A beacon of hope and peace – Klara Heron explains why having Mary Robinson on the cover of Irish Country Magazine is an honour
It has been a dream of mine to have former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, on our cover for a long time. How rare it is to have a figure such as she, whose legacy transcends generations, whose voice continues to speak on behalf of the marginalised, and who is continually championing the voices of women in Ireland.
December 3 marks 33 years since she took her seat as our first woman President (aged just 46), a hugely historic moment for Ireland. Her interview with Niamh Devereux gives fascinating insight into how the country has, and hasn’t, changed since that time, and how she thinks woman are, once again, a key component for positive change both here and globally when it comes to the climate crisis.
With that in mind, our usual December issue comes with a thoughtful twist this year as we have hand-picked considered items across our gift guides – with both supporting local and smaller budgets in mind. We also have wonderful ‘green’ fashion for the festive season, and Jo Linehan shares excellent eco-ideas, too.
There was cause for celebration recently, as four of our contributors were nominated for industry awards. Janine Kennedy and Ciara Leahy for their excellent food and drink feature-writing, Phillip Doyle for his creative food photography, and our Deputy Editor Niamh Devereux is up for a Mental Health Media Award for her ongoing series, The Invisible Struggle (check out her latest one on ADHD inside the December issue, out now). Congratulations to them all on this well-deserved recognition; we are so proud to have them within our pages.
Another milestone moment a little closer to home, is that I’m expecting my first baby at the end of the year. The last few months have taught me many new things about myself, and more than anything it has reminded me just how powerful women are. Parent or not, our ability to rally around one another as a community when we need each other most is nothing short of miraculous. I have been very grateful to see this through the support of so many friends, family and colleagues. To paraphrase Mrs Robinson’s iconic quote when she took office in 1990, I am, as always, in awe of mná.
As the year draws to a close, on behalf of all of the team at Irish Country Magazine, I want to say a very heartfelt thank you for reading throughout 2023. For giving us thoughtful feedback, ideas and words of encouragement. We wish you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.
