Latest news with #SiobhánO'Dowd
Irish Examiner
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Siobhán O'Dowd 1964-2025: Proud Kerry woman who championed social justice and human rights in Cork
As Cork's LGBTI+ Awareness Week drew to a close this year, rainbow flags at City Hall flew at half-mast in memory of Siobhán O'Dowd, who died on May 17 following a battle with cancer. Social justice, human rights, and rewriting history from the margins were trademarks of her activism, writing, and community work for more than three decades. As a passionate advocate of marginalised groups, her belief in the power of collective action to create change inspired others to take the initiative in their own communities. One of six recipients of Lord Mayor Dan Boyle's 2025 Civic Awards, her long-term contributions to community development, inclusion, lifelong learning, and LGBT+ activism were highlighted during the City Hall ceremony on May 7, where attendees gave her a standing ovation. To locals, Siobhán O'Dowd's name will be synonymous with Ballyphehane-Togher Community Development Project on the south side of Cork City, where she worked from 1999 to 2025. Siobhán was deeply committed to the mission to tackle disadvantage, income poverty, and unemployment through a range of interventions. Her belief that community education was at the heart of social change illuminated her work on early learning, family support, and adult education programmes. Media reports on her death describe her as a 'Cork activist and champion for equality', but Siobhán was, in fact, a proud Kerry woman. Born in 1964 and raised on a farm in Ballyoughtra, Milltown, she retained a lifelong affinity to the homeplace of her Griffin grandparents and uncle at Ballinakilla, Glenbeigh. Her deep connection to the local landscape, language, and history there came with understanding of the power of a good story, accompanied by a lifelong devotion to the Kerry football team. Relocating to Cork to take an English and history degree at UCC in the 1980s, she learned about identity politics from the ground up. In later life, she wore various identity markers lightly, code-switching as she moved easily from local to global concerns. Announcing her passing, Ballyphehane-Togher Community Development Project said: 'From neighbourhood initiatives on the south side of Cork, to countywide collaborations, national policy forums, and European partnership projects, Siobhán's influence was felt far beyond the walls of our centre.' Her generative role in the development of Cork's Lifelong Learning Festival, the WHO Healthy Cities initiative, and Cork Equal and Sustainable Communities Alliance is testament to her capacity to engage with people and groups at various levels, always with the aim of widening the leadership base. Described in recent tributes as 'a quiet strategist', 'patient but relentless', and 'a force of nature', she was a difficult person to say no to. Siobhán's easy sociability and capacity to wear her learning lightly were a keynote of her life; everyone was guaranteed a cup of tea in the kitchen of Ballyphehane-Togher Community Development Project, many only later realising they'd volunteered their services in some way. During the pandemic, locals remember Siobhán working away quietly behind the scenes, coordinating support across Ballyphehane, Togher, and Turners Cross, to make sure vulnerable people were cared for and no one was left behind. Her response was rooted in compassion, local knowledge, and an unshakable sense of community solidarity. Siobhán O'Dowd, right, who received a civic award from Lord Mayor Cllr Dan Boyle in recognition of her long-term contributions on community development, inclusion, life long learning and LGBTI+ activism in Cork. Also included is Tina O'Toole, left. Picture: Brian Lougheed An activist in Cork's LGBTI+ community since the late 1980s, Siobhán O'Dowd was a founder member of Cork Aids Alliance in 1988, where she held the roles of co-chair, with Ronnie Dorney 1990-91, and co-ordinator 1991-93; more recently she was a founding member of Cork City's LGBTI+ Inter-Agency Group, which she chaired from 2017-2023. In 1999, Siobhán helped found Linc (now Linq Ireland) the first organisation in Ireland dedicated to lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women. She developed its first training programmes, served on its voluntary management committee for many years, and, in collaboration with her partner Tina O'Toole, wrote funding applications to ensure Linc had staff, resources, and the foundations to provide a sustainable resource for Cork's LBTQ communities. In 2014, Siobhán worked with her great friend Dave Roche of Cork Gay Project to have a rainbow flag from San Francisco given as a gift to Cork's Lord Mayor, councillor John Buttimer. When it was raised over Cork City Hall that year, it was the first time a rainbow flag had been hoisted on a public building in the State. Three years later, she was a generative force in the signing of a Rainbow Memorandum, in which sister cities Cork and San Francisco pledged to attain membership of the International Rainbow Cities Network. In 2020, due to her tireless efforts, Cork became the first Irish city to join. In a recent statement, Cork Gay Project said: 'Her legacy lives on in every rainbow flag raised over Cork City Hall, in every policy shift that brings us closer to equality, and in every life made safer, more visible, and more hopeful because of her work.' Siobhán O'Dowd, chair