Archives

Rock the boat

Dec19

imageThis blog feature was  first published in the NCCWN-Donegal Women’s Network ‘Women’s Lives’ section in the Donegal Democrat News Paper on 17th December 2015

By Nuala Redmond

For more than a month now, there have been half a dozen foreign super trawlers fishing off the west coast of Ireland. The two biggest trawlers in the world are still here. Nuala Redmond hopes to rock the boat.

When life seems out of control, the big beautiful ocean can bring a unique perspective. For me, all becomes clear – whether I’m getting beaten up by a huge Atlantic swell, or whether the sea is calm and quiet. In Donegal Bay, I’ve seen dolphins, sharks, whales, seals, tuna and over 40 species of fish while working aboard Prospector 1.

My work involves bringing groups out sea-angling. The people who come aboard to fish are very often fishing for their freezer – some are fishing for leisure (these fish go back to the ocean) – but most of the catch is gutted and brought home to feed the families of our customers.

There are many of us who make a living from the sea here around Donegal Bay. And it’s a delicate balance – the sea, like a boat, will not be kind to those that are not kind to her. The sea, like a boat (or a woman), responds well to a little tender loving care.

We all depend on there being a reasonable chance of catching some decent fish, so when we see a posse of super trawlers fishing off our west coast for weeks at a time, we get a little worried. A super-trawler has a factory onboard and can stay fishing in the same place for far longer than any other vessel, enabling it to practically empty the fishing ground.

Our valuable fisheries are in danger of being depleted, affecting coastal communities in far-reaching ways: we have small trawlers fishing locally and supplying locally in areas like Killybegsand Rathmullan (these, by the way, are severely restricted in their quotas and species, and are boarded and inspected regularly). We have charter sea-angling boats filled with tourists expecting to catch fish. We have sight-seeing tour boats expecting to see dolphins, whales and seals – oceanic life is some of the most beautiful on earth. And we have hotels, pubs and restaurants catering for the people who come to do these things.

Super trawlers (pelagic freezer trawlers) have a quota for scad and horse mackerel on our west coast. They are allowed fish off our shorelines up to 12 miles offshore. When the fishing ground yields no more, the ships move on – but all the other fish and mammals (including dolphins, whales, sharks and tuna) that depend on scad and mackerel as a food source will also move on. My fear is then that supporting businesses built around a healthy oceanwill eventually collapse.

The by-catch on these vessels is cruel – seals, dolphins, sharks, turtles, and many fish for which they have no quota ­– die and are damaged in their nets. Recently, an Irish fisherman’s gear has been caught up and destroyed in a super trawler net. EU regulation 812/2004 refers to the need for an onboard observer to be present to monitor the by-catch, but it is unclear, and this week Simon Coveney has agreed to ‘explore’ putting observers on these vessels. The Irish Wildlife Trust is seeking clarity on this matter from the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. Don’t forget, in 1991 Charlie Haughey declared all Irish waters to be a whale and dolphin sanctuary.

Perhaps it is impossible to get a total ban any time soon, it seems to be out of Irish politician’s hands, or so they say. Simon Coveney has refused to meet us to accept our petition (now almost 35,000 strong). It looks like our fight is to be with the EU. It may be prudent to limit our campaign to a few key points: extend the 12-mile zone to 40 or 50 miles; clarify the position and time-frame of the requirement for onboard observers; lower the quota for foreign boats in our waters; restrict the number of super trawlers to be allowed to fish in the one area at the one time; and open up some (currently banned) fisheries for our own small Irish trawlers.

For me, a fisherwoman in Donegal Bay, I feel privileged to be able to work with the sea and work among sea-creatures. I love my fish, I catch them and I help others to catch them, I kill them and I eat them. I always put the babies back and I never waste a fish. I support sustainable fishing industries that give regional jobs in coastal communities. I support life at sea.

Nuala Redmond works with her partner Peter Power onboard the charter angling boat Prospector 1 operating out of Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, and is part of the campaign ‘Stop Super Trawler on Irish Waters’.

Don’t Silence Women’s Voices

Aug13

Support the 17 NCCWN Networks

NCCWN-Donegal Women’s Network and the other 16 NCCWN are under threat of closure. We truly need the support of the community to prevent this closure and we are therefore asking people to join us in lobbying the government to secure future funding for our valuable work in the community.

We have put together this online petition and asking people across Ireland to please sign it. The petition will be presented to Alan Kelly TD, Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, who is overseeing the changes which affect our funding.

