"Things will be different for you": Joining Mentor Her

It was December 1990, and I was approaching my fifth birthday. I can distinctly remember my mother sitting me down to watch the inauguration of Mary Robinson as the first female President of Ireland. 

I was too young to understand the significance of the occasion, but I still remember my mother’s expression of hope and excitement. She sat next to me and said “Things will be different for you”. 

My mother has been my role model throughout my life. She, her sister and her parents are and were strong feminists, and believed in the empowerment of women. 

I feel lucky to have been part of what I call, the Mary Robinson generation. I frequently saw women in leadership roles both within my own life and in national media from a young age. 

Mum and I on a blustery beach stroll.

My mother worked outside the home, on occasion was on the picket lines and photographed in local newspapers, managed our home and cared for me, her only child that came with significant medical needs. To this day I have no idea where she gets her energy from. For me it was a given that women would support other women, in fact, I was raised to believe that it was my responsibility to others where I can. 

It was only as an adult that my rose-tinted glasses began to clear and reality hasn’t always lived up to my hopes. Madeleine Albright is frequently quoted as saying “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women”. At times I have felt that anger, but I prefer to turn it into positive action and not let it fester.  

I have felt frustrated in recent years, by a lack of diversity in leadership roles, and have been looking for ways to help change that. 

I recently discovered a programme called Mentor Her. Mentor Her, an initiative run by Katie Doyle, “is all about women connecting with women. We believe that when we support each other and elevate each other's profile, we can lift ourselves up in the world”.

I decide to apply and am proud to say that I have been selected as a mentor to a young woman, who hopes to become a Journalist. I am also a mentee as part of the program and will be working with Kate Rooney of The OnLegs Agency and I look forward to working with both over the coming weeks. 

Throughout my career, to date, I have worked alongside and been mentored by some amazing women, and I hope I’ve done the same for others. Now as part of this formal program I’m looking forward to connecting with women with the same interest in supporting females in their careers. 

As a Journalist I have met many so-called celebrities over the years, and to be honest it has never really phased me. That was until 2014 and my work A Bower for Sisters was featured as part of the World Press Photo exhibition in Dublin. I was thrilled to find out that Mary Robinson would open the exhibition and when the opportunity came to shake her hand, and thank her for all that she has done for women and Ireland. I was lost for words, to this day I can’t remember what I said other than blurting out thank you. She was as kind and polite as one would hope. She smiled and nodded and gave me time to gather myself before saying some kind words about my work and moved on. 

As far as I’m concerned the world is a better place when women support other women and I’m proud to be contributing what I can along the way. 

In March I dedicated my podcast Ireland Creates to female storytellers you can listen back on www.irelandcreates.com