Cork women have their say: Inspiring, eye-opening, some are difficult to read...

FOR the last number of years, Women on Wednesday (WoW) has dedicated a special supplement to mark International Women’s Day (IWD), which takes place on March 8.

Why do this? To acknowledge how far we have come... but also how far we have yet to go.

In recent years, we’ve put out a call to women in Cork to share their thoughts, views, and interpretation of the theme of IWD and we have shared many of these in our dedicated supplements and online at EchoLive.ie

In 2022, the theme was Break the Bias, in 2023, it was Embrace Equity. This year the theme is Inspire Inclusion.

We have been inundated with submissions for consideration from women from all walks of lives – mothers, carers, businesswomen, academics, women in politics, working in the arts, people with learning difficulties, activists, those advocating for people with additional needs, women who grew up in Cork, but also those who have made Cork their home, and many more.

We thank them for taking the time to share their words with us – so that we can share them with you, the reader.

We’ve reached out to different individuals, organisations, and groups, in a bid to include as many voices as possible.

We hope you enjoy pouring over the pages of WOW! This week – each contributor brings their own individual thoughts to the theme – they are inspiring, eye-opening, some are difficult to read, others show that much work has been done to Inspire Inclusion – in personal and professional lives – while some point to a lot more needing to be done.

Be sure to pick up your print copy today...

Here are some of the contributions . We will also be sharing them online in the days ahead.

Cork City Council Chief Executive, Ann Doherty

To me, inclusion is about recognising and acknowledging our differences and realising the peril of groupthink.

Inclusion brings diversity, and diversity brings creativity and wider perspectives which can only be a good thing.

I think the need to be included is very human: it’s about having a sense of belonging and everyone, to varying degrees, needs to feel that they belong where they live and work or study.

Karen O’Donohue, ChangeX Innovation Partner, Presenter and Activist

It starts with my mom. She gave me life and has done everything she could since the day I was born to ensure I could have the best life she could possibly give me. I owe her everything.

It is my mom who instilled in me the core principles of gratitude, kindness, and service. It is my mom who consistently encouraged and supported me to travel, to further my education, to make good my mistakes (of which there were many, ranging from bad perms to bad men), to ask for help and to realise my full potential. 

And now, it’s my turn to be there for her.

My mom has Alzheimer’s and all I can say is that, if you know you know, and if you don’t know then I hope you never know. The disease, slowly but brutally, removes people from their lives and the lives of the people around them. It takes away their independence, their mobility, their autonomy, their dignity. It slowly rubs them out so that their very essence, their spark, their colour fades, and fades until, though sitting right in front of you, they have disappeared.

People with Alzheimer’s can be difficult company and the repeated questions, confused conversations and ever-increasing reliance means excluding them from one’s life feels easier than including them.

But it’s the disease we want to leave behind, it’s the person we want to hold on to. It’s my mom, the first woman of my world, that I desperately want to hold on to.

And so I, my husband and my children include her. In our plans, our food shops, our conversations, our dog walks, our swims, our dinners, our random karaoke nights with friends - our hearts.

Mom, I love you. Thank you for always holding on to me, but also knowing when to let me go. I’ve got you.

Hanna Bäckmo, Hanna’s Bees

I came to Cork from Sweden over 20 years ago with a backpack and a sewing machine, and I’m still here! After many years as a wedding-dressmaker, I decided to become a full time beekeeper.

I founded Hanna’s Bees, which has grown from strength to strength, and was recently crowned Best Small Business in Cork!

‘Inspiring Inclusion’ holds a deeply personal significance for me. My work as a bee-advocate and educator, is all about fostering an environment where every aspiring beekeeper, regardless of their background, gender, or abilities, feels empowered to pursue their passion for beekeeping.

Having entered the male-dominated profession of beekeeping, where women are still heavily underrepresented, especially in the field of commercial beekeeping, I understand first-hand the importance of inclusion.

I’ve not only been embraced and encouraged by this remarkable community, but along the way I have also worked tirelessly to build my own expertise and become a trailblazer, inspiring new female beekeepers to join me on this amazing journey.

Through education and advocacy, I strive to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate in beekeeping in a way that suits them.

As a passionate advocate for beekeeping, I am dedicated to sharing knowledge, breaking down barriers, and celebrating the diverse voices and practices within the beekeeping community in Ireland.

By championing inclusion and diversity, I believe we can create a more vibrant, equitable, and inclusive future for beekeepers of all backgrounds. And that can only be a good thing for our hard-working native Irish honeybees!

See our WoW! section on EchoLive.ie for more today and over the coming days.