International Women's Day is being marked throughout Ireland today by events with themes including peace, poverty and women in politics.Many celebrations are being held at local level, with community groups and associations holding family days or discussions. Other larger organisations have arranged conferences.
In Dublin, an International Women's Day initiative by an ad-hoc group of individual women against any war in Iraq will take place outside Dáil Éireann from noon to 1.30 p.m.
Also in Dublin, the Irish Farmers' Association will launch its equality action plan, "Putting Women in the Farming Picture", aimed at increasing women's participation in the IFA. The event will take place at the Coach House, in Dublin Castle, at 11 a.m.
Among the events in Cork will be an all-day conference in UCC on the theme, "Refugee Women and the Law: Gender, Interculturalism and Asylum in Ireland".
The organisers - including Ireland Against Racism, the British Council and Know Racism - say the conference will aim to promote recognition of gender-related persecution as a basis for refugee protection.
Amnesty International has organised a series of lectures around the State by Ms Marina Pisklakova, Russia's leading women's rights activist.
Today, Ms Pisklakova will speak at the Gresham Metropole Hotel, MacCurtain Street, Cork, at 7.30 p.m.
In Derry, the SDLP delegation from the parliamentary group of the Party of European Socialists will hold an all-day conference in the City Hotel, on "Women in Poverty: Barriers, Opportunities and the role of the EU".
On the theme of women in politics, Fianna Fáil is holding an all-day event called "Local Government Needs Women", in Citywest Hotel, Saggart, Co Dublin.
One example of the kinds of local activities taking place is in Co Kerry, where the Tralee Women's Resource Centre has organised an event at the Siamsa Tire Theatre, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will include face-painters, balloons, a "kiddies' corner", story-tellers, poets, Roma dancers, and bongo players from Nigeria.
Yesterday, the Labour Party deputy leader, Ms Liz McManus TD, speaking to An Cosáin Women's Group, said women needed to share power - and although many things had changed for the better, more women were rearing children alone and violence against women had not lessened.
The Green Party yesterday called for the re-establishment of the Oireachtas Women's Affairs Committee.
It stated the committee would have a specific responsibility to bring forward legislation to ensure a more equal representation of women in public life.
Fine Gael Leader, Mr Enda Kenny TD, said yesterday that International Women's Day was a day of celebration of women and for women.
Thousands in Europe, the US and elsewhere were choosing to mark the day by marching against war in Iraq.
"Their vital voices may help calm the increasingly heated megaphone diplomacy from which women are largely excluded," he said.