Cork activist:'Community underpins everything I'm interested in'

Mair Kelly’s connection to the rugged landscape of West Cork runs deep. As a teenager, she viewed her remote location as a disadvantage—isolated from both civilization and her peers. However, over time, she has come to cherish the beauty of her homeland and recognises how her upbringing, shaped by the wisdom of her family, has nurtured her courageous spirit and strong cultural ties to Ireland’s traditional way of life.

Kelly is quick to credit her family for shaping the person she is today, sharing how, from an early age, she was encouraged to raise her voice and advocate for change.

“I was very involved in table tennis when I was younger. I would have competed for Ireland. My dad would have been my coach, and I used to be very frustrated that there was a lot of sexism in the sport. He’d be like, ‘What are you gonna do about it?’ He would have encouraged me to be disruptive, to share my opinions or to stick up for people. I think between him and my Mom and my Granddad and my Granny, and like all those different people, it definitely gave me a bit of a boost.”

In the wilds of West Cork, Kelly first connected with nature in a way many have long forgotten. Her father, a horticulturist, and mother, skilled in traditional spinning and dyeing, helped foster this connection. She speaks with immense affection for her grandparents, who instilled in her an appreciation for the bounty of both land and sea.

“My granny, my dad’s mom, would have been taking me out, teaching me about plants, all the names of the wildflowers when I was younger, I could name all of them!”

Her grandfather, a fisherman, would also leave a lasting mark on Kelly.

“My granddad would have been a fisherman, and he smoked his own salmon and fish and things like that in the tiny little bungalow in Golian Harbour. And when I was, I’d say around 8, I started going down to visit him maybe once or twice a week to help him with his dogs. 

"I wouldn’t have been very close with my granddad at that point, and then over the years, he became one of my favourite people in the world. He has this insane amount of knowledge about our planet and everything on it.”

With this rich foundation of support, Kelly quickly became involved in various organisations, including the YMCA during Transition Year. She was soon introduced to social justice issues and built a growing network of community connections—work that continues today under her title as Director.

She also chairs the YMCA’s International Development and Global Justice committee, which focuses on global youth work and advocates for opportunities that provide young people with similar chances for growth.

Her journey didn’t stop there.

Through her involvement with the National Youth Council of Ireland’s Young People’s Committee, Kelly was introduced to the concepts of climate justice and a just transition. The experience, she says, was transformative.

“I learned what those things meant, and it just gave me a language. It really motivated me, I think, because I could see myself in that kind of ideology. It was really exciting because I was in a room with very established young activists. There were a couple of other people from Cork involved, but not so much from a community that was heavily reliant on agriculture and fishing. I felt very heard in that space, and what was fantastic is we developed from this other event. 

"There was a Climate Justice Youth Summit, and then from that, we developed a Climate Justice Manifesto, which challenged organisations and people to sign up for these kinds of goals. We launched it, and the launch event’s special guests were Mary Robinson, Grace O’Sullivan and SelinaNeirok Leem, who is a climate ambassador for the Marshall Islands. I got the job of interviewing those three people as a key part of the launch. And it was the first time I’d done anything like that before, and it just suddenly opened up a world of doors for me.”

Kelly’s opportunities are a clear result of her passion, commitment, and skillset. This eventually led to her attendance at COP26, a serious achievement for one so young.

“Through both the National Youth Council and YMCA, I actually ended up at COP26. The National Youth Council got me to speak at an event on renewable energy there.” “I ended up speaking on panels with them. I did one on human rights and climate justice, and it was amazing because it brought me into a space where I was meeting people from all over the world, involved in the climate movement, especially young people.” 

She saw that COP fell short in many areas, but was grateful for the experiences and connections it afforded her to develop, “Because COP as a function is awful—like COP26 was so inequitable just with the vaccine situation and then the civic society weren’t being allowed in rooms and all this kind of thing. But I met some of the most amazing people, people who are my friends now. It really brought me into that global space.” 

Since then, she has attended COP28 as part of the World YMCA organising team and continues to grow and develop her understanding of climate issues, completing two more post-grad qualifications in the past year.

Kelly has taken on new challenges, including a role as a Community Engagement Officer, assisting communities on the front lines to access support for environmental rights through a free legal advice clinic. It’s an issue she’s deeply knowledgeable about and feels requires greater awareness.

“What has really empowered me when trying to do stuff is learning that I had rights, not just human rights, but environmental rights. For example, we have the Aarhus Convention, which basically enables us to get the information we want about the environment. We have the right to participate in discussions and decisions that affect us, and we have the right to legal support in that as well. So many people don’t realise that if you have dirty water, dirty running water in your community, and there’s no waste management, if trees are being cut down and you don’t know why, you have rights around that, and that’s something that I don’t think a lot of people realise, and it’s not from any fault of their own; it’s just hard to get the info.”

As someone deeply committed to fostering a just future, Kelly sees room for improvement in Ireland’s system.

“Political education needs to be drastically improved. I think that we need to lower the voting age to 16. If people can drive a tractor, leave school, and pay taxes, they should have the right to vote. And supporting them to access—some of our voting system is very inaccessible as well.” 

These days, in addition to her many extracurriculars, Kelly works full-time as an Environmental Youth Officer for Cork City with ECO-UNESCO, facilitated by Rethink Ireland and Cork City Council. She delivers workshops to young people aged 10 to 25 on topics related to the environment, from fast fashion to biodiversity.

Community is at the heart of everything Mair does. 

She applies her considerable expertise to educating, equipping, and enriching others, forging new communities where change can begin and blossom. 

She concludes, “Community underpins everything that I’m interested in, and I do. It’s about building community, supporting community.” 

Learn more about ECO-UNESCO’s project here: https://ecounesco.ie/10-18-youth-programmes/