International Women's Day: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-04
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Joanne Collins (SF), Agricultural Panel

On International Women's Day, we celebrate the strength, resilience and leadership of women across Ireland. Today, I want to focus primarily on women in rural areas. As the only female Oireachtas Member living in the county of Limerick and not the city, I am proud to stand and carry the voices of the women who live in rural areas of Ireland. They often feel as though they are undervalued and sometimes invisible. These women in rural areas are farmers, fishers, carers, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare workers and community leaders. They are driving innovation in agriculture, leading diversification on family farms, sustaining our fishing sector and keeping local economies alive. However, they still face too many barriers, from unequal access to land ownership and farm payments to the lack of childcare, public transport and health services which have sometimes made participation in work and public life very difficult.
As my colleagues across the floor have mentioned, it is significant that 2026 has been designated as the International Year of the Woman Farmer. While it represents real opportunity, it must be more than just symbolic and must deliver practical change, namely, improved access to schemes in women's own names, greater visibility in farm ownership and succession planning, targeted supports for women in fishing and a pension system that recognises a lifetime of work on family farms and in coastal communities. We must also acknowledge the emotional and caring labour carried by rural women, often in isolated areas with limited services. Isolation, centralisation of services and the rising cost of living disproportionately impact women. International Women's Day is not just about celebration; it is also about action. It is about ensuring that the next generation of girls growing up in rural areas can see a future for themselves at home with equal opportunity, equal representation and equal respect.
I wish to take a moment to make a special mention of my colleague Senator Nicole Ryan and all the members of the cross-party pregnancy group who have done tremendous work in trying to improve supports and recognise the loss of so many families in Ireland due to early pregnancy loss. Because Senator Byrne did it, I am going to have to mention my sister because she would kill me if I did not. She does amazing work and bringing all these women together on Saturday will be fantastic. I look forward to being there to celebrate International Women's Day with Network Ireland.
I want to give a shout out to Rathkeale in County Limerick which every year holds an amazing International Women's Day celebration. Together, the settled community and the Traveller community walk down the street as an inclusive and integrated community. There are guest speakers at the end and refreshments. It shows how women can be strong in the community and bring people together through shared interest and commonality and shows that we have women power in the country.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-04/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-04