To celebrate International Women’s Day, we have listed some incredible well-known Irish women who inspire us every day.
From some of our leading sports stars to women who use their voices to create change, these women are truly inspirations to us all.
Take a look:
Katie Taylor
Katie Taylor is considered one of Ireland’s greatest ever athletes.
The 35-year-old Olympic gold medallist is the undisputed lightweight champion of the world, having held the WBA title since 2017; the IBF title since 2018; and the WBC and WBO titles since 2019.
The Bray native is also one of eight boxers in world history (male and female) to hold all four major world titles in boxing simultaneously.
Ellen Keane
Ellen Keane is an Irish Paralympian swimmer, and she was Ireland’s youngest ever athlete when she swam in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at just 13 years old.
The 26-year-old won a bronze medal in the 100 m breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and gold at the same event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
The Dublin native, who has been nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the 2022 Gossies, was honoured with a Lord Mayor’s Award in 2017, which is awarded “to citizens who, through their ordinary everyday lives, enrich this city in an extraordinary way”.
Ellen is currently appearing on RTÉ’s Dancing With The Stars, impressing the judges week on week with her talent and positive attitude.
Vicky Phelan
Vicky Phelan is a CervicalCheck campaigner who has been hailed as an “inspiration” by people all across the country.
The mother-of-two underwent a smear test for cervical cancer in 2011, and the test showed no abnormalities.
Three years later, the Limerick native was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and an internal CervicalCheck review found the original result to be incorrect.
Vicky was not informed of this fact until 2017 and the following year, she was awarded €2.5m in damages.
In February 2022, she was awarded the Freedom of Limerick in recognition of her role in the CervicalCheck scandal, as well as for for advocating for the rights of terminally ill people.
Leona Maguire
At the age of 9, Leona Maguire gave up a promising swimming career to concentrate on golf, and she hasn’t looked back since.
The Cavan native turned professional in 2018, signing to One Direction star Niall Horan’s golf management company Modest! Golf along with her twin sister Lisa.
The 27-year-old represented Ireland in the Olympics in Rio back in 2016, and again in Tokyo last year.
In September 2021, Leona made a sensational debut at the Solheim Cup, helping Europe take home the trophy.
Last month, the sports star made history as the first female Irish golfer to win the LPGA Tour.
Rosanna Davison
Rosanna Davison has often been branded “an inspiration” for opening up about her fertility struggles.
The model mum suffered 14 miscarriages before she decided to look into surrogacy with her husband Wes Quirke in 2018.
The couple went on to welcome their first child, Sophia, via gestational surrogate in November 2019.
Months later, Rosanna and Wes experienced a fertility miracle, as the 36-year-old fell pregnant with twins during the first coronavirus lockdown.
The former Miss World went on to give birth to identical twin boys, named Oscar and Hugo, in November 2020.
Rosanna has since published a book about her journey to motherhood called ‘When Dreams Come True: The Heartbreak and Hope on My Journey to Motherhood’, and she still uses her social media platform to speak out about her struggles.
Rachael Blackmore
In 2021, Irish jockey Rachael Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in the 182-year history of the race.
That same year, the 32-year-old also became the first woman to be leading jockey at the Cheltenham Festival with six victories.
On top of six wins, the Tipperary native became the first female to be crowned Top Jockey at Cheltenham.
Paddy Power revealed today that during 2021, almost half of all horse racing punters who placed a bet on horses, backed one ridden by Rachael.
Roz Purcell
Another woman using their platform for good is model-turned-author Roz Purcell.
The 31-year-old has been applauded for using her Instagram to promote body positivity, and has amassed over half a million followers on the social media platform.
The former Miss Universe Ireland is known for her “content content, where she shares honest, unfiltered and unedited photos.
Roz is also a bestselling author thanks to her food book series.
Georgie Crawford
Georgie Crawford inspired women and men across the country when she let them into one of the most difficult years of her life.
The former radio DJ was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2017 and documented her life on social media throughout her treatment.
Following her treatment and being given the all clear in late 2018, Georgie set up The Good Glow website and podcast, which focuses on content about mental and physical health and well-being.
The mother-of-one is now documenting her surrogacy journey with her 92k Instagram followers and her podcast listeners.
Despite suffering a number of setbacks in their surrogacy journey, Georgie has remained positive throughout, something we really admire about her.
Jessie Buckley
Jessie Buckley began her career on the BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, in which she came in second place.
In 2019, the Kerry native was recognised by Forbes on their 30 under 30 list, while in 2020 she was listed as number 38 on The Irish Times’ list of Ireland’s greatest film actors.
The 32-year-old received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as Rose-Lynn Harlan in Wild Rose.
Jessie’s most recent performance as Leda in The Lost Daughter has gained her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
