Annmarie O’Connor 

Parkinson's Advocate

Annmarie O’Connor has spoken with conviction and honesty about her early-onset Parkinson’s diagnosis, bringing a wider awareness to the issue. She does not see herself as a victim and has become an accidental advocate for people with Parkinson’s. “I’ve never seen myself as being an advocate but the personal is political. I don’t want people to feel that they have to hide. Why should they have to hide?” she told the Tommy Tiernan Show.

Aoife O’Mahony 

Campaign Manager of Fair Seas Ireland

Aoife is the campaign manager of Fair Seas Ireland, a coalition of Ireland’s leading environmental NGOs and networks working to protect our marine environment. The campaign aims to see 30% of our waters protected in Irish law. She successfully championed Ireland’s first Hope Spot; The Greater Skellig Coast joins the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos as places scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean.

Deborah Somorin

Author, Founder of Housing Body Empower the Family

Homeless at 13 and pregnant at 14, today Deborah Somorin is a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young, founder of housing body Empower the Family, and mother of a teenager. Author of two books, a memoir called Believing In Me and a children’s book called I Believe In You, Deborah set up Empower the Family, a charity dedicated to creating accommodation for single parents and people from disadvantaged circumstances.

Deirdre Mortell 

CEO of Rethink Ireland

Deirdre has 30 years of experience in changing the world one step at a time to deliver high growth and impact in Ireland’s leading non-profit organisations. She is CEO of Rethink Ireland and of ONE Foundation and has held senior roles in fundraising and communications in Oxfam and Barnardos. Under Deirdre’s leadership, over €170m has been invested in supporting Ireland’s non-profits, transforming the areas of youth mental health, children’s rights and social enterprise.

Emer O'Neill

Television Presenter, Author, Anti-Racism Activist

Television presenter and author, Emer O’Neill is an anti-racism activist and an activist for minority groups and equality for all. Using her own experience of racism as a teaching tool, she has spoken prolifically about life as a black person in Ireland. In January of this year she wrote in this paper, “I’m 37, Black and Irish. Why are people confused by that?”

Emma Walls

Glenisk Commercial Director

In November 2021 a huge fire destroyed part of the Glenisk yoghurt factory in Co Offaly. As Commercial Director of Glenisk, Emma was an integral part of the team that rebuilt and reformed the business. Weekend food columnist Caitriona Redmond says, “the story of Glenisk’s fire decimating their production lines is one of a phoenix rising from the ashes and Emma was integral in driving this forward.”

Fiona Hurley

CEO of Nasc Migrant and Refugee Rights

CEO of Nasc Migrant and Refugee Rights, Fiona Hurley holds a Bachelor of Law degree and a Masters in Laws from University College Cork. Fiona also has a diploma in Leadership and Management. She has extensive experience in immigration and protection law as well as providing capacity building and training to organisations on immigration law. Nasc’s legal service delivers 3,500 consultations annually to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees on matters ranging from reception conditions in direct provision centres to family reunification applications to naturalisation applications. 

Holly Cairns

Cork TD

The only woman TD in Cork, 33-year-old Holly Cairns has risen up the ranks of politics like a rocket. On Wednesday March 1, she assumed leadership of the Social Democrat party. A vocal supporter of women and women’s rights, she has criticised the Government’s approach to redressing the Mother and Baby Home survivors and is a staunch advocate for the farming and marine sectors. 

Jacky Fox 

Managing Director of Accenture Security

The managing director of Accenture Security in Ireland, Jacky leads Accenture’s security business in Ireland and has more than two decades of experience in technology and cyber security consulting and has been part of the team investigating many large and small-scale national and international data breaches.

Judge Síofra O’Leary 

President of The European Court of Human Rights

Judge Síofra O’Leary took up office as President of The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in November. She is the first woman and the first Irish person in the role. A Dubliner, Judge O’Leary studied civil law at University College Dublin until 1989 before completing a PhD at the European University Institute of Florence, Italy. On O’Leary’s election, then-president of the Law Society of Ireland, Michelle Ní Longáin said: “It is very important for women at all levels in the legal profession in Ireland and internationally, and for society as a whole, to see the appointment of a woman judge to such an important role.”

