Students to fore in tackling under-representation of women on Donegal County Council

Making politics an official subject in all Donegal schools for Leaving Cert, the creation of a county-wide public speaking competition, a mentorship programme involving retired/former councillors, and bursaries for women to help them cover the cost of running for election, were just some of the recommendations made by students to Donegal County Council, in order to see more women elected in the next local elections.

At a groundbreaking event in Donegal on Monday, November 10, students’ input was sought by the Council on how to increase the number of women elected in the county.

Currently, only three of the 37 county councillors in Donegal are women: Cllr Niamh Kennedy (Independent), Cllr Joy Beard (100% Redress), and Cllr Dakota Nic Mheanman (Sinn Féin) – that’s the lowest female representation of any Council in Ireland.

Donegal County Council, in collaboration with See Her Elected (SHE), hosted the ‘Students Shaping the Future of Democracy in Donegal’, at the Mount Errigal Hotel in Letterkenny.

One hundred students from Loreto Convent, Letterkenny, Scoil Mhuire Buncrana and St Columba's College, Stranorlar considered the problem that sees Donegal in last place in the country when it comes to the percentage of its female public representatives.

DCC's Paul McGill said the Council is committed to change and would take on board all of the ideas to help.

SHE Programme Manager Dr Michelle Maher took the students through the background to what they were being asked to consider. A mere 14 women have ever been elected to Donegal County Council over the last 100 years. Over the same period, in the region of 255 men have been councillors.

“It matters who’s in the room when decisions are made,” said Dr. Maher. “Although the next local elections are not until 2029, it is vital not to waste the next two years,” continued Dr Maher.

This is in the light of the number of councillors who are likely to seek re-election. In 2024, 32 of Donegal’s 37 councillors ran again, with 27 of them being elected for a further term.

“To successfully campaign against candidates with a high profile through the hard work they do in their councillor role, a woman needs to have an equally high profile and a reputation as being someone who gets things done. This takes time and effort, but is not impossible, especially with the practical election support available from See Her Elected,” concluded Dr Maher.

The three female Donegal councillors provided their perspectives to assist the students. Cllr Kennedy described her route into politics through community work and how that gave her a profile locally.

Cllr Nic Mheanman encouraged young people to join a political party as the members of the local branch are involved in the selection of candidates.

Cllr Beard identified how uniting a community around an issue is a powerful election strategy.

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The elected Mayor of Donegal Youth Council, Cassie Lambe, described how having a strong team around her added to her confidence to put herself forward and helped with her election strategy.

Students were then invited to work on ideas for the Council to consider and were assisted by facilitators from Donegal Youth Council, See Her Elected, their teachers and the councillors present. They then presented their plans to increase the number of female councillors.

The end of the event saw the unveiling of stunning original artwork by Ruth Graham, Illustrator and Graphic Harvester from Donegal, which she created in real time as the discussions were unfolding.

In closing, Paul McGill, from Donegal County Council, said: “It was clear that there was an obvious political talent pool among the young women attending today’s event and that it is critical that it ultimately leads to greater diversity in our elected Council in 2029.”