Ireland has no shortage of brilliant women: decision-makers, entrepreneurs, sports people, artists and activists who have inspired others and served to change lives.
Here, as countries around the world celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, we present a portrait of 25 Irish women who have provided leadership, instigated change and bought hope to others in the first quarter of this century. We celebrate Irish women and their stories, from Katie Taylor pretending to be a boy to get her first chance in the boxing ring to Mary McAleese exclaiming ‘wow’ as Queen Elizabeth II began her speech in Irish at Dublin Castle for her historic State visit in 2011.
Starting in 2000, we offer a year-by-year snapshot, documenting early successes, lifetime achievements and moments that have shaped lives and had far-reaching effects on Irish society.
2000: Sonia O’Sullivan
On 25th September 2000, all Irish eyes were on Sydney, as O’Sullivan lined up for what would be the crowning race of her career. As she rounded the final bend of the 5000m Olympic final, it looked for a moment as though gold might be there for the taking, but alas Romanian Gabriela Szabo had the legs on the day. O’Sullivan crossed the line in silver medal position, in a national record that still stands to this day, and became the first and (so far) only Irish woman to win an Olympic medal on the track. A world champion, three-time European Champion, two-time World Cross Country Champion, and, until recently, a World Record holder (her 2000m world record stood until 2017), she is arguably the best sportsperson this country has seen, and an undoubted inspiration for the crop of talent that has followed in her footsteps. Niamh Donnelly
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2001: Deirdre O’Kane
In 2001, Deirdre O’Kane was being touted as a “face to watch” at the Edinburgh Festival, as she performed her first-full length show there. She would go on to perform at this festival every year thereafter, becoming more than a face to watch, but a stalwart of the comedy and entertainment scene. Her career has been a robust and varied one. As an actor, she’s toured with Druid Theatre Company, appeared in Paths to Freedom (2000), Intermission (2003), and Moone Boy (2012 – 2015), and won an Irish Film and Television Award for her portrayal of children’s rights campaigner, Christina Noble, in the 2014 feature, Noble. When she started out in the comedy circuit, she was one of the few female faces on the scene, and she has blazed a trail for Irish women in stand-up. She’s also poured her energies into humanitarian causes, as co-founder of Comic Relief in Ireland. ND
2002: Mary Robinson
In November 2002, having concluded her five-year term as United Nations (UN) Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson received the Sydney Peace Prize for her “consistent support of the vulnerable and disadvantaged the world over”. This support of the world’s most vulnerable is perhaps the defining element of a career that has included becoming the youngest Reid Professor of Constitutional Law at Trinity College Dublin; working to decriminalise homosexuality, legalise contraception and divorce, and enable women to sit on juries; and serving as the first female president of Ireland, from 1990–1997. Robinson was the first Head of State to visit Rwanda following the 1994 genocide, and the first Head of State to visit Somalia after the 1992 crisis. Now in her 80s, she remains an active campaigner for peace and climate justice. She is a member of the Elders, a group of independent global leaders working for peace, justice, human rights, and a sustainable planet, founded by Nelson Mandela. ND
2003: Marian Keyes
A stalwart of the Irish fiction world and a fierce champion of homegrown writing, Marian Keyes started her career in 1995 with the hilarious novel Watermelon. By 2003, she was seven books into her career and Watermelon was about to be released on to the screen in a film adaptation starring Anna Friel and Brenda Fricker. Keyes’ career has only gone from strength to strength since. Her whip-smart, empathetic stories, coupled with her own honesty and vulnerability about her personal life, including her time in rehab for addiction and the later depression she experienced, have seen her become a beloved force in Irish publishing. In the early 2000s, the phrase ‘chicklit’ was still being used to describe commercial fiction penned by women. Keyes was among the authors – like Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly and Sheila O’Flanagan – who showed that fiction about women could be accessible while plumbing the depths of human experience. “‘Marian Keyes introduced the world to a particularly witty Irish sense of humour,” says author Edel Coffey. “But she also showed Irish writers that you didn’t have to emulate other voices or literary styles to be successful but rather you could be totally authentically yourself and still connect with a large international readership.” Aoife Barry
2004: Alice Leahy
