SINCE THE BREXIT referendum in 2016, conversations about the constitutional future of the island of Ireland have gained momentum. 27 years after the Good Friday Agreement, many of the debates, however, remain dominated by male perspectives.

They involve a rhetoric that leaves many feeling unsafe and unwelcome, thus silencing their voices. There has also been a strong tendency to reduce Ireland’s constitutional future to a binary choice of the North remaining in the UK or reunifying with the South, rather than something new.

To change the narrative, break through barriers and demand a space as part of the constitutional debate, the National Women’s Council (NWC) organised the Women’s Assembly earlier this year, to look at a feminist way of shaping our future. Chaired by former President Mary McAleese, the Women’s Assembly brought together 50 women from all walks of life across the island, ready to have difficult conversations, share experiences, and reimagine our future. Over two days, we talked, listened and imagined something radically new.

Shared vision

The energy in that space was transformative and an affirmation that women are not waiting around to be included in conversations about our future. We challenged restrictive definitions of identity and acknowledged the complexities of our history. The Women’s Assembly explored how current economic systems entrench inequality on both sides of the border and how current constitutional discussions treat land as property, reinforcing systems of ownership and exploitation. We also reimagined a society where care, equality and justice are foundational.

Crucially, our conversations did not attempt to arrive at a singular constitutional position. Instead, the Assembly created space for women to listen and understand different perspectives. Traveller women spoke of the persistent discrimination they face and questioned whether a new Ireland would finally offer them equality, representation and security. Migrant women reflected that they felt invisible in constitutional debates, despite the direct impact such changes would have on their lives. Unionist women highlighted concerns about how their British identity would be protected if the island were reunited. While some women in the North shared experiences of having to suppress their Irish identity for their own safety, others reflected on how class, disability and migration status reinforce exclusion. These discussions made it clear that identity protections must be a universal principle, not an issue for one group alone.

The discussions brought to the fore the key issues that affect women across the whole island, no matter their background or political outlook.

Beyond the borders

In both jurisdictions, there is an epidemic of violence against women, which comes at a significant emotional and economic cost. Women still do the majority of unpaid care work on both sides of the border. Women’s voices remain unrepresented in political decision-making, and the lack of affordable, accessible, quality childcare is one of the most important barriers to women’s full participation in all aspects of life.

These issues are not secondary, but must be central to creating a just and fair future.

The result of the Women’s Assembly is a vision for a feminist future that no longer treats women as bystanders but as key architects of our shared future. A key component of this is recognising land as a source of life, requiring stewardship, not extraction. We must start acting like “good ancestors” in the face of the climate crisis.

The debate at the Women’s Assembly also highlighted the need for a renewed focus on reconciliation. Women’s experiences of conflict and division have been sidelined for too long and ignored women’s roles as caregivers, community builders, peacebuilders and political activists. The abuses women suffered, whether at the hands of paramilitary groups, State forces, or within their own homes, have never been adequately addressed. Reconciliation must go beyond resolving violence and dismantle the systemic harms that have shaped women’s lives.

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The Women’s Assembly demonstrated the transformational potential of the type of open conversation that people on this island are ready to have, offering a space that focuses on bringing people together over shared values.

Stepping up

Women are not waiting for permission. We are already shaping Ireland’s future. Women are coming together in fora like NWC’s All-Island Women’s Forum supported by the Government’s Shared Island initiative, the Belfast Women’s Assembly and others through activism, research, community work and policy to pave the way.

But our participation must be more than symbolic, it must be structurally supported, resourced and politically prioritised. The Women’s Assembly and other initiatives like the Women’s Charter for Inclusive Constitutional Futures have identified the steps we need to take. What we need now is commitment, meaningful funding and a guarantee that women’s voices will not be an afterthought.

A feminist shared future is possible, but it will not come easily. It requires hard conversations, dismantling entrenched power and inequalities and making reconciliation more than a political process.

Orla O’Connor is the Director of the National Women’s Council. The Women’s Assembly report can be found here.