A week of discussion, information and social events will run from Monday, March 4, to Saturday, March 9, as part of FemFest 2024.

Organised by the University of Galway’s Feminist Society, the festival aims to promote the importance of feminism in the 21st century and to encourage students and staff at the university to question what feminism means to them and what a world without the need for feminism could look like.

International Women’s Day takes place next Friday March 8, during the festival and, as the auditor of Fem Soc, Róisín McGrath, points out, that’s also the date of the referendum to amend Articles 41 and 41.2 of the Constitution.

FemFest aims to be an intersectional and inclusive event, hosting a range of organisations and university societies, including speakers who are experienced in issues such as gender-based violence, period poverty, gender and migration, reproductive rights, feminist lawyering and ecofeminism.

Professor Marie Cassidy, who was the first female Irish State Pathologist, will be among those sharing their experiences at the festival. There will also be a range of social events and workshops, including a table quiz, dance classes, coffee mornings, film screenings and art installations.

Next Friday, March 8, the group will march from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch for ‘Reclaim The Night’, demanding an end to the high rates of sexual harassment and gender-based violence against women, girls and marginalised genders.

The group is inviting people to join in the march, in an act of solidarity, empowerment and inclusivity and to claim back the rights of these people to walk safely on the streets. The festival wants to make people aware of the ongoing relevance of feminism and to promote the benefits of a more inclusive and accepting society.

For more information, https://www.facebook.com/FeministSocietyNUIG?fref=ts, or check out the group’s Instagram or twitter.