Friend, confidant, occasional annoyance, fierce protector. These are the words that come to mind when I hear the word ‘mother’. In Irish society, we hold mothers in incredibly high esteem, after all, the Irish mammy is world famous for her wicked turn of phrase and incredible Sunday dinners. But this mothering Sunday, I’m thinking about how much more there is to it than that.
This country has blossomed with the strength and wilfulness of the Irish woman. We look at how Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese trial blazed as female Presidents, something that even the United States hasn’t yet seen. How music, art and the Irish culture is dominated by fiery, alive women who make all of us proud to be Irish citizens. This makes me wonder how our amazing mams, aunties, grandmothers and friends are still not awarded with what seem like pretty standard rights. The gender pay gap remains alive and well, and in November 2016, was at 20%. Let’s not stand back and let our wonderful Irish women be taken for granted as they everyday they accomplish more and more for this country.
The Tuam Mother and Baby home revelations that came to light in the past month have devastated and shocked the country. Here we saw the right of a mother to protect and nurture her own child stripped away and instead, replaced with disgusting conditions and animalistic ‘burials’. This was a clear example of how Irish mothers have so long been denied a choice about their own bodies. Whether or not a woman can choose whether or not to have her baby is one such decision we are not allowed to make. Many argue that giving us such a choice is some kind of inhumane murder where “selfish women” make an “easy choice” to abort their unborn child. With a whole world of evidence to support them, how can we not trust Irish women? Those who have abortions are no less friends, confidants, protectors than any one of our mothers, so why don’t we start seeing them that way. No woman is a criminal for not being ready for motherhood, the real crime is continuing to take personal choices away from them.
This Mother’s Day I’m thankful that I’m an Irish woman, surrounded by other amazing Irish women, raised by the strongest, most ferocious, most loving people I have ever known. Let’s all look at these people and acknowledge that they can make their own decisions. Let’s decide that they should be allowed to decide.