Katie Hannon 

Upfront Presenter, Journalist

In January of this year, RTÉ announced Upfront with Katie Hannon, a new hour-long Monday night audience-centred live television programme, podcast and authored online articles by the award-winning journalist and broadcaster Katie Hannon. As well as presenting RTÉ Radio 1’s Late Debate and Saturday with Katie Hannon, she has reported for RTÉ Prime Time for over 14 years, covering a wide variety of issues including major investigations into banking, failures in child protection, vaccine trials in children’s homes, the failings that led to the Rescue 116 tragedy and the Garda whistleblower scandal.

Mary Butler 

Minister of State

In opening up about her own transgender son Minister of State Mary Butler has not only started a conversation around kitchen tables but undoubtedly made it easier for other families in similar situations. Transgender rights and discrimination have been prominent issues in recent times and so it was equally heartening to hear Ms Butler speak of the “immense pride” she felt towards her own mother’s reaction to her son’s transition.

Neasa Hourican 

Green Party TD

This backbench Green Party TD has shown grit and determination in the way in which she has questioned many of those who have come before the Health Committee, says Deputy Political Editor, Elaine Loughlin. “Her fearless approach during a recent session with representatives of the Mental Health Commission on the issue of Owenacurra was particularly impressive.”

Nell McCafferty

Author, Journalist, Activist

Nell’s journalism and activism has made an impact and created measurable change. Her book A Woman To Blame: The Kerry Babies Case revealed the horrific injustices at the heart of that case, which has become a definitive strand of the shameful history of this country’s treatment of ‘unmarried mothers’. That book, along with Nell’s autobiography, and a collection of her journalism are all still in publication today and on the shelves of most bookshops.

Orla O’Connor 

Director of National Women's Council

As Director of National Women’s Council (NWC), the leading national women’s membership organisation in Ireland, Orla O’Connor is a leading voice in Ireland when it comes to the female agenda. She was Co-Director of Together For Yes, the national Civil Society Campaign to remove the 8th Amendment in the referendum.

Prof Mary Cannon 

Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health

Mary Cannon is Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.

She also works as a consultant psychiatrist in Beaumont Hospital Dublin. Her longstanding research interest is in the area of young people’s mental health and in identifying early risk and protective factors for later mental illness, particularly psychosis and it is thanks to this research that she is considered a leader in the realm of youth mental health. 

Senator Eileen Flynn 

Senator, Human Rights Activist

As the first member of the Travelling community to be elected to the Oireachtas, Senator Flynn is a human rights activist who uses her platform to highlight issues that affect the disenfranchised, both in the Travelling community and not. This month she spoke about juggling childcare and politics, saying “our guilt and barriers are sometimes in our own heads” while calling for more national support and support from political parties for women in politics.

Sonya Lennon 

Stylist, Tv Presenter

Thought leader and champion of women, Sonya Lennon makes it her business to give women the tools they need to rise up. Whether it’s speaking frankly about the gender pay gap, or empowering women and girls to aim for what they really want – versus what they think they deserve – Sonya is an advocate and changemaker.

Teresa Heeney

CEO of Early Childhood Ireland

Since March 2014 Teresa Heeney has held one of the most important jobs in the country: CEO of Early Childhood Ireland. Prior to this, Teresa worked as the Manager of Cherish and as Training and Research Manager in ISPCC, following roles in youth and community work. Teresa received her undergraduate degree in Social Science from UCC.

Uruemu Adejinmi 

Longford Councillor

The former Longford Municipal District Cathaoirleach, Uruemu joined Fianna Fáil in 2016 and is a Councillor in Longford. She uses her platform to encourage people from the migrant community to engage in politics.

Hailing from Nigeria, Adejinmi told Ryan Tubridy in January that she didn’t choose Longford, it chose her when considering the journey from her original home of Nigeria to Ireland. 

