women had their own roles. Men were powerful, providers and go-getters and women were supportive and cooking for the family and that. So, my father raised me more masculine and he raised me like my brothers.

Have you seen many differences between Irish women and Malawi women?

Well we are go-getters. We have to work extra hard for everything.

And what can Irish women learn from Malawi women?

We are very strong. Capable. And also, don’t undermine yourself – you carry the power. Even though people try to put us under, we are the women who hold up the village.

We have a really strong heritage in Ireland – our tribal stories and mythology and that – which is a strong influence on us growing up. Are there particular tribal stories or heritage stories from Malawi that you want to tell us about?

Well, I’m a very mixed person. My father comes from Northern Malawi and they are very educated people and they have a culture of having maids and stuff. They all go to school, they’re go-getters. My mum is centre and southern Malawi. And where she comes from women are women – they’re a tool kind of, they marry and give babies and they sit at home. My mam had a bit of character from that – she was very, very quiet. And then she also came from the centre, the central women are below their men, but they are farmers. So, they go to the garden a lot. My characters are from the North – because from where my mother came from, women don’t behave the way I behave!

Isn’t it amazing that your mum came from that background but was a great entrepreneur? Who supported her in that?

My father. My father had money. He had multiple wives – that’s usual that way. He married three times. But he was a huge support to all of us, to all of us children too. I’m also very close to my mum’s family. My grandmother had 13 kids and every one of them got educated. We were linked to one of the white people – you know the white people who came to Malawi – our family was connected to one of them and in the 70’s he wanted to take my mam to the States to get educated but my granda was scared he was like ‘don’t take my child, she will never come back.’

Other than food, have you other ways you’re bringing your culture to Ireland?

Well I’m a  woman full of ideas and what I’m trying to do is break this cultural barrier. That’s one thing I’m looking at – you get scared at things you don’t know, and I think Irish people are scared because they don’t know how spectacular it would be to mix these cultures. I have a project upcoming – I can’t talk about it – but I hope it would help break that barrier.

You ran for election recently. Tell us about that.

Yeah so it was a very great experience – I have no regrets. There was good and bad, but I don’t focus on the bad. That’s just me. It was really great on the ground – everyone was very supportive. This is my constituency; so, it’s hard to get people in the North Dublin inner city to go out and vote. They are working class and they feel like there is nothing for them. But it was good that they allowed me in their space and they talked to me; they were saying, you know, ‘I’ve been voting for this party and they never even come on my door and give me five minutes – but you, black woman, coming and chatting to me – I’ll give you my vote.’

Yeah, you must really be inspiring the younger generation, those who are still in Direct Provision now…

Yeah, people want to now engage. I’ve seen a lot of things come behind Our Table, you know, people are inspired to do things. I feel now that I shouldn’t undermine myself. I am a role model and when you are a role model you really have to figure out how to pass your legacy, how to pass your treasure. You know, I want to live here, raise my kids here, and grandkids here and I am going to die here. When I was running for election, I met people who were nasty to me that were like ‘oh she just wants to use the Irish passport...’ but you know I want to prove them wrong. I’m not here to prove anyone wrong but I just want to tell them that you know what, my mind was here. I came to Ireland at a time when there was nothing for people like me. I’ve made something for people like me. And this is what I’m going to continue – I’m going to do something for everyone.

What did it feel like to get your Irish residency?

I’m just so happy, at first there were tears, you know! It was just like … this is real, and then it’s like … I’m home! It’s a good feeling. It’s never been easy for all these years, and just not knowing what’s going to happen. And it came at a time when I didn’t even expect it, because like the whole crew – even my legal team – they weren’t sure, they had already spoke to me and were like ‘Ellie this is a high profile case and we don’t know what direction it’s gonna go.’ So, yeah!

How’d you celebrate?

Well Paddy’s day is going on and I had this group of girlfriends and they and their partners did a barbeque summer lunch for me and we had a great time.

What’s the process going forward from your Irish residency?

It would be me now, I’ve got many years just to be a good citizen, to work and to contribute to the economy and not be involved in crimes. And then I think it’s three and a half or five years – I have to sit down with my residency officer - but then I’d be a full Irish citizen. But for me, I’m already home – this was the piece of paper I was waiting for and the rest is just a bonus.

