Catherine Connolly on the importance of using her voice

As women, we've often been told to make ourselves small, to be quiet, and to go undetected. Don't complain, don't make a fuss, don't cause a drama, don't be a nuisance.

For far too long, we have been treated like second-class citizens, but a shift has been felt in Ireland, particularly around the time of the abortion referendum. For me, that was the moment when I realised the power of Irish women's voices.

And that power is something incredibly important to presidential candidate Catherine Connolly.

In an interview with JOE, Catherine Connolly spoke about the importance of using her voice, especially if she follows in the footsteps of Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese.

Reflecting on Mary Robinson's campaign in the 1990s, Connolly said she inspired many to use their voice.

"There's a fear of the power of women."

"The world is a different place, and indeed, Mary Robinson has kept her voice and remains powerful. I think it's important that I do the same thing that I use my voice and I use the role to enable and empower."

"We've looked on women as a problem, and I suppose that's because there's a fear of the power of women; women who are in touch with their emotions. They're more likely to speak for peace, I think."

Catherine stressed that there are good men as well, but believes "the establishment" is afraid of women who "let those emotions out."

That fear has always been there; it's something the generations before us faced, but hopefully something the future generations won't go through, especially if a woman like Catherine Connolly is elected as President of Ireland.

"They have always been, you know, women were burnt at the stake, women were described as witches, women were contained in institutions for a very long time, the mother and baby home, the Magdalene laundries because the narrative was so powerful of the establishment, whether that was church or government or both working in league, and if you stepped outside of that, you were problematic.

"You were daring to challenge the system, so you ended up in an institution.

"There is a very deep fear of the power of women, and that's power in the best sense, it's their closeness with nature, their abhorrence of violence, and I hope to tap into that."

You can watch Catherine Connolly’s full interview below: