As part of Climate Week, New York’s iconic Fearless Girl statue will visit Dublin’s Malahide Castle from 6 – 8 November.
The inspiring art piece was placed opposite Wall Street’s charging bull statue on the eve of International Women’s Day in 2017. The little lady’s undaunted stance has become a beacon of female leadership the world over. On the island of Ireland, we’re not short on inspiring and fearless women…here are six you should get to know.
Queen Maeve
Mythical but malevolent, Queen Maeve’s iron fist ruled over the province of Connacht in the west of Ireland. Feared (and rightly so, if you read her legends) by her subjects, enemies and allies, Maeve insisted on amassing equal wealth to her husband, Ailill mac Máta. So hungry for power was the fearsome queen that she embarked on one of the most infamous raids in Irish mythology: ‘The Cattle Raid of Cooley’. Her aim? To steal Ulster’s prize bull, of course. Today, we like to think she’d be content with some Fermanagh Black Bacon with the full Ulster fry for breakfast, but that’s just us.
Sinead Burke
If there was ever a women who embodied the word ‘powerhouse’ – it’s Sinead Burke. As a writer, broadcaster, academic and activist – she has a lot of strings to her bow, and at 3ft 5.5 inches tall she is single-handedly challenging and changing people’s perception of fashion and design. Her TED Talk, “Why design should include everyone”, launched her ideals on a world stage, and she’s since appeared on the cover of British Vogue as one of the magazine’s 25 most influential women. Born with achondroplasia, the Meath native is urging fashion leaders to be fully inclusive by tailoring design to the needs of disabled people so that everyone can feel confident and stylish in their own skin.
St Brigid
Named after the pagan goddess of fire, St Brigid’s selfless nature nurtured both the land and the living. Freed from slavery by the King of Leinster, she asked him for land in County Kildare to build a convent. Showing the king her small cloak, she requested he give as much land as the cloth would cover. Laughing at her humble favour, he granted her wish and watched in awe as Brigid and her followers stretched it across the land, covering many acres of Kildare’s fertile plains, where the town of Kildare is found today in Ireland’s Ancient East.
Mary Robinson
Paving the way for women in politics, Mary Robinson became the first female president of Ireland in 1990. But the Mayo woman’s career took flight long before her presidential role. At the age of 25, the impressive barrister became Reid Professor of Criminal Law in Trinity College Dublin. She went on to be appointed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, giving a voice to minorities and marginalised people across the globe. As a recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, she is known as a crusader for women and human rights. It’s fair to say she was – and continues to be – a shining beacon of fearless female leadership.
Pirate Queen Grace O’Malley
Connacht, the Irish province that stretches along much of the Wild Atlantic Way, didn’t have just one powerful female leader, it had two. Equally fearless, this leading lady was called Grace O’Malley. Legend has it, young Grace cut off all her hair to disguise herself as a boy to board one of her father’s ships, where she excelled in their traditional seafaring roles – sea-trading with some piracy on the side. And this is how a feisty 16th-century girl achieved her nickname: The Pirate Queen. Born the daughter of a Gaelic chieftain, Grace became a chieftain herself, amassing an army of 200 men. Her ancestral home is Westport House in County Mayo, where her legacy lives on to this day, commemorated with a dedicated exhibition and a Pirate Adventure Park.
Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor is a trailblazer when it comes to strong female empowerment. The Wicklow-born professional boxer has so many medals around her neck it’s a wonder they don’t weigh her down. But how could they, given her powerful stance as unified lightweight female world champion? Katie’s repertoire packs a punch as Olympic gold lightweight winner 2012 along with a whopping 16 gold medals from world and European championships! Katie began boxing at the age of 12, so she’s is a shining beacon to young female athletes and a testament to the value of hard work and self-belief.
