SI Ireland

Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland at the European Parliament today!

We are delighted to be visiting the European Parliament for an important event: “Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in Ireland and Europe… Seeing the Signs, Protecting Victims, Driving Change.” We are grateful to Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP for the invitation to bring our awareness campaign to the heart of Europe. We are here to raise awareness of human trafficking and highlight our grassroots initiative, which has reached over 400,000 people across Ireland. We are looking forward to sharing our work and strengthening collaborations to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable people. Today we will hear from Billy Kelleher MEP, Diane Schmitt (EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator), Siobhán Matthews (President, Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland), JP O’Sullivan (MECPATHS), Sarah De Hovre (PAG-ASA, Belgium) and Mona Chamass Saunier (La Strada International). Together, we can raise awareness, recognise the signs, protect victims and drive change.

International Day of the Girl Child

Every girl deserves the freedom to choose her own future.
Today, we celebrate girls everywhere, their voices, their ideas, their creativity, their leadership and their extraordinary potential.
But celebrating girls is not enough.

Every girl has the right to learn, to be safe, to be heard, to make her own choices and to shape her own future.

The 2026 International Day of the Girl Child focuses on ending child marriage and investing in girls’ rights. Around the world, millions of girls continue to have their childhoods and choices taken from them through child marriage and other harmful practices.

At Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland, we believe that investing in girls means investing in education, opportunity, safety, confidence and leadership.

It means listening to girls, not simply speaking for them.
It means creating a world where a girl's ambitions are not limited by where she is born, her circumstances, or outdated expectations of what she can become.

When girls are educated, empowered and given the opportunity to lead, everyone benefits.

So today, let's celebrate the girls who are already changing the world and commit to making sure every girl has the opportunity to do the same.

Every girl deserves a teacher who sees her potential.

Today, on World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate the educators who do far more than teach.

Teachers open doors.
They build confidence.
They challenge expectations.
They give young people the knowledge and encouragement to imagine a different future.

For girls, access to quality education can be transformative. It can create opportunities, strengthen independence and help break down the barriers that can limit their choices.

At Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland, we believe education is fundamental to achieving equality for women and girls.
We recognise the teachers who encourage girls to ask questions, find their voices, pursue their ambitions and believe that their futures are theirs to shape.

To every teacher who has ever told a girl “you can” thank you.
Your influence can last a lifetime. 💙

And today, we want to hear from you.

Who was the teacher who made a difference in your life?

Perhaps they believed in you when you didn't yet believe in yourself. Maybe they inspired your career, encouraged you to speak up, helped you through a difficult time, or simply made you feel that you mattered.
Tell us their story in the comments.

Let's celebrate the remarkable teachers who have shaped our lives and recognise the lasting impact that one great teacher can have.

Educate. Empower. Enable.

Information is power. Access to information is a right.

For women and girls, having access to reliable, accurate and timely information can be life-changing.
It can mean knowing your rights.
Knowing where to find support.

Being able to make informed decisions about your health, education and future.

Having the information needed to participate fully in society and to have your voice heard.

Yet access to information is not equal. Digital exclusion, poverty, language barriers, discrimination and lack of access to education can all prevent women and girls from accessing the knowledge and services they need.

At Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland, we believe that education and access to information are fundamental to empowering women and girls and advancing equality.
Because an informed woman is better equipped to make choices, claim her rights, advocate for herself and others, and contribute to her community.

When women have access to information, they have greater opportunity to shape their own lives and the world around them.

A Wexford woman who is marking her 65th birthday and the 65th anniversary of the Wexford Soroptimists by taking on an epic 1,000km cycle has set an ambitious €10,000 fundraising target.

Sue Karran is planning to cycle between Wexford and Dublin every day for seven days between September 22 and September 28, raising vital funds for Our Lady of Fatima Special School, Wexford and the Down Syndrome Centre, Dublin.

“Over the week, I’ll cycle approximately 1,000km, around 150km each day, travelling back and forth between the two counties,” she said.

“As I also turn 65 this year, it seemed the perfect opportunity to set myself another challenge while raising funds and awareness for two wonderful organisations

🔗Read more 👉 https://tinyurl.com/38wtzmfu

☕️ Soroptimism is coming back to Sligo! 💙💛

Following a fantastic information evening earlier this summer, we’re delighted to be taking the next step in relaunching a Soroptimist club in Sligo and we’d love you to be part of it.

Join us for a relaxed coffee morning where you can meet like-minded women, make new connections, enjoy a coffee and find out more about Soroptimism and the opportunity to build a new club in Sligo.

✨ Tuesday, 29 September
☕️ 10.30am
📍 Sligo Park Hotel

We’ll be joined by Anne O’Sullivan, National Membership Officer, and Eileen Diamond, President-Elect of Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland.

Whether you’ve been involved in Soroptimism before, have heard a little about us, or are completely new to the movement, you are very welcome.

Soroptimism is a global network of women working together to improve the lives and status of women and girls through friendship, advocacy, leadership and action.

Come for a coffee. Be part of the next chapter for Soroptimism in Sligo.

Today, Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland joins people around the world in recognising the International Day of Peace.

Peace is more than the absence of conflict. It is the presence of equality, justice, safety and opportunity and it begins with ensuring that women and girls can live free from violence, discrimination and fear.

Across Ireland and around the world, Soroptimists work to create the conditions in which women and girls can thrive: through education, advocacy, empowerment and action.

Because when women have a voice, when girls have opportunities, and when communities are built on equality and respect, we create stronger foundations for lasting peace.

Peace begins with each of us. And building a more peaceful world requires all of us.

Today, and every day, we stand for a fairer, safer and more peaceful world for women and girls.

Tonight, in front of a packed Croke Park, Katie Taylor once again made history, becoming a three-time undisputed world champion in the final fight of an extraordinary career.

For so many women and girls in Ireland, Katie’s legacy goes far beyond boxing.

She showed what can happen when a woman refuses to accept that a space, a stage or a sport isn’t meant for her. She didn’t simply reach the top of her sport, she helped change it, opening doors and shifting expectations for the women coming behind her.

And tonight, she got to bring it all home.

From Bray to Olympic gold, world titles and some of the biggest nights in boxing, to a final victory in Croke Park surrounded by the people who have followed her journey from the beginning.

A champion in every sense of the word.

Congratulations, Katie and thank you for showing generations of women and girls what is possible.

Three-time undisputed world champion. One extraordinary Irish woman.