Ailbhe and Izzy Keane 

Izzy Wheels Founders

Sisters Ailbhe and Izzy are founders of Izzy Wheels, a range of wheelchair wheel covers with the tagline ‘If you can’t stand up, stand out!’ What began as a passion project for art student Ailbhe to make a wheel cover for her sister Izzy who has Spina Bifida is now a global business, selling to over 35 countries and collaborating with 80 famous designers across the globe. They have won 15 national awards and were both named on Forbes 30 Under 30 and recently teamed up with Disney to create a range based on favourite Disney, Marvel and Star Wars characters.

Aimee Connolly 

Sculpted

Sculpted by Aimee may be just five years old, but it is already one of Ireland’s most beloved beauty brands. Entrepreneur Aimee Connolly began her career as a makeup artist before launching her own line in 2016. Today, the range includes skin and makeup products, and in 2022 Connolly opened her first store on Dublin’s Grafton Street.

Aishling Moore 

Chef

You’ve heard of farm-to-fork, well at Cork’s Goldie Aishling Moore is developing menus around the idea of fin-to-gill. Passionate about sustainability, Moore is reimagining how we enjoy fish and serving punters incredibly delicious plates along the way.

Ali Honour

Chef

When the Grande Dame of Cork hospitality, the Imperial Hotel, needed a new executive head chef, they wanted to focus on food with heart. Enter Ali Honour, formerly of Ali’s Kitchen and full of vim, vigour and the following of Cork’s food scene. She’s been in situ since the end of September and has been busy reimagining the menus of the Cork institution since.

Caroline O’Driscoll and Gillian Keating 

Founders of I Wish

Founders of I Wish, a not-for-profit social enterprise dedicated to showcasing the power of STEM to teenage girls globally. Gillian is a partner with RDJ Law Firm, Caroline is a partner with Deloitte. Caroline says she looks to the girls who attend I Wish as they really inspire her to keep going on what has been an amazing journey. She feels a huge sense of responsibility to enable every girl to live their brightest lives. Gillian is passionate about empowering the next generation of female leaders and innovators and ensuring our society enables these young women to participate fully in the economy of the future.

Eva Pau

Comercial Director

Eva quite literally grew up in the Asia Market store on Dublin’s Drury Street, which is owned by her parents, Helen and Howard Pau, and which celebrated its 40 years in business in 2022. Today, as Commercial Director, Eva has played a pivotal role in establishing Asia Market as Ireland’s largest speciality food importer, modernising the brand and expanding to a second location in Dublin.

Jude Sherry

Co-Director of Design Agency Anois

Co-founder and co-director of global design agency anois, which operates on a core ethos of social justice and sustainability, Jude Sherry is a leading voice in Irish urban regeneration. A 2021 report called This Is Derelict Ireland, collated by Sherry and Frank O’Connor, showcased 700 derelict properties in Cork. In January of this year, Sherry told the Irish Examiner it was “heartbreaking” that derelict buildings were still lying idle despite the record numbers of homeless.

Kristen Jesen

Publisher

Frustrated that many voices and many parts of our food culture were not being represented, Kristen Jensen founded her own publishing house to create cookbooks that represent Ireland as it stands today. Loved by everyone from Nigella to Darina, her imprints, Blasta Books and Nine Bean Row Books, are a ray of sunshine in the food community.

Mary McCarthy 

Director of Cork's Art Gallery

Director of Cork’s Crawford Art Gallery, McCarthy is the woman who will be steering an ambitious expansion and development of the gallery which is housed in a building that is almost 300 years old. McCarthy says the aim of the design is that “the Crawford Art Gallery’s character is maintained, and that the building will be restored, renewed and extended, ensuring that it can thrive into the future”.

Monica Oikeh Peres 

Doctor, Influencer

Passionate about contraception and menstruation, GP Dr Monica Oikeh gives evidence-based medical advice via her social media channels. Based in Cork and originally from Nigeria, Oikeh has amassed a following of over 102k on Instagram and 61k on Tiktok.

Sarah Richards 

Baker, Artist

Owner of the Seagull Bakery, Tramore native Richards studied art at Cork’s Crawford College of Art and Design and got involved in bread as a sideline to her painting practice. Today, she makes ‘real bread’ from Irish-produced flour, putting her at the top of the food chain when it comes to food producers championing Irish produce.