Why you should support NCCWN  

The “National Collective of Community-based Women’s Network’s” (NCCWN) is an organisation made up of 17 women’s networks, its work includes the advocacy of equality and human rights for all women in Ireland. With a working mission to “empower and support community-based women who experience disadvantage and marginalisation as a result of barriers to participation and lack of opportunities”.

Working within a limited budget in 2013 the NCCWN Projects engaged with 36,589 women from communities who do not engage with state agencies. NCCWN have demonstrated that this represents excellent value for money.  Funding enables the NCCWN across its 17 projects to not only employ core staff but to also lever in additional funding to coordinate and run development programmes including equality, health & wellbeing, active citizenship, community education, domestic abuse support, employment pathways.  Services provided include childcare centres, drop-in/information centres and counselling.  In the 17 Projects, this has resulted in the additional employment of approximately 200 people, managed and coordinated by NCCWN staff.

One of the main reasons it is possible to deliver this level of work within a limited budget is that the work is and always has been volunteer managed and led. Work with women from the most disadvantaged communities in the country is happening only because it is underpinned by thousands of volunteer hours and decades of commitment and voluntary effort. NCCWN development programmes encompass equality, education, health, employment paths and supports including childcare provision.

However funding to this project is to end December 2014. NCCWN is extremely concerned that its work in removing barriers to disadvantaged women’s full and equal participation in society and in local and national decision-making and policy arenas will be lost.  NCCWN now finds itself lobbying the government to safeguard the funding of the organisations work which is why we are asking for your support today to help secure the future of NCCWN and its local Women’s Projects beyond 2014.

Will you sign the NCCWN on-line petition? Your support is just a click away!

 

People in both Donegal and round the country are petitioning the government to ensure the future work of NCCWN and the 17 networks

Niamh Kennedy Letter of support

Michael Daly

HSE support letter Donegal Women’s network

Minister for the Environment Letter of Support NCCWN (3)

5050 letter of support Min Hogan letter re W Networks 10 7 14

Donegal Change Makers letter to Phil Hogan re DWN

DWDVS letter to minister Kelly 2014

DWN Leter of Support Lifford Clonleigh

BE INFORMED…About your 2014 Local Election Candidates

May15

b4

Where does your Donegal Local Election Candidate stand on issues relating to Childcare, Cuts to Carers, Domestic Abuse + Violence Against Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Travellers, Women’s Political Representation and Equality within our society?

Early 2014, The National Women’s Collective- Donegal Women’s Network held a number of meetings to hear and collect what are the main issues locally and nationally for women in Donegal. Some of the issues discussed and debated were the lack of women’s representation, lack of local training and employment issues, cuts to home helps and services for the older person and people with disabilities, domestic abuse, lack of transport and accessible affordable community child-care. These meetings were supported by Longford Women’s Manifesto Project.

Following on from these meetings a questionnaire was designed  by The National Women’s Collective- Donegal Women’s Network  and an “Open Invitation” was sent out to the 83 candidates running in the local elections to respond to questions identified  as areas of concern by voters in Donegal.

To-date the responses we have received have been insightful and we are delighted that all of the candidates who responded stated that they would work towards upholding and promoting the ethos of social inclusion, equality and human rights. All agreed that gender equality is a fundamental principle underpinning the concept of social justice, and human and civil rights in Ireland.  All  candidates pledged to sign up to the MAN UP campaign and to undertake a half day workshop on domestic violence in 2014 that would be delivered by Donegal Women’s Domestic Violence Service.

To read your 2014 Local Election Candidates full responses to our questions please click on the candidates picture and you will be taken to their individual response. This we believe will give the electorate an insight into each candidate as well as giving the candidates an open forum which could be helpful in securing votes.

Donegal Electoral Area

   Joseph McN Bernie Mulhern

Glenties Electoral Area

joe mc carron Marie Therese Gallagher

Inishowen Electoral Area

eilis haden Mary McCauley Albert Doherty CiaranMcLaughlin 

Letterkenny Electoral Area 

 sio John Watson gb Jimmy Kavanagh gerry mcm Mick Quinn

Stranorlar Electoral Area

charile Gary Doherty Alan McMenamin  Claudia Kennedy

Still waiting to hear from (as of 15/5/14)