If we were sitting here a year from now celebrating what a great year you’ve had – what would it be that you did?

A year from now? Even now my mind is running crazy, I’m trying to stop myself! A year from now we would be celebrating my stability and that project I can’t talk about! And forming a country that would be beneficial and meaningful for all of us

OurTable are currently fundraising so that they can cook wholesome food for people living in Direct Provision over Refugee Week (15 - 21 June 2020). You can donate here..  

Liberties Legends

FOUR GREAT LIBERTIES WOMEN

The Liberties in Dublin is one of the oldest communities in the city. Many who live there can trace their families back generations. It is an area that has had its problems over the years, like many communities in the city. But the Liberties has never been a community that gives up and that is thanks in part to the amazing women who live there. Like the area they love, they are strong, resilient, have a bit of an attitude but above all else they are proud and they love their community. There are so many wonderful women to choose from, but the four women who have been chosen to represent the Liberties capture the essence of the Liberties and what that community means to those who live there from political revolutionaries to social revolutionaries, these women are formidable. They are Anne Devlin, loyal comrade of Robert Emmet, who sacrificed so much for the freedom of Ireland. Madge and Rita Fagan who have over 80 years of community activism between them, fighting for tenant’s rights, worker’s rights and women’s rights. And Liz O’Connor from Oliver Bond who, for over the last twenty years and more has dedicated herself to improving the lives of the children of the local community. All of these women are heroes. They do not do this work for the recognition, they do it because they love their community and for them to be a part of this festival is just a small way for the community to say ‘Thank You’.

Written by local herstorian Liz Gillis

MADGE AND RITA FAGAN

Madge (Margaret) Fagan was a pioneer of working-class women to become involved in social activism to better the lives of those who lived in her community, the Liberties.

For over fifty years Madge fought for the rights of local authority tenants. She was a founding member of the Marrowbone Lane Tenants Association in 1966, whose work helped lead to the formation of the National Association of Tenants’ Organisations (Nato).

Together with other Nato members, Masge campaigned for differential rents, so that no tenant would have to pay more than 10 per cent of income in rent. In 1972, Nato organised a rent strike over the government’s proposal to put four pence on each local authority room. More than 100,000 tenants took part in the strike, which continued for 18 months. Fagan and other women leaders were prominent at the barricades protesting against evictions.

MADGE AND RITA FAGAN

Following the success of this, she campaigned for a better maintenance service for tenants as well as tackling the scourge of anti-social behaviour in her own neighbourhood.

Madge Fagan was a force of nature who loved her community and would and did everything she possibly could to improve the lives of all of those in the area. Madge died on 11 February 2017 aged 94. She is greatly missed by all who knew her.

Rita Fagan is a proud Liberties woman and is the daughter of Madge Fagan, so community activism runs through her veins. She went to the sewing factory at 14. Through the 14 years there she became active in the Trade Union Movement. She spent 11 years voluntary and 1 fulltime in the Dublin Simon Community. From here she was sponsored by good people to partake in the Community & Youth work course in NUI Maynooth. On a placement from this course, Rita came to St. Michaels Estate. 25 years later she is still in this struggle with this grassroots community and is the director of the Family Resource Centre, Women’s Community Development Project. She has travelled widely and has been involved politically in the issues effecting Central America and Cuba. For 9 years she led a protest outside of the U.S. Embassy challenging U.S. foreign policy in the said region. She is also committed to the struggle of women at grassroots level who are very much on the margins and who’s struggle on a daily basis is to survive structural poverty, last but by no means least she believes, that the struggle for justice and freedom not only embodies pain but also joy through celebrating our lives and the outcome of the struggle. Like her mother Madge, Rita has fought and campaigned to make the lives of those in her community and other working-class areas better.

LIZ O’CONNOR

Liz O’Connor is from Oliver Bond and works in the Liberties where for the last forty years she has dedicated her life to community activism, especially in relation to the local children. Over the last twenty years Liz has run a Breakfast Club and an after school club and runs a summer camp every year. Liz O’Connor’s generosity knows no bounds. She is truly a remarkable woman who is the first to lend a hand, or help somebody with a problem. She is a force of nature and her dedication to her community is amazing. That dedication has rightly been recognised. In 2016 Liz received the Lord Mayor’s Award for her work with children and in 2017 she was awarded Person of the Year at the Liberties Awards.  Liz best sums up her reasons for doing what she does: “There’s a great sense of community here in the Liberties and I just love working with the kids, I suppose you could say it’s my calling.”

