Women's Day 2021: 3 Women's Perspectives on Womanhood, Work & Home

In celebration of Women's Day, we spoke to 3 Irish women hailing from different parts of the country, who had varying perspectives on life, their hometowns, and what it means to be a woman in 2021.

Inspirational, enterprising and creative, these women give tender and intriguing insights into the challenges of modern life, their relationships, and what (or who) inspires them. 

Niamh O'Hora ~ Ardfert, Co. Kerry

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Happy International Women's Day to all! I'm Niamh, and I live in beautiful North Kerry just outside Ardfert. I moved here almost four years ago when I followed my heart, swapping life in Dublin for a more easy-going pace in the West of Ireland - a decision I've never looked back on! I work as a designer in the technology sector, first for Tralee-based company Aspen Grove Solutions, and more recently for Microsoft. 

The theme of this year's Int'l Women's Day is 'Choose to Challenge.' What challenges have you faced, or who do you look up to when it comes to challenging the status quo?

There are so many great female leaders to look up to in the technology sector, it's great to see and hear women in leadership roles. Inspired by them, my friend and I have started an online professional networking bookclub. One challenge we face is never finding enough time to read work-related books! Helping to motivate each other to reach our reading goals, it’s also nice to contribute to something that can grow. Our next book on March 23rd is Radical Candor by the tech inspiration Kim Scott, who encourages the cultivation of authentic, specific, clear and kind feedback in the workplace. 

How has your community, or your hometown, shaped who you've become?

I've been so lucky to be part of communities in Dublin, Tralee and Ardfert. Relocating brings many challenges, but getting involved in what’s going on around me has made the process so much easier. I've been welcomed into the local tennis club and through volunteering with the Chamber Alliance, local business events and college groups, I’ve developed a genuine interest in the welfare and future of my new home. 

Who is the most inspiring woman in your life?

My mother and sister have been hugely inspirational in my life; both being the kindest, most caring people I know. Wherever I want to be or get to in life, their gentle influence reminds me to treat others with empathy, respect and honesty. 

In your opinion, what is the most important life skill or quality for a woman to have?

Regardless of gender, I think it's really important for people to be ok with failure. Like many others, my fear of making mistakes, being humiliated or a disappointment can hold me back. Having the courage to pursue goals, express my voice and embrace the unknown is a work in progress!

Breeda Kiely Morgan ~ Fermoy, Co. Cork

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I’m a professional photographer at Frank Morgan Studios where I have my own studio. I am passionate about my work and believe photography has the power to move us, to grab our attention and speak directly to our emotions. I specialise in family portraiture, product and corporate photography. I also have a keen interest in landscape and seascape photography where I find solitude and love the peace and tranquillity it gives me.

I am often complimented for my selection of images from my home town and surrounds in Fermoy as well as from all around Ireland. My images are printed to the highest standards on high quality textured papers, framed or unframed, on canvas, mounted, as postcards or as greeting cards and all available at our studio in McCurtain Street.

What challenges have you faced, or who do you look up to when it comes to challenging the status quo?

I feel the hours at work, and a constant pressure to perform can wear on even the most passionate of individuals. As business owners, we work much longer hours than employees and like others in our situation, there is a fear the business will suffer in our absence. We rarely take any time away from work to recharge and with this comes fatigue so there is a huge challenge to find a balance and a pace that can keep our business working efficiently while at the same time finding the space for us as owners to recharge.

How has your community, or your hometown, shaped who you've become?

I spend a lot of time photographing where I live, photographing friends and clients and I become closely intertwined in their lives which for me is the greatest strength to maintain my photographic inspiration. I have the most wonderful friends with similar interests and we remark and write about the natural beauty and history of our hometown and surrounds and it was especially beautiful to experience and photograph that beauty during our Covid-19 lockdowns.

We are now approaching our 33rd anniversary in business in June of this year and it’s important to note that we owe our continued service to the people of Fermoy. It's because of their loyalty, support and friendship that we have enjoyed many wonderful and very successful years there and hopefully many more to come.

Who is the most inspiring woman in your life?

