As ever, my thoughts today are with women worldwide living through displacement, war, hunger and inequality. International Women’s Day has its roots in social justice, pacifism, anti-imperialism and resistance to oppression. The date 8 March was formally adopted at the Second International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen in 1910 as a day when women of the world could collectively press for their demands. The date has always had a strong association with protest and I’d like to see that reclaimed. 

I was so fortunate this year to be invited to be part of a panel to launch a wonderful new stamp set from An Post (the Irish postal service). This special set celebrates women in Irish public life: the Irish republican and suffragist Jennie Wyse Power, the changemaker and leading civil servant Thekla Beere, former President of Ireland Mary Robinson, and Chief Justice Susan Denham.

Together with Zainab Boladale and Siobhan McKenna, we had a lively panel discussion expertly moderated by Zara King, and bookended by a powerful performance from FeliSpeaks. We related personal experiences, discussed how far things have come, and how much is yet to do. Zainab’s exhortation to women to “Be bold!” is still ringing in my ears.

I was also invited by DIAS at Dunsink Observatory to be part of a panel celebrating Irish women’s contributions to astronomy. It was wonderful to hear the perspectives of the female scientists on the panel and to hear about their astronomy heroines, and to share my thoughts on the life and career of science writer Agnes Mary Clerke.

Postscript: I was reminded in the run-up to IWD2023 of the amount of additional labour women are asked to take on today and around this day, much of it unpaid. This is particularly the case for changemakers, women of colour and people who identify as women from other marginalised groups. Yet again this year, I was asked to participate in an event for free. If organisations are going to continue to promote IWD, and wish to draw upon women’s expertise and experiences to do so, then let them plan ahead for 2024 by setting aside a budget for it now!