The History of the Irish Feminist Network

The Irish Feminist Network was founded in May 2010 by a group of Master's students from the Centre for Gender and Women's Studies at Trinity College in Dublin. It developed out of a desire to have a feminist organisation which was inclusive and approachable to those of all political persuasions, with the aim of making feminism as accessible as possible. 

It was launched on September 30th 2010 and went from a membership of around 11 people, to it's current membership of over 5000. The IFN is predominantly aimed at engaging young people in feminist discussion and as such has a majority membership of both men and women under age 30. 

Since its launch, the IFN has become a national voice for feminist issues, as well as promoting discussion and debate around the remaining issue of gender inequality in Ireland. It has held numerous events including a discussion series entitled 'Feminism in the Pub' which travelled across the country and 'Suffragette City' it's first International Women's Day event. 

The coordination of the IFN was handed over from Madeline Hawke in the summer of 2011.

IFN in its current incarnation...

The IFN is a network promoting gender equality across all aspects of Irish society. The IFN is currently coordinated by five volunteers.

The IFN organises regular meetings throughout the year to share ideas and take action against injustices faced due to gender identity in Ireland. We also aim to hold discussion groups and workshops to further education about feminism and its practical application. The IFN is an organisation committed to actively protesting against gender inequalities across Ireland.

The IFN is not limited to a specific feminist perspective but believes in the importance of reclaiming the word feminism from misrepresentations perpetuated by our media and culture. 

However, those who are interested in the IFN, or who would like to learn more about feminism, but do not define themselves as feminist, are still encouraged to take part.