In 2004 the National University of Ireland awarded an Honorary Degree to Alice Leahy, director and co-founder of the Alice Leahy Trust, a non-judgemental, befriending, social and health service for people who are homeless. A former nurse, Leahy cofounded the Trust in 1975 (it was just “the Trust” then) after several years spent working with the Simon community in Dublin. In the years since she has been chairwoman of the Sentence Review Group and a former Irish Human Rights Commissioner as well as a writer, broadcaster and lecturer. Her focus throughout all this has been on battling the issue of social exclusion and helping people who have been left behind. Her memoir, The Stars Are Our Only Warmth, co-written with Catherine Cleary was published in 2018, the same year she was awarded the International Human Rights & Nursing Award from The International Care Ethics Observatory and the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Irish Red Cross. She’s one of the people who makes life in Ireland bearable for the most vulnerable. Patrick Freyne
2005: Ruth Negga
2005 was when Irish-Ethiopian actor Ruth Negga truly made her mark on the big screen thanks to her role as Charlie (friend of Cillian Murphy’s character, Kitten) in the Neil Jordan film Breakfast on Pluto. Born in Addis Ababa, Negga grew up in Limerick and later London, and by the early 2000s was working across the stage, television and film. Just 10 years after Breakfast on Pluto she received an Oscar nomination for her role as Mildred Loving in the film Loving, about the real-life interracial couple who helped overturn anti-miscegenation laws in 1960s America. Negga became one of the new faces of the Irish screen, but her talent was swiftly spotted abroad and she went on to star in series such as Misfits, Preacher and, most recently, the Apple TV+ series Presumed Innocent. AB
2006: Garry Hynes
In 2006 Hynes was awarded Freedom of the City of Galway, the city’s highest bestowed honour, having cofounded the Druid Theatre Company there 31 years previously, the first professional theatre company outside Dublin. The world-renowned director had already made history in 1998 as the first woman to win a Tony Award for Directing (her work on Martin McDonagh’s debut, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, was recognised on the occasion). From working with McDonagh, to Enda Walsh, to frequent collaborations with the late Tom Murphy, Hynes has had a defining influence on Irish theatre. She has brought new life to old work, and helped to shape a new generation of theatre makers. In 2005, Fintan O’Toole described DruidSynge, her production of all six of John Millington Synge’s plays, as “one of the greatest achievements in the history of Irish theatre”. ND
2007: Lydia Foy
Often it is individuals who make a large contribution to changing legal history in Ireland. In 1993, transgender Kildare woman Lydia Foy sought a new birth certificate with her female gender. She was refused, and brought High Court proceedings in 1997. While her claim was rejected in 2002, in 2007 the case was brought back to court and the judge found that her rights under the European Convention on Human Rights had been violated. This significant result was initially appealed, and in the end it took until 2014 for Foy to settle her action against the State, which pledged to introduce a Gender Recognition Act. This was enacted into Irish law in 2015 and meant that such an onerous legal journey would no longer be necessary for other Irish trans people. AB
2008: Saoirse Ronan
“I think I feel more like a kid than ever,” Saoirse Ronan told reporters on the 2008 Oscars red carpet, where aged 13, she was the youngest nominee on the night. Who can forget her green dress, or her breakout performance as Briony Tallis in Atonement, for which she received the nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. In the years that have followed, Ronan has flown the flag for the Irish in Hollywood, with three more Academy Award nominations to her name, along with seven British Academy Film Award nominations, and a Golden Globe win for her portrayal of Lady Bird in Greta Gerwig’s 2017 film of the same name. Her serious approach to her art form matched with her unpretentious demeanour, her feminist attitude, and her support of up-and-comers, has made her a much admired and beloved figure in Irish arts. ND
2009: Catherine McGuinness
In 2009, former Supreme Court Judge Catherine McGuinness was given a Lord Mayor’s Award “for her contribution to the lives of children and families” and later became the Chairperson of the Campaign for Children. Born in Belfast in 1934, McGuinness has made monumental contributions to Irish life over several decades. She was appointed as the first female judge to the Circuit Court in 1994, subsequently becoming a High Court and a Supreme Court judge. McGuinness also served as a Senator and as a member of the Council of State for Presidents Hillery and Higgins. Her active involvement in public service shaped Ireland’s legal and social landscape – she is a former President of the Law Reform Commission and served on the Kilkenny incest investigation. McGuinness’s trailblazing legacy is celebrated in a portrait at the National Gallery, recognising her lifelong commitment to justice. Róisín Ingle
