Tipperary Women’s Caucus seminar highlights pathway for women into Local Government

A SEMINAR aimed at highlighting the work of county councillors and a pathway for women into Local Government will be hosted by Tipperary Women’s Caucus and Tipperary County Council in association with See Her Elected at the Source Arts Centre, Thurles on Thursday, May 18th.

‘Tipperary Women and Local Politics’ will run from 10am to 1.30pm and will include panel discussions with local politicians as well as an address from keynote speaker Public Affairs Consultant, Kathleen O’ Meara.

The event will include informal panel discussions with female councillors from Tipperary on their journey into politics and the day-to-day reality of being public representatives. Refreshments and a light lunch are included.

Councillors Siobhan Ambrose, Fiona Bonfield, Imelda Goldsboro, Máirín McGrath, Marie Murphy, Anne Marie Ryan and Caucus Chairperson Cllr Peggy Ryan will panellists on the day.

This event brings the voices of Tipperary women in politics and the community together to understand what the role of a Councillor entails and about pathways into Tipperary County Council.

There will be two conversational-style panels with Councillors and one in-depth interview with keynote speaker, Kathleen O'Meara.

Kathleen is a public affairs consultant and a former member of Seanad Éireann, North Tipperary County Council, and Nenagh Town Council. A feature of the day will be extended questions and answer sessions to make the event as interactive and inclusive as possible.

Sinead Doody of Doody Facilitating and Consulting will act as MC for the event.

Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council Cllr Roger Kennedy will deliver the opening address and Chairperson of the Tipperary Women’s Caucus, Cllr Peggy Ryan will also address the gathering while CEO of Tipperary County Council Joe MacGrath will close proceedings on the day.

Welcoming the event to Tipperary, Cathaoirleach of Tipperary County Council, Councillor Roger Kennedy stated that “the challenge of increasing the number of women in local life is not going away and the aim of the event is to encourage more women and people from diverse backgrounds to participate in Local Government”.

Mr Joe MacGrath, Chief Executive of Tipperary County Council, in highlighting the importance of the event said that “the wider benefits of equality and diversity in local Government cannot be underestimated.

“Local Government provides essential services such as housing, roads, libraries, planning, environment and economic development, as well as being a key part of the functioning of our democratic system”, the CEO said.

“When local government does not fully reflect the society it represents, our local decision-making processes miss out on valuable insights on the needs, circumstances and experiences of a variety of service users.

“It is hoped that this event will inform, educate and inspire all genders and ethnicities in our County to seek greater political representation, more-informed decision making, and better opportunities for their communities and our overall democracy in Tipperary.”

Dr Michelle Maher, Programme Manager with See Her Elected, the award-winning Government funded project which supports women in rural constituencies to become county councillors will also speak about the work of the organisation in providing a pathway for women into local government.

“See Her Elected is delighted to collaborate with Tipperary County Council for this seminar to promote and support greater involvement by women in Local Government”.

“We want to see more women being elected to county councils. Only 26% of county councillors throughout Ireland are female and we have a much lower percentage of female councillors in rural counties compared to more urban centres around Dublin. There are only 9 female councillors out of 40 in County Tipperary which is just 23%. Compare that to Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council where 18 of the 40 county councillors are female, which is 45%.

“We would love to see as many women as possible attending the in-person event in Thurles on Thursday, May 18th when they will have the opportunity to hear directly from female councillors about their journey into politics and what the Councillor role is like continued Dr Maher.

Cllr Peggy Ryan, Chairperson of the Tipperary Women’s Caucus group, is delighted that See Her Elected are involved in the event and hopes that the event will highlight what it is like to be a female Councillor in Tipperary today.

Entry to the seminar is free of charge but you must register in advance on Eventbrite with the link on www.tipperarycoco.ie or www.seeherelected.ie or email admin@seeherelected.ie