The Meath Women’s Caucus 2024 AGM was held on Tuesday 22nd October 2024. Officers elected for the coming year were Chairperson Maria Murphy. Vice Chairperson Helen Meyer, Secretary Sarah O’Reilly and PRO Yemi Adenuga. Topics for motions were discussed with a number of suggestions being put forward by the caucus members present.
We discussed hosting an event for our caucus members who were General Election candidates and a breakfast round table event was subsequently held on Tuesday 12th November in Bellinter House. With seven of our members running in the General Election we discussed the cut and trust of their campaigns. All agreed it was a lovely morning and we resolved to do it again. Thanks to Elaine Daly and Ailish Shaw for their assistance in organising the event.
Cllr. Aisling Dempsey and Cllr. Gillian Toole were elected to Dail Eireann and we wish them well. Cllr. Linda Nelson Murray was subsequently elected to Seanad Eireann. At the March Monthly Meeting Cllr. Carol Lennon proposed a motion on the Carers Allowance which had been discussed at the AGM. The motion was adopted.
For International Women’s Day on 8th March the council planned a video to celebrate our female leaders both on council and across the council management and workforce etc. A number of caucus members took part. Members of the caucus were also invited to attend the Navan Rotary Ladies Lunch on Friday 7th March in Tankardstown House and a number of members attended. This was a charity event.
The Meath Women’s Refuge and Support Services has reached out to meet with us and we are looking forward to meeting with them later in April. Membership of the caucus now stands at 13 as not all those elected to the Oireachtas have been replaced by female councillors.
On a final note I’d like my colleagues to note that when the caucus was established in 2022 following a facilitation process, a Terms of Reference was developed and approved by the caucus and presented to this council. Included under Mission it states ‘The mission of the Meath Women’s Caucus is to bring together women and gender minority councillors from all parties and none. Under Membership it notes ‘ The caucus is open to non-binary councillors who are comfortable in a space that centres the experiences of women.