2010: Michelle O’Neill
In June 2010, the Tyrone Times reported that local government in Dungannon had “ushered in a new era”, when it elected its first ever “lady Mayor”. That lady, Sinn Féin councillor, Michelle O’Neill, would go on to serve in the Northern Ireland Executive as minister for agriculture, health minister, and Deputy First Minister, before becoming the first nationalist First Minister of Northern Ireland in 2022. “I am a republican. I will be a First Minister for all,” she pledged, hoping to again usher in a new era of change. The daughter of former IRA prisoner and Sinn Féin councillor Brendan Doris, O’Neill had her first child aged 16, while still at secondary school. She became vice-president of Sinn Féin in 2018, a post she still holds. ND
2011: Mary McAleese
As the second-ever female Irish president, Mary McAleese was already making history when she successfully invited Queen Elizabeth II to Ireland for a historic State visit in May 2011. The visit necessitated the largest security operation in the history of the Republic, but overall was seen as a symbol of the normalisation of the relations between the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom, and a direct result of the Belfast Agreement. McAleese, who grew up in Belfast, described the visit as an “extraordinary moment in Irish history” and a sign of the success of the peace process. That McAleese herself was seen to exclaim “wow” when the Queen opened her speech at Dublin Castle with the phrase “A Uachtaráin agus a chairde” showed just how significant an event it was. AB
2012: Katie Taylor
Goosebumps rippled across the ExCel Arena from the moment Katie Taylor walked into the ring for the women’s lightweight Olympic final, until the final victorious blows. London was green, white, and gold. Chants of Olé, Olé, Olé, and Ireland, Ireland, Ireland drowned out the commentary. It seemed this moment had been written in the stars. From her early days pretending to be a boy so she could get into boxing competitions; to fighting in the first officially sanctioned female boxing match in Ireland, aged 15; to being a leading force in the campaign to get women’s boxing into the Olympics, Taylor’s 2012 Olympic glory couldn’t have been more fortuitous. She is widely credited with putting women’s boxing on the map, an undertaking she has continued to uphold in her professional career – she competed in the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden (Taylor v Serrano, 2022), and in the most-watched women’s professional sporting event in US history (Taylor v Serrano, 2024). A recent survey confirmed that she is Ireland’s most popular sports person. ND
2013: Catherine Corless
A “tireless crusader of dignity and truth” is how the then Taoiseach Micheál Martin described amateur historian Catherine Corless in 2021, following a government commission examining Ireland’s Mother and Baby Homes. In the early 2010s, Corless began researching the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, later publishing an article asking if children had been buried on the site of a septic tank at the home. Between 2011 and 2013 she obtained the death records for children who died in the home, with her story breaking in the national media a year later. In 2017, it was confirmed that a number of human remains – including those of babies and children – were found at the Tuam site. Thanks to Corless’s tenacious work, the dark history of these long-running institutions was finally acknowledged and the State apologised for failing the mothers and children who lived in them. AB
2014: Sister Stan
A “long-standing commitment and dedication to improving the lives and living conditions for the under privileged in Irish society” was recognised in 2014 when Sister Stanislaus Kennedy was awarded the UCD Alumni Award for Social Sciences. A member of the Religious Sisters of Charity since 1958, Sr Stan (as she is fondly known) had graduated with a Bachelor in Social Science in 1969, and a Master of Social Science in 1980. She has dedicated her life to campaigning for the marginalised in society, particularly those in poverty and homelessness. In 1985, she founded Focus Point, which would later become the homeless charity Focus Ireland, one of the largest voluntary organisations in the country. In 2001, she established the Immigrant Council of Ireland, an organisation that promotes the rights of migrants in Ireland. ND
2015: Breege O’Donoghue
From rural Co Clare, Breege O’Donoghue was born into an Ireland that did not expect women to become accomplished businesspeople. But after an “accidental” career in hotel management that began in Galway, she joined Penneys in 1979 to set up its human resources department. At that time, it had 24 stores. It now has 350 stores across 11 countries. As the first woman on the Penneys board, she had a long and impactful career at the company until 2016, when she called time after 37 years. The year before she finished, the store reached a milestone moment when Primark (its international arm) opened its first United States store in Boston. O’Donoghue was instrumental in this new phase for the company, showing exactly why she has earned such a fierce reputation in business. AB