My sister Helen. Her adaptability is second to none as she manages the business and I admire her well-rounded skills which go beyond taking incredible photos and extend into the realm of post-processing elegance utilising state of the art software as the photo editor for the studio. She also manages digital printing in the in-house Fuji lab on the premises and producing the highest quality prints and canvasses to all sizes and if that’s not enough on anyone’s portfolio she also runs the shop part of the business where a number of gift items, photographic accessories and much more are in stock. She has an exclusive photo repair/restore service which is also done in-house as well as the conversion of any old videotapes or old movies that need to be preserved and copied to digital form. I’m very lucky to have such a skilled and dedicated partner in our business.

In your opinion, what is the most important life skill or quality for a woman to have?

I think self-belief and self-confidence in our ability to get things done and achieve our goals. If we don’t have this I feel it reduces our chances of success.

However, I feel it’s important not to overestimate our abilities as that tends to present one with a fixed mindset. I feel we need to grow and adapt but still be aware and work on our strengths as well as on our weaker areas.

Enthusiasm and passion are contagious and drawing talented people to you and helping you see market gaps and innovate are key. I believe women make great leaders because we work hard, we’re motivated and have high standards. Women should and do inspire others and particularly other women.

Elodie Golden ~ Portumna, Co. Galway

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Elodie Golden, creative writer, Galway girl, created somewhere along the Wild Atlantic Way. I believe this lent itself to my relentless curiosity and an appetite for challenging the status quo. That and the oysters.

By day you will find me busy drilling down deep in research, rearranging words and curating new ideas. By night I am living in my mind, fizzing with lightbulb moments and unlearning 24/7.

Every now and then I like to practice deep thinking. To think deeply means to think beyond sacred cows, preconceived ideas and prevailing opinions. Or so they tell me.

A friend once christened me The Irish Pimpernel. I took it as a compliment. My elusive nature lends itself to a more abstract and whimsical life and ultimately enhances my creativity.

One of my favourite quotes is from Madame Bovary “She wanted to die, but she also wanted to live in Paris.”

My idea of heaven is a beautiful melody lingering in my ear, a moment of hilarious laughter, and the warmth of the human touch.

If you can’t find me, I may be drifting around the dreams that dance in my imagination.

I am most likely to be heard saying “I may, I may not”.

The theme of this year's Int'l Women's Day is 'Choose to Challenge.' What challenges have you faced, or who do you look up to when it comes to challenging the status quo?

Challenging the status quo is tough. You have to have an open heart and an open mind. And you have to be fearless. Nothing great is ever achieved by doing things the way they have always been done. Stepping outside your comfort zone is never easy and it is never comfortable!  

Women in history that I admire are those that achieved greatness and that made the greatest impact on society, in the context of the little regard for women at the time, such as Marie Curie, who changed the world not once but twice. 

She founded the new science of radioactivity, her discoveries launching effective cures for cancer - she was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a second Nobel Prize - what’s not to like?

Mary Wollstonecraft, a writer and philosopher championed both education and liberation for women. Her book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, against the backdrop of the French Revolution, argued for the equality of women to men, way back in 1792. “I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.”

French writer and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir was a prominent feminist figure in her time, not least of all because she consistently called out the patriarchy system for all its flaws.  

I admire many contemporary women, too many to mention, who continue to call out injustice, inequality and are willing to take bold steps on behalf of the sisters.

How has your community, or your hometown, shaped who you've become?

According to Mark Twain “Reality can be beaten with enough imagination.” Growing up on the shores of Lough Atalia in Galway we certainly had buckets of imagination and freedom to roam. My vivid imagination is inevitably linked to my hometown.

I picked up handy survival skills such as how to set a fire in the wild, crab-fishing with a string and bait, building endless ramshackle treehouses, raiding the orchards, kayaking against the elements on a homemade raft, at one with nature and in control of my own destiny.  

Everyone has a hometown, that primal first place that shapes who we are and how we look at the world, inextricably linked to childhoods, leaving powerful imprints. Mine was no different!

Who is the most inspiring woman in your life?  

There have been so many, but I am going to say my daughter Sienna who has grown into a compassionate, intrepid young woman who I imagine someday will venture out into the big bad beautiful world, creating something meaningful and significant and taking a strong stand for women as she goes. Of course! I am 100% biased.  

In your opinion, what is the most important life skill or quality for a woman to have?

How to use a power drill, how to find a stud in the wall, how to enjoy dining alone, how to take your own advice and how to trust your gut instinct. 

You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.