LIZ O’CONNOR

ANNE DEVLIN (1780-1851)

Anne Devlin was Robert Emmet’s assistant as he planned his abortive rising of 1803. Arrested in it’s aftermath, she was held in Dublin Castle and Kilmainham Gaol in an attempt to get her to reveal the identities of Emmet’s co-conspirators and financial backers, to no avail. Despite three years of mental and physical torture, Anne refused to break until eventually released, broken in body but not in spirit.

For the remainder of her life the police followed her. Anyone seen speaking with her was a potential enemy of the State and taken for questioning. This ensured Anne was, in effect, in solitary confinement in an open prison for the 45 years she lived outside jail, as all who had known her now shunned her, fearful of the policeman dogging her steps.

She died in a miserable garret in the Liberties of Dublin on September 18, 1851, starving, ill, and in agony … but unbowed, proud to the last that she had remained faithful to Robert Emmet and his ideals, proud that she had stood alone and successfully against the mightiest empire the world had known.

Patrick Pearse wrote:

“Wherever Emmet is commemorated let Anne Devlin not be forgotten … The fathers and mothers of Ireland should tell their children (the) story of Anne Devlin. When at night you kiss your children and in your hearts call down a benediction, you could wish for … no greater gift from God than such fidelity as Anne Devlin's”.

ANNE DEVLIN (1780-1851)

Dr Katherine Zappone and Dr Ann Louise Gilligan

Dr Katherine Zappone and Dr Ann Louise Gilligan

 Katherine and Ann Louise’s story is a love story. One which crossed continents, oceans and ultimately to the highest courts in the land in a fight for equality.

They met in Boston College in 1981 when both began a PhD programme, Ann Louise came from Dublin and Katherine from New York City, though originally from Seattle.

It was love at first sight and a year after meeting they gathered a small group of friends to celebrate a life-partnership ceremony where they promised to share dreams, fears, financial resources, accomplishments and failures.

 In 1983 Katherine and Ann Louise moved to Ireland, an Ireland almost unrecognisable today.

 It would be a decade later after a long legal battle by Senator David Norris before the laws changed to decriminalise homosexual behaviour.

 During this period Katherine and Ann Louise were active within the civic sphere in relation to many human rights issues.

 Beginning as The Shanty in September 1986, they established a community-based project as a platform for active citizenship and transformational education.

Since September 1999, An Cosán has been located in Jobstown, at the base of the beautiful Dublin mountains, nestled in a three story building.

Today it is Ireland’s largest such community education organisation – supporting people in communities across the country.

 The personal origins of a legal case for equality began late in 2001—after 19 years of life-partnership—when an impending visit to Chile prompted an updating of wills.

 Deciding to ‘get affairs in order’ just in case anything might happen while abroad they discovered that unlike married couples who jointly co-own property, they could not will half of their property to the other upon death, without major capital acquisition taxation implications.

 One of the primary reasons to take a case was to break the public silence about partnership recognition between same-sex couples.

 With the support of a small network of family, friends and supporters – including a small legal team - in July 2003 the decision was taken to take a constitutional case.

 Such was their love that eight weeks later they married in British Colombia, Canada – the only place in the world this could happen.

 What followed was a case against the Irish State, the Minister for Justice and the Attorney General.

It was November 2004 that in full glare of the world’s media permission of the High Court was sought to proceed with the case.

A packed courtroom heard Judge McKechnie conclude his ruling by saying

“A number of deeply held values, and so on, are up for consideration. The issue of marriage itself is up for debate. The ramifications of the case will not stop here.”

 Leave for a judicial review was granted. 

Ireland’s debate had begun.

A March 2006 appearance the Late Late Show brought the love story to the attention of the nation.

Then host Pat Kenny noted that then Taoiseach,Bertie Ahern did not believe a referendum would pass. After inviting a show of hands from the audience Pat finished by saying ‘Bertie, you were wrong!’

 A case across the autumn and winter October 3rd produced a written judgement 138 pages long.

