The IRFU are to mark International Women’s Day 2021 with the return of LiveWIRE – a women in rugby event.

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Connacht Rugby President Ann Heneghan will be one of the key speakers on the day. Ms. Heneghan, originally from Partry in Co. Mayo and now living in Galway, is the first woman to hold a Presidential role at provincial level in Irish rugby. Discussions will include:

• Positives and negatives of involvement in rugby due to COVID-19 with best practice examples from women in rugby on how they adapted.
• Leadership styles, impact on leadership now and future, opportunities to lead in various roles.

Speaking ahead of the event, Ann mentioned the challenges that have faced many women in rugby in the past, but offered hope for the future around the pathways in place. “The reality is that you have to prove yourself much more than a man does," she said. "Certainly when I started which would have been 30 years ago it was assumed a woman wouldn’t know anything about rugby. You do know what you’re taking about but you’d feel the need to make excuses about your brothers playing or your dad being mad into it. "Now I’m a lot more confident about it and am comfortable in just knowing what I’m talking about. I can expect respect because I’ve earned it instead of having justified it. "I can say I’m here because I deserve to be here. Not because it’s time to have a woman president in Connacht or in Irish Rugby.” The line-up in full is: Su Carty IRFU Union Committee, World Rugby Council Member Eimear Considine International 15s Player Emily Lane International 7s Player Anne Heneghan Connacht Rugby President

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LiveWIRE 2021 – Women In Rugby Event (Online) Monday March 8th 2021, 1pm – 1:30pm