Tara Shine

Environmental Scientist

Environmental scientist Tara Shine is at the forefront of the climate change discussion, both in Ireland and internationally, focusing on solutions that are accessible to all. At our 2022 International Women’s Day event, Tara said “Sustainability is not about climate change and carbon emissions alone. It is about giving people the right to grow within the organisation. It’s about gender equality. It’s around social justice. It’s about paying your staff properly.

“It’s about having a no-racism policy. All of that is about sustainability. It’s about making a better society for all of us to live in.” 

Aine Lynch

CEO National Parents Council

CEO of the National Parents Council, Áine believes all decisions in schools should be child-centred and that this will be best achieved by fostering positive relationships between parents and schools, and by ensuring the voice of the child is included. In 2018, Áine oversaw the expansion of NPC’s remit into providing services and support for parents of children in the early years education.

Alex Cooney

CEO of CyberSafeKids

Alex is founder and CEO of CyberSafeKids, a national organisation working to empower children, parents and teachers to navigate the online world in a safe and responsible manner. 

Amanda Adé

Digital Content Creator

Amanda Adé is a digital content creator and activist from Kildare. She hosts the Box’d Out podcast, the Black and Irish Podcast and works as an analytical chemist by day. She is an important voice in the conversation in Ireland about race and race relations.

Amy Hassett 

Co-Director of Disabled Women Ireland

Amy Hassett is a disability advocate and a co-director of Disabled Women Ireland (DWI), Ireland’s national disabled persons’ organisation advocating for the rights of disabled self-identified women, girls and non-binary people. On February 15 Ms Hassett joined The Joint Committee on Disability Matters to discuss the importance of disability proofing and statistical data relating to people with disabilities. 

Denise Cahill 

Researcher, Healthy Cities Co-Coordinator

Denise is the Healthy Cities Co-coordinator in Cork City. She has worked as a researcher in the area of Public Health and has been employed in the area of health promotion for the past 16 years. Denise has worked in the areas of Schools Health Promotion, Physical Activity and Tobacco Control. Through the Healthy Cities structure, Denise has developed skills to support the development of partnerships between and among the community, voluntary and statutory sectors in the area of health promotion.

Derval O’Rourke 

Athlete and Teacher

Passionate about healthy living in a balanced manner, Derval uses her platform to educate Irish people about the importance of nutrition and movement in a mindful way. An elite athlete, O’Rourke has the background to motivate and encourage, and through her down-to-earth teaching methods, she is effecting change in the wider community.

Elaina Ryan 

Leader of National Organisation for Children's Books and Reading

Leader of the national organisation for children’s books and reading, Ryan ensures the charity’s vision of ‘Every Child A Reader’ shines through every aspect of its work. In 2022, Children’s Books Ireland gifted over 117,000 new books to children and young people across the island of Ireland, focusing particularly on areas without direct access to books and reading. Through their Raising Voices fellowship, the organisation set up a pipeline for children’s authors and illustrators from underrepresented backgrounds to enter the industry and continues to lobby the government for the reinstatement of school library funding, championing every child’s right to be a reader.

Kate Durrant

Activist

Originally from Blarney, Ms Durrant is a prominent community activist, not just in Cork, but throughout Ireland. She is involved in leadership roles with St Vincent de Paul (SVP), Dogs for the Disabled, Blarney Community First Responders, Pieta House and her local Tidy Towns group. More recently Kate has been on the frontlines, welcoming refugees from Ukraine as they settle into new homes in Ireland.

Laura Dowling

Pharmacist

A passionate advocate for her customers, pharmacist Dowling uses her platform as The Fabulous Pharmacist on social media to give medical-based advice and showcase the services available at your local pharmacy. Recently, Dowling has been advocating on behalf of women who require access to the drug, Cariban, used to treat hyperemesis in pregnancy. In 2022 she launched her own range of supplements, fabÜ.

Lorraine Walsh

Founding Member 221+ Group

A founding member of the 221+ group, Lorraine Walsh continues to fight for those caught up in the CervicalCheck controversy but also for the wider issue of access to information for all patients. She was present in the Dáil when the historic Patient Safety Bill passed in February and had been instrumental in lobbying for open disclosure in the healthcare system getting amendments to the Bill over the line.