of Cork LGBTI+ Inter-Agency Group holding the RCN Membership Certificate surrounded by delegates. The certificate was presented to Cork City on the occasion that Cork City Council and Cork LGBTI+ Inter-Agency hosted the Global Rainbow Cities Network in 2020. Picture: Clare Keogh A keen plantswoman, Siobhán took refuge from this life of public service in the potting shed of her West Cork garden, where she might be found sowing tomato seeds or chatting with neighbours. An ardent reader and advocate for the public library system, she strongly believed in the transformative power of books. These twin concerns came together in her initiative to create a vibrant community garden based at the Tory Top Library, which continues to bring local people together to grow collectively. As news of her untimely death filtered out, the international range of Siobhán's affliation and kinship was revealed, as messages of condolence poured in from South Australia, Sydney and South Carolina, from San Francisco and São Paulo, as well as Ballyphehane and Togher, Milltown and Glenbeigh. At local level, her Timoleague neighbours provided the first of three guards of honour as the funeral cortege pulled out of their townland. In Ballyphehane, a lone piper accompanied the hearse on the street lined with young and old, from the church as far as the library. Outside City Hall, the Lord Mayor led a guard of honour comprising over 100 community representatives and members of statutory agencies, as members of LGBTI+ organisations waved Pride Progress flags. In a statement following her death, the LGBTI+ Inter-Agency Group attested to Siobhán's strategic vision and legacy: 'Her turn of phrase could move a room; her speeches and scripts reflected her depth of understanding and strategic insight … She stood strong in the face of exclusion, violence, and discrimination. She knew how to influence systems while keeping her feet firmly in community. She always made space for the next generation. "Siobhán O'Dowd was one of the golden generation of Irish LGBT+ activists — a true pioneer, a community builder, and a warrior for human rights."
Irish Examiner
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Cork activist dies after over three decades of service to the community
Flags are flying at half-mast above Cork's City Hall today following the death of an inspirational campaigner and community worker. Siobhán O'Dowd, who played a key role in several gay rights, equality, and community development campaigns for more than three decades, died peacefully at home in the city last night following a short illness. She was 61. She died on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia — a movement she helped pioneer in Cork — and just weeks after she was presented with one of the Lord Mayor's civic awards for 2025. She was honoured by Lord Mayor councillor Dan Boyle for her long-term contributions to community development, inclusion, lifelong learning, and LGBT+ activism in Cork. In posts on social media today, former lord mayor councillor John Sheehan described her as 'a real inspiration' while former lord mayor and former councillor Mick Finn described her as 'an inspirational warrior'. The Lantern Project at Nano Nagle Place described her as 'a champion of the city'. 'Siobhán was a champion in our city in so many ways,' it said. She encouraged us in our work at the Lantern Nano Nagle Place and was both, a friend and a mentor to us. 'Ballyphehane Togher CDP has been a leader in highlighting the importance of community education and helped to put it firmly on political agendas and with her colleagues Siobhán brought many issues to the attention of other change makers. 'Siobhán lived her work, loved her work, and had a deep understanding of the value of accepting and meeting people exactly where they are at. 'Siobhán's leadership, brilliant mind and global vision will be missed. 'As friends and colleagues carry on her important work, they will honour her.' Born in Kerry in 1964, Ms O'Dowd moved to Cork in the mid 1980s. She was one of the founding members of Cork Aids Alliance, a group that included lesbian, gay, and straight people who worked together to address the enormous stigma around Aids and HIV. She co-chaired the alliance for two years and was later appointed the first full-time co-ordinator of the alliance in 1990. She worked as a community worker across the city for over 30 years and was the long-time co-ordinator of Ballyphehane Togher Community Development Project. She was a member of the original steering group which established the Cairde Corcaí/LINC lesbian and bisexual community centre in 1999. Together with Tina O'Toole, she helped obtain EU Equality for Women funding for LINC which helped further its development. She was also a member of the Cork City LGBT+ InterAgency Group since its inception in 2002 and was appointed chairperson in 2017. Since 2010 the group has organised an annual Cork LGBT+ Awareness Week, and at the opening of the 2014 week, Cork city became the first place to fly the rainbow flag formally from a civic or public building in Ireland, when organisers and Cork City Council agreed to fly a rainbow flag over City Hall. In 2018 Cork City signed a 'Rainbow Memorandum' with one one its largest twin cities, San Francisco, and later that year won LGBT Ally of the year award in the national Gala Awards. In 2020 Cork City became the first city on the island of Ireland to become part of the international Rainbow Cities Network.