2016: Lian Bell
When members of Ireland’s theatre community noticed the Abbey Theatre’s centenary programme for 2016 was heavily male-dominated, they did more than complain to the theatre – they started a grassroots movement. The reaction to the programme sparked the campaign #WakingTheFeminists, with artist Lian Bell as campaign director and tens of other artists involved. A public meeting was held at the Abbey in late 2015, where #WakingTheFeminists called for equality for women across the Irish theatre sector. Its calls were heard – it was commissioned by the Arts Council to undertake research into gender balance into the Irish theatre in 2016, and the results were shared with the public that year. The movement forced the Abbey Theatre and Irish theatre as a whole to reckon with how women had been treated in this sector of the arts, leading to new gender policies, codes of behaviour, unconscious bias training and more. AB
2017: Sally Rooney
In 2017, a 26-year-old Irish woman published what The New Yorker called “a new kind of adultery novel”. Conversations with Friends had been acquired by publisher, Faber, in a seven-way auction. Its author had recently been shortlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award, for her story Mr Salary. Clearly, things were about to take off for Sally Rooney. But just how stratospheric her rise would be was unfathomable to most. The publication, a year later, of her second novel, Normal People, followed by a wildly successful TV adaptation starring Paul Mescal, would garner the admiration of everyone from Sarah Jessica Parker to Kourtney Kardashian. But superstardom aside, it was clear that Rooney had pioneered a new kind of fiction, one whose imitators would be numerous. She has gone on to publish two more successful novels, Beautiful World Where Are You (2021), and Intermezzo (2024). Beyond her literary prowess, she has navigated her elevated status with grace, shying away from the limelight except on rare occasions, when she might advocate for Palestinian rights, or deliver a clear-minded takedown of the Irish government’s approach to housing. ND
2018: Tara Shine
Environmental scientist, Dr Tara Shine has devoted her career to the pursuit of preserving our planet, having advised world leaders and international organisations on climate change, worked as special adviser to the Mary Robinson Foundation: Climate Justice, and served for ten years as climate negotiator at the United Nations. In 2018, she cofounded the award-winning social enterprise, Change by Degrees, with the aim of making sustainability convenient for businesses and communities. She is also an advocate for women in science and in January 2019, she travelled to Antarctica as part of Homeward Bound, a global leadership programme for women in science. In 2020, she was appointed to a senior UN role, to facilitate the delivery of Paris Agreement goals. Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has described Shine as “determined and steadfast, driven by her principles and her desire to find practical solutions to climate change that [will] benefit the many and not the few”. ND
2019: Ailbhe Smyth
It’s hard to name a more notable figure in Irish activism than Ailbhe Smyth, who has been involved in LGBT+ activism, feminist activism, the campaign for marriage equality and the campaign to Repeal the 8th Amendment – to mention just some of her work. Born in 1946, Smyth first became involved in activism in the 1970s during the days of the women’s liberation movement. In 2022, she was awarded the freedom of Dublin city. In 2019, Smyth was named as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People alongside her co-directors of Together for Yes, Grainne Griffin and Orla O’Connor, in recognition of their roles in the campaign to legalise abortion in Ireland. As actor Ruth Negga (who also features on our list of notable women) wrote in her Time profile, the women’s “incredible tenacity and integrity and courageousness will be an inspiration for generations to come”. Smyth’s activism has spanned decades, and inspired many people to fight for causes that impact people across Ireland. AB
2020: Eileen Flynn
Eileen Flynn became the first Traveller to serve in the Oireachtas when she was appointed to the Seanad by the Taoiseach in 2020. She grew up in the Labre Park Traveller Housing Site in Ballyfermot in Dublin. Her mother died of pneumonia at the young age of 48. Flynn was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 18. She attended Trinity College as part of an access programme, before attending the Ballyfermot College of Further Education and earning a degree in community development from Maynooth University. Over the years she has been an activist with the Irish Travellers Movement, the National Traveller Women’s Forum and the Ballyfermot Action Programme. She has campaigned against racism and prejudice and for marriage equality, housing and abortion rights. Since 2020 she has been a tireless voice for equality in the Seanad. Young Traveller writer and activist Emma Ward says of Flynn: “I consider Eileen to be a role model. What she has done during her time as a senator really is amazing ... I hope I can be as brilliant an activist as she has been.” PF