Naomi Masheti and Sr Jo McCarthy 

Cork Migrant Centre at Nano Nagle

Naomi and Sr Jo are the women at the helm of the Cork Migrant Centre at Nano Nagle place, which has been serving the migrant community of Cork for more than 30 years now. Offering services which deal with the day-to-day stresses experienced by migrants like social isolation, language difficulties, lack of information and accessibility to resources, Sr Jo and Naomi are an integral part of the migrant community.

Paula Hynes 

Mental Health Campaigner

Aside from her work on her family farm and as a rural mental health campaigner, Paula Hynes has been behind fundraising initiatives that have collectively raised in excess of €100,000 for various charities, including Aware and Breast Cancer Ireland, since 2017.

Roz Purcell

Model, Charity Worker

Roz Purcell chats candidly on social media, offering a refreshing and honest angle, especially for young girls and women. Her recent interview on the Tommy Tiernan Show highlighted the issue of eating disorders, something she struggled with in her early 20s due to her modelling career. In recent weeks it was announced that she has landed one of the top gigs on RTÉ 2FM, replacing Dave Fanning on the station’s weekend schedule.

Saoirse Ruane 

Cancer Survivor, Face of the First Toy Show Appeal

Saoirse Ruane came to our attention during the Late Late Toy Show in 2020 where she shared her cancer story and spoke about losing her leg and she was the face of the first Toy Show Appeal. Since then she has faced and overcome cancer once again, providing inspiration for cancer patients and their loved ones.

Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon 

Women in Medicine in Ireland Network (WiMIN)

Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon established Women in Medicine in Ireland Network (WiMIN). The organisation aims to support, promote and encourage female doctors and medical students through peer support and raise women’s visibility in medicine. “If you can’t see, you can’t be,” says Fitzgibbon, who lives in Cork.

Sheena Mitchell 

Pharmacist and Campaigner

Dublin-based pharmacist Sheena Mitchell campaigns for the role of the pharmacist to be extended, and to allow them to treat minor ailments such as conjunctivitis and urinary tract infections. “How many people need to die on hospital trolleys? We are letting people suffer because of inaction. A clear, simple evidence-based solution has been handed to them,” says Ms Mitchell who has written to both Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Health Minister Stephen Donnelly on the issue.

Sindy Joice

Lecturer

Sindy Joyce graduated with a PHD from the University of Limerick in January 2022. She is the first woman from the travelling community who has obtained a doctorate in an Irish University and made history by becoming the first lecturer in an Irish university from the Travelling community. University of Limerick appointed Dr Joyce to their lecturing staff as their newest sociology lecturer in March 2022.

Aideen Barry

Artist

Cork artist Barry is significant not only because of her body of work, but for many years she juggled that work with parenthood and a lecturing career at Limerick Institute of Technology. In 2019 she was elected to the artists’ representative body Aosdána, and in 2020 to the Royal Hibernian Academy, an honour usually reserved for artists working in traditional media such as painting and sculpture. In 2021, the Crawford Art Gallery acquired her video work, Not To Be Known, for its permanent collection, while UCC, through the Glucksman Gallery, bought an entire suite of her Monachopsis drawings.

Áine Ní Ghlinn

Writer

Áine Ní Ghlinn has written more than 30 books for children, including stories and novels for all ages, as well as poetry and drama. Since 2020, she has held the position of Irish children’s laureate or Laureate na nÓg, with the ambition to ‘lift the cloak of invisibility’ from Irish language authors and books, and to encourage children and young people to read for pleasure as Gaeilge. In 2022, she undertook the most ambitious Laureate na nÓg project to date – An Bosca Leabharlainne, which saw over 72,000 Irish language books gifted to schools across the island of Ireland.

Annie McManus

DJ

Longtime DJ Annie McManus has transformed her career since closing her chapter at the BBC. Her podcast Changes looks at what happens to our lives when big shifts happen, and her debut novel Mother, Mother received critical acclaim. Her second novel, The Mess We’re In, will be published in May. She is also the founder of Before Midnight, a club night aimed at those who want a full nightclub experience, and still want to be in bed before 12. Parents everywhere rejoice and it’s coming to Dublin in March.

