Singer performs for womens’ group at Stormont

STRABANE comedian and singer, Emer Maguire, performed a specially-written song at an event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network (NIRWN) at Stormont.

The group met at Parliament Buildings to demand more support from the Executive to
tackle social isolation and improve access to support services.

Louise Coyle, director of NIRWN, said government funding for services for women in
rural areas was desperately low.

She said, “Rural women make up a fifth of the Northern Ireland population, yet they receive just 1.3 per-cent of government funding distributed to women in this region.

“NIRWN does receive some core funding from government and have always been grateful for that
support but that investment is 13 per-cent of what it was in 2006. We deserve better than
this.”

NIRWN has launched a new four-year Strategic Plan that looks at how the participation of women in rural areas can be improved and supported.

Ms Coyle said the recent challenges of Covid19 had shone a light on the challenges faced by
women in rural areas.

“Rural isolation is a daily reality for many, and I think each of us got a taste of what feeling socially isolated is like during the pandemic. Lack of access to services is a very common
feature of rural life and lockdown illustrated that broadband is now an essential utility and
not an optional luxury; we knew this in rural areas and as much as there are active moves to
address this barrier, too many are still being left behind.”

For more information about the Northern Ireland Rural Women’s Network visit: https://www.nirwn.org