ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE ON THE LAUNCH OF “WOMEN’S GROUPS INTO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM”
ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT MARY MCALEESE ON THE LAUNCH OF “WOMEN’S GROUPS INTO THE NEXT MILLENNIUM” AT BAWNOGUE COMMUNITY CENTRE CLOND
Over the last couple of weeks I have visited the communities in Hardwicke Street in Dublin city and at Darndale, on the North of the city. The common denominator in both communities was the way that each community, in its own way, had joined up in partnerships with other communities, with State and local authority agencies and with voluntary organisations, to achieve an effective synergy in meeting the challenges that they face, and in overcoming the obstacles to making them better communities and better places to live.
The community at Darndale has many similarities to the Clondalkin area in that they are both products of the developments that have taken place in the last twenty years - developments in housing and town planning which have brought with them the problems and difficulties that we see in most cities and districts that were built in that period of hectic construction and industrial development. I made the point to both communities, that whatever their origin, Communities are not static – they have a sort of organic quality – they’re in a constant state of change. But that quality is what community life is all about. It is the catalyst for bringing the community together to meet new challenges – to address new issues – and to go forward. In the case of Clondalkin, as Dr. Phyllis Murphy points out in the Evaluation we are launching today, the ‘organic’ nature of Clondalkin is pointed up by the fact that 16 groups have been established between 1984 and last year to meet new requirements and needs as the population increased and individual, family and economic circumstances changed.
The eighties saw a great awakening in communities throughout Ireland – an awakening to the needs of women who were charged with managing families – in looking after households – in educating children – often in places that lacked many facilities and in situations where they found themselves, paradoxically, in isolation. Women’s groups were started up – women’s studies courses were initiated – a whole new horizon was opened up for women in their own communities. For many, it represented a watershed in their lives – a new beginning – a liberation – a realisation that they could control their own lives and have a positive impact on their circumstances and the circumstances of their immediate family.
For the women of Clondalkin, the establishment of the Women’s Network in 1991, brought groups together who had previously concentrated on their own individual mission. Coming together into networks represents a new phase in the evolution of women’s groups in communities. By pooling talent, energy and resources, networks are an effective mechanism for moving forward – beyond the confines of individual missions – to a more global role of continuing to push for improvements in the treatment of women in education, in the workplace and at home.
Phyllis Murphy has produced a very comprehensive analysis of the origins and history of the Women’d Network in Clondalkin – covering the development of the community, the activities of women’s groups and their involvement in the changes that have taken place during that time. It is essential reading for anybody who has an interest in the community, and not just in Clondalkin, for while Clondalkin is the main focus of the evaluation, it provides a very good analysis of what women in Irish society today have achieved – of where they are and where they are going. But perhaps more importantly, it looks at how much still needs to be done by women’s groups and networks, to address problems such as marginalisation, or access to education, employment, training and enterprise opportunities.
Coming as it does at a time when Ireland is changing with a new found prosperity – and looking to the kind of society we want in a new millennium – the evaluation is timely and significant. It will provide a very useful springboard for the Clondalkin Women’s Network to address the challenges that lie ahead, and to work for the continued improvement in the status of women in the community. In launching the evaluation, I would like to commend and thank Dr. Murphy for producing an excellent document - an evaluation which lays a very solid foundation on which to build future progress. It is essential reading for all community groups, and for the legislators, administrators and social workers who have a hand in the unfolding development of Irish society.