Aoife McNamara 

Designer

Graduate of the Limerick College of Art and Design and a former intern at Marc Jacobs, Aoife McNamara founded her eponymous brand in 2019. With sustainability at the core of the brand, McNamara says her mission is to push the boundaries of what sustainability looks like in the fashion world.

Audrey McGee 

Novelist and Journalist

Novelist and journalist McGee’s first novel The Undertaking was nominated for the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2014. Her novel The Colony was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize, has been translated into 10 languages and is being adapted for film.

Carrie Crowley 

Actress

Having both presented the Eurovision Song Contest and also starred in an Oscar-nominated movie, Carrie Crowley is one of Ireland’s hardest-working women of the arts. Of the success of An Cailín Ciúin, in which Crowley stars, she has said that the Irish language film has given us the confidence to speak Irish once more.

Catherine Clinch 

Actress

An Cailín Ciúin centres around an incredible performance from young actor Catherine Clinch. The 12-year-old is extraordinary as the film’s lead, despite having never acted on camera before, and we predict big things to come from Ms Clinch.

Catherine Martin 

Culture and Media Minister

Culture and Media Minister Martin has been a huge support to the arts community during the pandemic period, securing funding to enable artists and creators to continue their work through the Music Industry Stimulus Packages and Basic Income For The Arts. She also increased funding for Minding Creative Minds, offering counselling services for those in the creative sector.

Catherine Ryan Howard 

Author

In September, six publishing houses entered a bidding war to acquire the next two books by author Catherine Ryan Howard. Transworld won the auction, who promised “We will match Catherine’s own ambition and drive as a writer with our publication strategy for her coming books with us, and our intention is to make her a brand name in the UK and around the world.” 

Claire Keegan 

Wexford Writer

Wexford writer Keegan made the shortlist for the Booker prize in 2022 with her book Small Things Like These. Ms Keegan’s 116-page novel was the shortest work to be featured on the longlist and is a “tender tale of hope and quiet heroism is both a celebration of compassion and a stern rebuke of the sins committed in the name of religion,” according to the Booker judges. An Cailín Ciúin is adapted from Keegan’s novella, Foster.

Cleona Ní Chrualaoí 

Film Producer

Producer of An Cailín Ciúin, Cleona is rising high. It is the first Irish-language film to ever be nominated in for an Oscar for Best International Feature Film. Speaking after the announcement, Alan Esslemont TG4 Director General said, An Cailín Ciúin has “touched the hearts of cinema-goers throughout the world.”

CMAT

Singer-Songwriter

Singer-songwriter CMAT has had quite a year, and it’s nicely summed up in multiple nominations for this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Awards. Her album If My Wife New I’d Be Dead is up for album of the year, her song, ‘Nashville’, is up for Song of the Year and she herself is up for both Artist of the Year and Breakthrough Artist of the Year. 

Edna O'Brien

Writer

In 2022 and aged 92, O’Brien, one of Ireland’s greatest writers, presented her play, Joyce’s Women, at The Abbey Theatre. Of the play, she says “James Joyce had been my ultimate hero for 60 years, but to paint the canvas of his life was daunting.” 

Emma Dabiri

Writer

Writer, academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri, has spoken to great effect about her experience growing up in Ireland as a black person. “When I was growing up, I was very much an anomaly. This was in the 80s and if I saw another black person it felt like an event,” she told Tommy Tiernan recently. 

Joanne McNally and Vogue Williams 

Comedian and Model

Showing the power of female friendship, the runaway success of McNally and Williams’ podcast, My Therapist Ghosted Me, has tapped into the Zeitgeist of women all over the globe. Topping the charts every week and selling out theatres for their live events, this duo are reaping the rewards, and they deserve it. Together and separately they display a work ethic that is based in grit and determination, along with a major dollop of hard work.

Julie Jay

Comedian

Irish Examiner columnist and comedian Julie Jay is currently performing in a sell-out tour of her show Oops This Is Toxic based on the clear parallels that Jay’s life has with Britney Spears. Speaking to those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s, Jay has an acerbic wit that is countered with a heart of gold and that’s what makes her such a success. 