DONEGAL ELECTORAL AREA GLENTIES ELECTORAL AREA INISHOWEN ELECTORAL AREA LETTERKENNY ELECTORAL AREA STRANORLAR ELECTORAL AREA
John Boyle Padraig Doherty Paul Canning Liam Blaney Gerry Crawford
Brendan Byrne Seamus O Domhnaill Rena Donaghey Ciaran Brogan Patrick McGowan
Sean Mc Eniff Hughie McBride Martin McDermott Michael Mc Bride Martin Harley
Michael Naughton Ian Molloy Mickey Doherty Noel Mc Bride Bert Galbraith
Barry O’Neill Enda Bonner John Ryan Ian Mc Garvey Seamus Kee
John Mc Nulty Terence Slowey Bernard McGuinness James Pat Mc Daid Brian McCrea
Patricia McCafferty John Curran Peter McLaughlin John O Donnell Liam Doherty
Laurence McManus Micheal Cholm Mac GiollaEasbuig Martin Farren Tom Crossan Tim Meehan
Jonathan Kennedy Michael Mc Clafferty Joe Murphy Peter Cutliffe
Michael McMahon Brendan Carr Nicholas Crossan Donal Cullen
Noel Jordan Seamus Rodgers Patrick McCarroll David Fisher
John Sheamáis O Fearraigh Ryan Stewart  Charlie McLafferty
Paul Ferguson Paschal Blake
Billy Banda
Dessie Shiels

The BE INFORMED…About your 2014 Local Election Candidates Initiative has been brought to you by the Donegal team at The National Women’s Collective Donegal Women’s Network.

offical logo to use

 

What Do You Know About Your 2014 Local Election Candidates?

May11

It’s time to be informed

photo (27)

In the run up to the 2014 Donegal Local Elections, NCCWN- Donegal Women’s Network has sent out an ‘Open Invitation’ to all 2014 local election candidates to respond to questions that have been identified as areas of concern by voters in Donegal.

All candidates running have been invited to respond and to pledge to undertake specific actions if they are successful and elected onto Donegal County Council. All responses or non-responses, will be published on the Donegal Democrat’s specifically designed web- page  ‘BE INFORMED…..  about your 2014 Local Candidates.’ This we believe will give the electorate an insight into each candidate as well as giving the candidates an open forum which could be helpful in securing votes.

The questions cover a number of topics covering; childcare, cuts to carers, Domestic Abuse + Violence Against Women, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT), Travellers, Women’s Political Representation and Equality within our society. In the next couple of weeks our readers will receive an overview of the candidate’s responses as well as the link to the Donegal Democrat’s web page and that of NCCWN- Donegal Women’s Networks.

With 83 confirmed candidates in Donegal and sadly, only 11 female nominations in the county which include: Rena Donaghey FF, Mary Mc Cauley FF Claudia Kennedy, FF, Grace Boyle, FG, Siobhan Mc Laughlin, Labour, Maire Therese O Gallachoir, SF, Naimh Kennedy, Ind, Berne Mulhern, Ind, Patricia Mc Cafferty, Ind, Charlie Mc Dyer, People Before Profit and Eilish Haden, Direct Democracy Ireland.

This lack of female representation is been acknowledged by many men and women on the doorsteps in Donegal, with more women in the county council been seen as advantageous to a more effective running council.  One voter said, “Women are very practical and work more from a collective perspective as opposed to taking ‘territorial and confrontational’ stances.”

Taking a broad sweep of female representation across the North West the following clearly indicates little has changed to encourage and support the participation of female candidates despite the fact that the female membership of our two largest parties, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael is between 35% and 40%.

In Donegal Fine Gael have one woman running and 13 men; in Sligo – 10 men and one woman; in Leitrim – two women and 9 men. And, this is the party that introduced gender quotas!

Fianna Fail is no better.  In Donegal: 15 men and three women; In Sligo: one woman and eight men; in Leirim the situation is a little better with 9 men and 3 women.  Yet, Michael Martin, in Fianna Fail’s Gender Equality Action Plan, committed to ‘renew Irish politics and make it more representative’.  In the Irish Times (2/4/14) Senator Averil Power bravely criticised her own party’s failure to take serious action to address its low female representation.

Nationally there has been an increase of female participation for this local election with an increase of 6 % (from 17 % to 23 %.) All parties except FF have showed an increase,

FG – up by 5 %. Labour – up by 7 %. SF up by 9 % with the highest selection of female candidates within Anti Austerity Alliance at 33.3% and People Before Profit at 40%.

Under new legislation, the ‘Electoral (Amendment )Political Funding Bill 2011’, which comes into effect for the next general election,  political parties will be obliged to implement an electoral ‘gender’ quota or suffer severe financial penalties. Each party will have to have at least 30 % women on the ballot paper. Fine Gael for example last year under Electoral Acts received 2.8 million euro and therefore stands to lose up to 1.4 million euro. I wonder will the threat of financial penalty help to focus the minds of the men in power?

Watch this space!