International Women’s Day Celebrations Announced for TCD

Posted on: 07 March 2011

To mark the centenary of International Women’s Day, Trinity College launched a week long programme of events throughout College aimed at both celebrating women’s achievements and at the same time raise awareness of the inequalities women still experience both nationally and internationally.  The celebrations have been organised with the support of staff and students of the College and will run from Monday 7th to Friday 11th March.

A talk by US author and women’s rights activist Tayyibah Taylor will take place in the Graduate Memorial Building on Monday Tuesday 8th at 7pm.  As founding editor-in-chief and publisher of Azizah Magazine, Tayyibah Taylor is recognised internationally as the voice of Muslim American women and regularly contributes to international debates on Islam.  The event has been organised by Dr Roja Fazaeli of the School of Religions and Theology at TCD, in collaboration with Dublin University Gender Equality Society, US Embassy and UN Women.

Other highlights of the programme include a unique bilingual event on Wednesday 9th celebrating women’s voices in the Gaelic tradition.  Glór na mBan I dTraidisiún na nGael will feature poet and playwright Celia de Fréine who will read from her work in both Irish and English, and singers Naisrín and Zahrah Elsafty will showcase songs from the sean-nós tradition.  The event will be hosted by the TCD’s Irish Language Office and the Equality Office and is open to the public.

A panel discussion on women’s movements in Western Europe from the 1970’s to today, taking place on Thursday 10th, will provide an international perspective on the history of the feminist movement in Europe, with a specific focus on Ireland, Germany and Spain.  A series of film screenings and discussions organised by student societies have also been scheduled each evening throughout the week.

International Women’s Day was first commemorated in 1911 following increasing demands across the industrialised world for better working conditions and voting rights for women.  It has since grown to become a global day of recognition and celebration across the developed and developing world.  A full programme of Trinity College events celebrating International Women’s Day is accessible online.