Kerry Condon

Actress

Tipp woman Condon has made huge waves following her performance as Siobhán Súilleabháin in The Banshees of Inisherin, picking up a BAFTA for Supporting Actress in February 2023. An actress for more than two decades, this is far from Condon’s first starring role. Playing characters in film and television series including Angela’s Ashes, Rome, The Walking Dead, Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri and Better Call Saul, Condon has shown herself to be a versatile and extremely talented actor.

Louise Kennedy 

Writer 

Down woman Kennedy spent 30 years working as a chef before writing her first book and finding almost immediate fame. Her short story collection, The End of the World is a Cul de Sac won the John McGahern Prize. Her debut novel, Trespasses, which won Novel of the Year at the An Post Book Awards, is published by Bloomsbury.

Marie Clear

Operation Transformation leader

Appearing on this year’s Operation Transformation, Marie Clear won the hearts of the nation. Declaring at the finale, she said, “I can finally look in the mirror at myself. I can finally walk down the street and look in shop windows. I have accepted myself.” Irish Examiner writer Helen O’Callaghan says that what takes Marie’s transformation to another level is that she has made the world bigger for people way beyond herself. “I’m after opening everyone’s eyes to what it is like to be a little person.”

Mary Hickson

Creative Director

Mary is a Creative Director and Producer based in Cork, Ireland with a particular interest in music. She is the Director of 37d03d Events – an evolving community of artists who come together to collaborate in unique residency projects around the world. Mary is also Director of the award-winning Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival (SFSH) in Cork, as well as Eaux Claires and MusicNOW Festivals in the US. 

Pillow Queens 

Indie Rock Band

Indie rockers Pillow Queens continue to dominate the Irish musical arena. In 2023 they will be heading the Irish St Patrick’s Day festival celebrations at Dublin’s Colins Barracks and their sophomore album Leave The Light On is nominated for album of the year at this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Awards. 

Radie Peat

Singer 

Radie Peat is a singer and multi-instrumentalist best known as a member of the Dublin band Lankum. Creating music rooted in the Irish tradition, Lankum and Radie are one of the most important groups maintaining links with our musical history. The band are releasing a new album, titled False Lankum in March of this year. 

Rhiannon Adam 

Photographer

Cork-born photographer Rhiannon Adam will be the first Irish person to travel into space when she takes one of eight seats on the first civilian trip to the Moon next year. Born in Cork in 1985, Rhiannon spent the first seven years of her life just outside the village of Ballinadee and will be circling the moon for seven days in 2024. 

Saoirse Ronan

Actress

Academy award nominee Ronan will star in the highly-anticipated adaptation of The Outrun from director Nora Fingsheidt in 2023. The book was a huge success in print form, selling over 100k copies in the UK alone, and the film adaptation is set for equal success, thanks in no small part to Ronan’s performance.

Simone Rocha

Designer

In reviewing her recent London Fashion Week show, The Guardian said Rocha “makes clothes that tell romantic Irish stories while looking bracingly modern, which is why her label is worn by offbeat style icons from Billie Eilish to FKA twigs”. The show, which was a representation of Lughnasadh, was set to the sound of Irish band Lankum who performed live as models walked.

Tolü Makay

Singer

Well known for her stunning rendition of The Saw Doctors’ N17, Makay has built a huge following since she exploded onto the scene. This year, she joined Keychange, a European organisation created to support talented but underrepresented artists and encourage organisations to take a pledge for gender equality.

Victoria Kennefick 

Poet and Writer

Victoria Kennefick is a poet, writer and teacher from Shanagarry, Co Cork now based in Co Kerry. Her first collection, Eat or We Both Starve, was published by Carcanet Press in March 2021. It won the Seamus Heaney Prize for Best First Collection 2022 and The Dalkey Literary Festival Emerging Writer of the Year Award 2022.

Amber Barrett 

Footballer

In October of 2022, Donegal woman Barrett made history when she scored the goal that clinched the Irish women’s football team qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. She dedicated her goal to the “ten beautiful souls in Creeslough.” 

