Mary Robinson was appointed President of Ireland in 1990, the first woman to become head of the state and also supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The Irish state was almost 70 years old when this happened. It felt at the time that it marked a change for women but the recent Dáil elections has shown that the pace of change has remained very slow.
As of yet, there has not been a female Taoiseach and only three women out of 15 were appointed to senior cabinet positions. Only six out of the 23 Ministers of State recently announced are women. There is still a long way to go.
At the GAA Special Congress last year, I found myself there as the only woman within the media. I know this is not always the case but the handful of women around the room reminded me of the very visible imbalance of gender that exists.
Yes, the GAA is a male organisation but in every club a lot of committees are backboned by women.
I was involved with one myself in my local club where the chairperson, secretary and treasurer at the time were all female. The GAA mirrors society in that it is challenging for women to stay involved.
We do not make it easy for women in terms of affordable childcare and working hours. If we want to have more women involved in all aspects of society, we need to make it more equitable and fair.
As of yet, there has been no female GAA president in the almost 141 years since the founding of the organisation.
This will change and amalgamation with the LGFA and the Camogie Association makes this inevitable.
In 2023, the Irish government insisted that 40 per cent of national governing bodies of sporting organisations must be female by the end of that year or government funding would be in jeopardy.
Last year, Tracey Kennedy from Cork became the first woman to be part of the top table at GAA Congress, a position now known as a representative of Congress on the Management Committee previously known as a trustee.
She was elected to the role after seeing off Joan Henchy from New York in a vote, the first time that she was ever in an election with another woman.
“I have been up for lots of elections against men before but this was the first time I was running against a woman, the first time in my GAA history,” says Kennedy.
“That was wonderful. Elections are hard but it was great that there were two of us willing to put ourselves out there and it gave me great hope.
“Even if I didn’t win it, it was great to know that there were two women who were willing to step forward for that position.”
Before her election as a representative to Congress she was Cork’s representative on the Central Council.
Tracey started like many others getting involved in administration as secretary with her club Killeagh in Cork and progressed to the county board where she served as PRO, Vice Chairperson and became the first female Chairperson of Cork between 2018-2020.
Throughout her journey she has often been the only woman seated at the table.
“It has always been a challenge but probably one that I see more on reflection than I did maybe when I was in the middle of it. I was lucky enough to always have my voice heard and my views respected even when I was the only female on the Cork management committee or the East Cork divisional board. I was lucky enough to always feel heard. At the same time, there is something a little lonely about being the only one in whatever it is”
” I was the first and the only in a lot of those situations and there is a loneliness in that that has only become more apparent to me as I’ve moved on”
“Now, on the GAA management committee it is 40 per cent female and there are lots of women’s voices and it feels like a much more balanced place and in some ways it is pointing out to me the contrast between that situation and one where there was only one female or you were in a very small minority”
“I know my experience has been relatively positive and I know that is not the case for all women in those situations. It is a more comfortable place to be when there is greater balance”
Her election matters as it paves a way for more women to get involved and while Tracey has been the first on a number of occasions, she has certainly more than shown her ability to be a pioneer and a positive role model for women to follow.
In a recent Linkedin post she commented on seeing a slight increase in the number of women present at Congress and hearing the voices of more women airing their views and those of their counties.
“I remember being in Congress when I first started in 2011 and there were no women’s voices. I hate speaking in public even though I do a lot of it.
“I remember saying to myself if I don’t say something in this room of 350 people or so representing the association, no women’s voice is going to be heard.
“Progress is incredibly slow and I think we will need more in the way of percentage requirements if we want to achieve parity”
Integration, it is hoped, will be achieved by 2027 but it is slow and speaking with those involved, there is a sense that it needs to be done correctly as there is only one chance to get it right.
The governments in both jurisdictions need to play a role as the GAA gives so much to grassroot communities and extra finance is needed to ensure that the correct infrastructure of facilities exists.
“It may take some years to get to that finished product of a fully integrated association” says Tracey.
“It may take some time before we evolve into a fully integrated association and you would hope by that point we have gender balance across the board.
“That is going to take time. All three associations are very committed but it is a complex and complicated process. It has to provide best possible conditions and facilities for our male and female players but also a better balance across administration.”
We will see a female president in the not too distant future. Tracey Kennedy is a name that has already been linked to that role.
“It would be a huge honour and it is a huge honour to have people even ask me do I think I might run for President” says Tracey humbly.
The aim now is to see more women seated at that table inspiring the next generation. Amalgamation is coming. What are we doing in our own clubs to help empower more women to get involved in that journey?