Events

We organise a diverse range of events for our Mná@UCC members as well as the wider UCC audience. These include seminars, workshops and networking events, as well as coffee mornings (with a teaspoon of value!)

Launch of Mná@UCC

We were honoured to have UCC Emeritus Professor Áine Hyland & President of UCC, Professor John O'Halloran, officially launch our Mná@UCC Network in November 2020 (online!), with hundreds in attendance. Our Chairperson, Dr. Siobhán Lucey, introduced our Network to a packed Teams audience of colleagues from across research, academic and professional support services and senior management. Siobhán outlined how the idea for the network stemmed from the shared passions of those who participated in the Aurora course, supported by UCC Human Resources Dept and participants’ Schools/Institutes/units.

Guest speaker series

Spring 2021 - Commander Roberta O'Brien, (Commander Roberta O’Brien is the first woman in the history of the Naval Service to achieve the rank of Commander. Originally from Tipperary, Commander O’Brien joined the Permanent Defence Forces in 1995 and was part of the first ever intake of female personnel into the Irish Navy.)

Chairperson, Dr. Siobhán Lucey, presents Commander Roberta O'Brien with 'Mná' Ogham plaque.

- Summer 2021 - Dr. Sarah FitzGibbon, (Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon is a UCC graduate and is a GP in Cork. She is founder of wimin.ie, a network whose aim is to bring together women from all stages of their medical career, in all specialties and grades, to share their experiences and to learn from each other. Dr Fitzgibbon also writes about her experiences as a patient in her blog ‘Adventures of a Sick Doctor’ following a cancer diagnosis in 2014.)

- Autumn 2021 - Dr. Mary Favier, (Dr Favier is a UCC graduate and is a member of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) and a former President of the Irish College of General Practitioners. Dr Favier is a partner and GP trainer in a four-GP practice in Cork city and has an interest in reproductive health rights for women, the health implications of urban deprivation and the management of risk in a general practice setting.)

Dr. Susan Rafferty McArdle, Deputy Chair (Research), presents Dr. Mary Favier with 'Mná' Ogham plaque.

- Spring 2022 - Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne

Title: 'The Personal is Political: Being a Historian of Gender'

Lindsey Earner-Byrne is the SALI Professor of Irish Gender History at the School of History, UCC. She believes in the contribution history makes to understanding who we are and how we got here, and that this enlightenment is crucial to imagining a better future. She has sought to throw light on the gendered dimensions of our past starting with a study of the history of Irish motherhood and maternity policy in 2007. Most recently she co-authored a history of Ireland’s abortion journey with Professor Diane Urquhart of Queen’s University Belfast. She is currently working on a gender history of modern Ireland.

Mná@UCC Deputy Chair (Academic), Dr. Siobhán Lucey, introducing Professor Lindsey Earner-Byrne

Workshops:

We offer a wider range of workshops to our members, for example, 'The Seven C's of Success' Workshop with Dr. Maeve Lankford (Maeve Lankford Coaching & Facilitation, Transforming Possibilities), in Autumn 2020 and in December of 2021 Dr. Maeve Lankford ran a workshop for our members on the topic of "4 Strategies to Find Your Voice, Communicate Your Value & Thrive at Work". We have a range of workshops on offer in 2022 - please contacts us directly at mna@ucc.ie for further details.

Quarterly Coffee Mornings - 'Teaspoon of Value Networking Events':

We organise quarterly 'Coffee Mornings with a Teaspoon of Value' for our Mná@UCC members. These provide members with an opportunity to network with colleagues from across UCC. As part of the Mná@UCC coffee mornings we include a five-minute presentation from one of our members specifically focused on a valuable aspect of professional development in UCC. Following this presentation will is the opportunity for attendees to network with each other.

"Maintaining a Global Perspective When You Can't Leave Home!"

In December 2021 our Mná@UCC Committee Member, Ms. Emma Connolly, International Office in UCC, and founding member of Mná UCC Women’s Network spoke about the value of global reach, and how every staff member - professional services, academic and research – plays a part in UCC's success in global reach. Read more here.

Further Events:

We have a number of events planned for 2022, including, for example, Social Media training as well as more inspirational speakers in our Guest Speaker Series. Feedback and ideas always welcome, please email mna@ucc.ie - Thank you.

Mná@UCC Committee members at the 2021 Mná@UCC Women's Network AGM celebrating our 1st anniversary. Read more here.