Amy Broadhurst

Boxer Light-welterweight champion

In 2022, boxer Broadhurst enjoyed incredible success, claiming her crown as a World, European and Commonwealth champion. Her next challenge is to conquer the Olympics and before Christmas 2022 she announced that she was going to increase her weight by 6kg to compete in the welterweight division. 

Dr Una May

Sport Ireland CEO

CEO of Sport Ireland, Dr. Una May has been Sport Ireland’s Director of Participation and Ethics having previously held the role of Director of Anti-Doping. 

Eilish and Roisin Flanagan 

Cross Country Athlethes

Talented twins Roisin and Eilish were instrumental in Ireland’s Senior Women’s team winning the bronze medal at the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Italy in December 2022. 

Ellen Keane

Paralympic swimmer - Gold Medalist

As Paris 2024 looms, Paralympic gold medallist Ellen Keane will be doubling down on her training. In January she told the Irish Examiner that this is a busy year. “This year is all about World Championships in August.” 

Eve McCrystal and Katie-George Dunlevy 

Paralympic Cyclist duo 

In 2022 this duo claimed a gold and silver medal at the Road World Championships. They rode to victory in the women’s tandem road race, earning their sixth world title, after already claiming a silver medal in the women’s tandem time trial in Baie-Comeau.

Katie McCabe

Footballer

Katie McCabe plays for Arsenal and serves as captain of the Republic of Ireland national team as the youngest ever captain to hold the spot. She will lead the Irish team to the FIFA Women’s World Cup this year. 

Katie Taylor

Boxer Lightweight World Chapmion

In 2022 Katie Taylor became the first female boxing contestant to headline Madison Square Garden in New York. 

Kellie Harrington 

Boxer Silver Medallist Light Welterweight Division

Kellie claimed her tenth national title in January, as she began 2023 in a predictably strong fashion. She looks set to be part of Team Ireland for the Paris 2024 Olympics. 

Leona Maguire 

Golfer

Maguire will be back in Ireland to compete at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open in Dromoland at the end of August. World number 11, Maguire will be seeking to win the event.

Mary McAleese 

Former President, Independent Chairperson Integration on Sports

The former President of Ireland is the independent chairperson of the steering group on integration for the GAA, the LGFA, and the Camogie Association. Outlining her intention in February, she said: “We know that the united power and genius of this trinity, this troika of Gaelic games organisations will create something so much greater than the sum of their parts. One integrated Association infused with an ethic of equality, that’s the prize.”

Nathalie O’Brien 

Footballer

In February of this year Nathalie left Cork City football club, her home for over ten years. Born deaf, Nathalie featured in the Deaf Futsal Champions League for Doncaster and was named Player of the Tournament in 2019. On the international stage, She continues to represent Ireland in Futsal and will play in the World Cup in Brazil later this year.

Neve Jones 

Rugby Player

Neve Jones is just 23 but last year showed her mettle as an integral part of the Irish women’s rugby squad. She plays club rugby in the UK at Gloucester-Hartpury in in 2022 was awarded the Guinness Rugby Writers Ireland Women’s Player of the Year.

Nina McGowan

Diver World Record Holder

In October 2022 50-year-old McGowan set a new world freediving record at the Outdoor Freediving World Championships at Kas, Turkey. Achieving a depth of 43m, she beat the existing 50-54 age group record by 3m as well as the Irish record in any age category.

Orla O'Dwyer

Footballer Australian Rules

Tipp woman O’Dwyer is the first Irish player to win an All-Australian in AFLW history. Last year she signed a two-year contract with the Brisbane Lions to take her through to the completion of season 8 at the end of 2023.

Rachael Blackmore 

Jockey Champion

In 2022, Blackmore made history once again in becoming the first female jockey to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Rhasidat Adeleke 

Sprinter National Record Holder

At just 20 sprinter Rhasidat Adeleke has been in particular record-smashing form of late, with three collegiate wins in rapid succession also earning her three new national records. In the last week of February she smashed her own Irish 400m record with 50.33 at the Big 12 Championships in Lubbock, Texas.