Irish Women who Inspire Me #InternationalwomenDay

Women’s International Day is an important day to be aware of for any feminist be they male or female. It is a day to celebrate women all over the world, whether they are mothers, sisters, saints, business women, inspiring artists, this day is about showcasing women across the world and just what we are capable of.

This is my list of Irish Women who have and do inspire me, these are strong, beautiful creative Irish women who I look up and aspire to be like. As I aspire to be a writer and work in the media industry you may find this list slightly bias towards women in the media but I would recommend every women making a mental list of women they aspire to be like in their chosen life path or career choice.

Elaine Crowley

Elaine has been in the media industry since she was 17 starting out in Radio as a newsreader. She is now a TV3 staple starting on the TV3 News, Ireland AM and is now a producer and presenter on the popular Midday morning talk show on the channel. Elaine produces a show with a variety of women in age, colour, size, shape, profession and uses the show to both highlight life issues, entertaining stories and serious societal issues. She is always honest and opens her life up to the public on the show in a very endearing way. A woman who is one who inspires me to be who I am no matter what anyone thinks of me.

Rosemary Mac Cabe

Rosemary is a blogger, writer, social media extraordinaire and a mental health advocate all at the same time. She is another Irish lady who rocks her total honesty and doesn’t let what people might think be an issue. Whether you follow her blog or her snapchats her mental health is something she is extremely open about and I commend her for it. She is someone I aspire to be like not just because she is a wonderful writer but she is funny and ballsy and I certainly admire that about her.

Terry Prone

This is a woman that every Irish woman should aspire to be like irrelevant of your profession, age or beliefs of any kind. She is a woman who owns her beliefs, states her opinion and does it all with a touch of humour. Terry Prone is the kind of woman who could run the world and still have time to read a good book. She has had many professions during the course of her career from Fashion corresponded, MD of The Communications Clinic and columnist to name a few. Stylish, ambitious, successful and funny. This is a woman we can aspire to be like.

Marissa Carter

Photo credit to Paul Sherwood. Copyright Paul Sherwood © 2013 Cocoa Brown by Marissa Carter. 

The Irish Female Boss, Marrisa Carter is taking over the world with her Tanning company Coco Brown. I met her at a bloggers event once and whilst she knows she is successful she is humble in her success. She speaks of how we as women should support & embrace each other. She ran a successful chain of beauty salons before developing her own winning tanning formula which is now tanning the Irish public and even stars from across the water. She is regularly seen giving beauty and make up tips on Xpose as she is a qualified Beauty Therapist. She might be pint sized but she packs a big punch for a small package. Watch this space, she is taking over the beauty world one step at a time!

Lisa Fitzpatrick

This is a woman who is known as Ireland’s most successful stylist. She is an author, a stylist, a retailer and a TV Personality. She can so it all. I also had the privilege of meeting Lisa and I have never met someone so friendly and down to earth. She hugged me each of my friends and complimented our outfits, before chatting away to us like we were Bessie mates. Her friendly demeanour and her humble attitude was so endearing. She also speaks of women empowering other women and that is just such a vital message in today’s competitive and bitchy world. She told us how she became a TV personality…she was watching Ireland AM one morning and decided to call Debbie O Donnell, the producer at the time and pitch herself for the show. After some back and forth Lisa was invited on the show and the rest is history. She is a woman who sees and opportunity and goes for it, while looking fab! Who wouldn’t want to aspire to that!

Claire Byrne

Claire Byrne started her career within the media in radio and has worked her way up to now having her own Current Affairs show on RTE, ‘Claire Byrne Live’. If you have seen her in action, then you can see why I am a Fan. She doesn’t take any Bullsh*t and the show bears her name for a reason. Whether it’s a group of established politicians or an audience who are all dying to get there say, she handles the situation fairly and objectively. The leader’s debate is a prime example as she owned the debate and many fans took to twitter to say Claire is the one who would get their vote!

 

Aisling O Toole

Aisling is Editor of U Magazine after a vast career with various roles within the journalism industry. She is someone who will have you bent over in laughter whether you are watching her or reading her articles. Her honesty is completely enticing. She is an amazing writer who can entertain and inform at the same time and I have been a long-time fan. Before U she was editor of Irish Country Magazine, The Woman’s Way Cook Book and is a panellist on Midday and a contributor on 4FM. She is a media expert at this stage and a woman I most definitely am inspired by.

Barbara Scully

Blogger, Twitter enthusiast and writer Barbara Skully is a woman who made her own career. She also loves cats and well so do I, so that in itself deserves brownie points. Her articles are always thought provoking and make you think about feminism, being a single mother or how the world could be a better place in some way. She is an advocate for women and shows us how we can both love men but at the same time want better treatment for women. She boosts the benefits of social media in particular for women. I love her passion and how her perseverance, she wanted a career after working hard as a stay at home mother for years and she did it. She paved the way for herself and I say Fair Play! Now how could you not be inspired?

Samantha Kelly

This woman first entered the public eye when she was a contestant on Dragons Den with an idea that every woman in Ireland would find useful at some point! She was the brains behind Funky Goddess, the first period gift box. She went on to sell that company and is now the ultimate Twitter enthusiast The Tweeting Goddess and another Female Boss in this list. She is a one-woman networking guru. She recently was involved in the successful Social Media Summit in Ireland and is a tweeting expert. She preaches and practices women helping other women in business and in life. If you ever tweet her I guarantee she will respond, if you reach out for help she will see what she can do to help you. This is the kind of women every business woman should aspire to resemble.

Triona McCarthy

This is a woman I think everyone would want to be friends with! She is the kind of person I’d imagine you are bent over in stiches from the minute she enters the room until the minute she leaves. She might be known for her beauty expertise as a beauty editor and contributor on various TV shows but I can never watch her without laughing. Women are often not given enough credit for just how funny we are and Triona is a shining example of how wrong it is that ‘women are not funny’. On top of that she has rose to the top of her industry as a beauty expert who knows her stuff and can help with any beauty quandary!

These are just a few women who inspire me, there are so many amazing women in our country from all walks of life and all professions and they all deserve to be commended. This shouldn’t be the only day we highlight women and just how amazing we are; therefore, I personally will be making a regular habit of it.

The idea that women should empower other women in so important to me. I live and breathe that. I often find its women who put down other women and it needs to end. Let’s embrace each other, help each other grow, show each other respect and love and empower each other. Maybe if we start seeing our worth and just how amazing we are, the other half of the world’s population will catch on!