Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service Celebrate International Women’s Day

Cork County Council’s Library and Arts Service has announced a programme of events to mark International Women’s Day (IWD), which takes place on the 8th of March 2025.

Libraries throughout the county will host special events celebrating and supporting women, as well as in-branch book and information displays that reflect on the achievements of women and highlight the importance of gender equality. Several libraries will present story-time sessions for primary schools, as well as marking the day with their local book clubs and creative writing groups. 

The Library and Arts service annual IWD Flash Fiction short story competition for adults returns for its fourth year. The competition is now open for entries in both Irish and English before the closing date on the 31st of March. Details and entry forms are available on the library section of the Council’s website at www.corkcoco.ie or at your local library. To encourage new writers to get involved, two Creative Writing Workshops on the art of writing Flash Fiction will be held in Macroom and Kinsale Libraries. Full details are available from the respective branches.  

Mitchelstown Library will host Ballyhoura Development for a “Connect and Create” morning with Ciara Moynihan and Katie O'Rourke on Saturday, the 8th of March. 

Marion Creedon Hegarty, author of ‘A Makeover for life’ will lead an empowering morning session focused on advice on personal style, confidence and self-care in Skibbereen Library on Saturday, the 8th of March.

As part of the Library’s Healthy Ireland programme, there will be free talks in libraries on Women’s Health. Registered Dietician, Aoife McDonald, will deliver talks on “Nutrition for Women’s Health” in Cobh and Youghal Libraries on Friday the 7th of March. Dr. Sabine Eggers PhD Pharm, BSc Pharm, MPSI will discuss key women’s health issues in Fermoy and Midleton Libraries on Tuesday the 11th of March.

Chair of Cork County Council’s Women’s Caucus, Cllr Gillian Coughlan, said, “Cork County Council Libraries are committed to lifelong learning, ensuring their programmes and services are accessible to everyone in their communities. Initiatives such as Age Friendly services, increased accessibility through ‘My Open Library’, as well as offering a 100% free service ensure everyone can avail of their local library. Through the successful period poverty initiative that provides free sanitary products across its network of 25 branch libraries and 4 mobile libraries, our Library and Arts service has been a forerunner for equality. Join us this International Women’s Day at one of the many wonderful events planned, it’s an opportunity to acknowledge progress, while we strive to inspire and accelerate full gender parity.”

Follow Cork County Council Library and Arts Service on social media for updates on International Women’s Day. Check with your local library branch for events and booking details or email [email protected] for more information.