Come Here To Me!

The Irish Women Workers Union. Liberty Hall.

Over the last couple of years, it’s been fantastic to see International Womens Day marked properly in Dublin. While it seems there is a wide range of events planned this year to mark the occasion, ranging from a showing of the fantastic I Was A Teenage Feminist as part of the (very much free) Progressive Film Club to the ever-popular and highly regarded Feminist Walking Tour hosted by Choice Ireland, the RAG collective and the Lashback collective (and more on that below), the event that’s grabbed my attention is undoubtedly the ‘Take Back The Night’ march planned for Tuesday night.

Event Poster

The march/vigil will meet at 7pm on Tuesday at the front square of the University.

Take Back the Night (also known as Reclaim the Night) is an internationally-held march and vigil that is organised with the purpose of unifying women, men, and children in awareness of sexual violence and rape. TBTN is about taking a stand against violence and making the night safe for everyone.

The event at Trinity is one part of many events being organised in honour of International Women’s Day. It will include speakers from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, One in Four, an Irish based support service for women and men who have experienced sexual abuse/violence, and Amnesty International, an international human rights organisation.

As a protest and indeed direct action against sexual assault and rape, Take Back The Night marches have occured all over the world in cities, towns and Universities.

As for the Choice Ireland/RAG/Lashback walking tour, I have to confess to not getting along to either of the previous Feminist Walking Tours of Dublin, despite hearing nothing but praise for both tours. Dublin has a tremendous social history with so many female figures neglected from popular history, but none the less inspiring. From the women who led the anti-apartheid actions at Dunnes Stores to the women of the Labour and Republican movements, there is a hidden history just below the surface. Hopefully the walking tour will help fill in some of the blanks for those who attend!

I should stress these are but two events occuring to mark the day and the week around it. Be sure to look around for more events, for example by checking the event guide on Indymedia.

Choice Ireland/Rag/Lashback Feminist Walking Tour
This Sunday, 1 pm.
Meet at the Central Bank , Dame Street.

Take Back The Night Vigil
Next Tuesday, 7PM
Front Square of TCD

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