2021: Patricia Scanlon
2021 represented a kind of crossroads for Patricia Scanlon. That was the year that the entrepreneur and engineer became executive chair of SoapBox Labs, the company she founded in 2013, having transferred from the chief executive position as funding poured in: by 2021, the company had raised over $12 million in funding to support their endeavours. Soapbox offers voice technology for children to assist with their reading skills, as well as helping them interact well in educational settings. The technology was inspired by her three-year-old daughter, after Scanlon had observed her behaviour responding to a poorly formatted educational reading game on an iPad. Named by Forbes magazine in 2018 as one of the world’s top 50 women in tech, in 2022, after selling her company to US education company Curriculum Associates, the Naas native became Ireland’s first Artificial Intelligence ambassador, appointed by the Irish government to provide support to government departments and other agencies in relation to the hazards and opportunities created by AI. Nadine O’Regan
2022: Nicola Hanney
In 2022, news broke that a now former garda named Paul Moody was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for the coercive control of a woman who was ill with cancer. He was one of the first people in the state prosecuted under that law, and the court heard the abuse included harassment, threats and sending 30,000 messages to the woman. Judge Martin Nolan told the court that Moody made his ex-partner’s life “hell”. The survivor in this case was Nicola Hanney, who the following year waived her anonymity for the RTÉ documentary Taking Back Control. “I feel that if I don’t break my silence how can I send a positive message to other people that are living in these situations?” Hanney told RTÉ. She was widely praised for sharing her story, which included calling for more support for survivors to help them leave abusive relationships and raising awareness about relationship ‘red flags’. “Nicola has been a huge inspiration to women around Ireland who are subjected to coercive control,” says Sarah Benson, chief executive of Women’s Aid. “By sharing her devastating account of abuse at the hands of her former partner she broke the silence that surrounds abuse in Ireland. Women’s voices and experiences are critical and should be at the heart of the national conversation on zero tolerance of all forms of gender-based violence.” AB
2023: Sinéad Burke
Born in 1990 – the year Ireland got its first female President, Mary Robinson – Sinéad Burke has gone on to become a trailblazer in the world of disability activism. As a little person, she grew up with parents (Chris and Kath) who founded the organisation Little People of Ireland in 1998, and so understood early on the power of advocating for yourself. Though she trained as a teacher, it was Burke’s interest in the fashion industry and how she interrogated its treatment of disabled people on her blog Minnie Mélange that put her on the radar of high-powered people including US president Barack Obama, who invited her to the White House in 2016. She’s since founded the accessibility consultancy Tilting the Lens, been the first little person to attend the Met Gala in 2019, run a podcast, written a book (Break the Mould) and appeared on the cover of British Vogue in 2019 and again in 2023, when she also served as a consultant editor. Having already made such a large impact, Burke continues to blaze a trail in the worlds of disability activism, fashion and beyond. AB
2024: Rhasidat Adeleke
“When I crossed the line and I realised I came second, I was a bit devastated,” Tallaght’s Rhasidat Adeleke told David Gillick, moments after walking off the track at the 2024 European Championships. The then 21-year-old had just won a silver medal in the 400m, and run a national record of 49.07 seconds, but it is perhaps the measure of her mettle and ambition that she felt she could have achieved more. Later that same year, she would compete in her first Olympics, coming fourth in a 400m final that saw the Olympic record broken. She would also help the women’s relay team to another nail-biting fourth, and grip the entire country. With national records in every sprint event from 60m to 400m, and a dazzling contract from sporting brand Nike, Adeleke is possibly the most talented sprinter Ireland has ever seen. On and off the track, she inspires young athletes with her talent and positive attitude. ND
This list was created, over a number of months, from nominations put forward by Irish Times journalists, staffers and contributors including Niamh Donnelly, Aoife Barry, Róisín Ingle, Patrick Freyne, Mary Minihan, Nadine O’Regan, Ella Sloane, Madeleine Lyons, Kevin O’Sullivan, Cathal O’Gara, Mary Carolan, Ciara O’Brien, Rachel Flaherty, Jessica Doyle, Alanna Gallagher and Fiona Reddan.