As the Court saw it Katherine and Ann Louise did not have the right to marry here under the constitution because that right is confined to the union of a man and a woman.

That dark moment led to a new national movement.

 In February 2008 friends, feminists and supporters gathered around the kitchen table in Ann Louise and Katherine’s home. The organisation ‘Marriage Equality’ was born.

 Katherine and Ann Louise were very clear – the mission was for full equality not second class marriage.

Civil Partnership did become a reality but it was not enough.

 Political changes brought new hope. In June 2011 the establishment of a Citizen’s Assembly reignited the campaign.

Ann Louise, Katherine and fellow campaigners were able to re-assure nervous politicians that the support was there for a referendum – and a referendum which would pass.

Stories were shared – stories which struck a chord with fellow citizens. 

As campaigners and activists the community recognised the need to work together, one voice, agreed messaging.

These efforts culminated in that fantastic day at Dublin Castle in May 2015, when Ireland became the first country in the world to say yes to Marriage Equality by popular vote.

In January 2016 at Dublin City Hall the President, Members of Government and many other friends, and their families,  joined Katherine and Ann Louise for a very moving ceremony. They not only renewed their vows – they brought their marriage home!

 After a short illness Ann Louise Gilligan passed away on 15th June 2017. Katherine is the only Independent Woman serving in the Irish Cabinet, after being elected a TD in May 2016 and subsequently appointed as Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, where the fight for equality and social justice continues.

Mary Harney / Academic and Activist

MARY HARNEY

House Painter, Academic and Activist

Mary, in her own words: "Some may think my life has been hard, but I like to think of it as being full of wonder, beauty and passion. I think a great deal about the times when someone had faith in me: in my abilities, my intelligence and in the promise of my future."

Mary Harney

Mary (left) at the Good Shepard Industrial School

Mary (left) at the Good Shepard Industrial School

Mary's mother

Mary & her partner Margy

Mary & her partner Margy

Mary & her partner Margy

Mary Harney was born in a Mother and Baby Institution in Bessboro, Cork. Born out of wedlock, considered to be an ‘illegitimate’ child by the State, Mary was removed from her mother at age two and a half years. Mary was illegally “fostered” and at age five she was taken under Ward of Court and incarcerated in the Good Shepherd Industrial School. Like many children, Mary suffered beatings and daily labour at this school. Education consisted of religion, reading, writing, and arithmetic. One day, a teacher, Miss O’Donnell – ‘Miss’— noticing bruises on Mary’s arms, advised her to use stories and her imagination during the beatings to lessen the feelings of pain. Miss also told her to keep reading as you can teach yourself anything if you can read.

At 16 ½, Mary was released from the Good Shepherd. She discovered libraries and delved into History, Literature, and Geography. At 17, Mary went to London, to look for her Mother. She wandered for a period, homeless. She eventually traced her Mother and they were reunited in Cardiff Wales, where Mary discovered she had two sisters. Craving adventure, she signed-up to be a soldier, and without formal education, passed the entrance exam. When Mary finished her Army service, she joined the London Fire Brigade as an emergency dispatcher for twenty years.

In her 40s, Mary applied to third-level education only to find she was not eligible. She decided to travel. On her travels in America, she came upon College of the Atlantic in Maine, USA. She applied to study there and despite her lack of education she was accepted. Mary was an activist at college. She helped form peer education groups that went into high schools and taught HIV/AIDS prevention through the medium of art and theatre. The team was also part of the first state-wide ‘Growing up Gay’ conference in Maine. In 1996, Mary graduated with a BA in Human Ecology. The proudest moment was seeing her Mother there cheering for her. 

In 2012, Mary returned to Ireland - the place that had denied both her mother and a formal education - to pursue a Master’s Degree in Irish Studies. Mary graduated in 2013 from the National University of Ireland Galway with first class honours. In 2014, the student body of College Of Atlantic unanimously voted for Mary Harney to be guest speaker at Commencement. At this ceremony, she was surprised with a honourary Masters of Philosophy. Since then Mary has lectured College undergraduates and other groups in Irish history, She is currently taking part in the Collaborative Forum for transitional justice for mothers and children that were institutionalized in Irelands’ notorious mother and baby units. And she “ain’t done yet”— at age 70, Mary is applying to study for an LLM in Human Rights in autumn 2019.