€171,000 to encourage women from rural Ireland into politics

Funding of €171,162 has been announced for the Longford-based See Her Elected (SHE), in support of their work in supporting and encouraging the participation of women from rural Ireland in local politics.

Minister of State for Planning and Local Government Alan Dillon allocated the funding to Longford Women’s Link, the parent organisation of See Her Elected.

“The outcome of the local elections in June of this year was encouraging in terms of the participation of women in local government,” the minister said when announcing the funding.

“A record 681 female candidates participated, representing an almost 18% increase on the previous elections in 2019, and almost a third of candidates overall.

“The 247 women councillors elected make up 26% of councillors overall – the highest proportion of women elected to local government in the history of the state.

“There is, however, still plenty of work to be done towards our goal of making our council chambers fully reflective of the communities they serve. Groups like See Her Elected are essential to making that goal a reality.”

See Her Elected is managed by Longford Women’s Link and was founded in response to concern at the under-representation of women on county councils in the north-west/midlands regions.

“LWL are delighted to receive continued support from Minister Dillon and the department, which is a testament to the work of the SHE Programme and we look forward to continuing our efforts to effect meaningful change for women in local democracy as we look ahead to Local Elections 2029,” said Tara Farrell, CEO of Longford Women’s Link.

See Her Elected is built on the ethos of women learning and supporting each other, providing them with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to participate in local politics.

Due to the popularity of the programme and a larger catchment audience through online delivery, SHE has expanded its reach to all of rural Ireland, collaborating with local authorities across the country.

Almost 40% of female candidates in this year’s local elections received support from SHE. Women now account for 26% of county councillors after this year’s local elections and many SHE-supported candidates finished in runner-up positions or received strong first preference votes.

See Her Elected supports to women interested in getting involved in local government include capacity building and training and the publication of an A-Z guide for women running in local elections.

In recognition of their work, in 2021 SHE was awarded a European Innovation in Politics Award, in the Democracy category, and ahead of International Women’s Day this year the SHE team of Dr Michelle Maher and Mairead O’Shea were named as two of the 100 ‘Women of 2024’ by the Irish Examiner.

Concluding, the minister said: “It is my hope that this funding will continue to assist SHE in affecting real change. I will continue to work closely with SHE – and all our key partners towards our shared goal of greater equality at the level of government closest to the citizen.”