The National Women’s Council of Ireland launched a new website yesterday and it was really lovely to be asked to do the launching at a function in Dublin.

It’s a important development for the organisation with the site becoming the main source of information on their work and giving a profile for their many member organisations and campaigns.

They are also using online tools to communicate their messages and involve others in their work. Shh now but I do believe the f is going to be put back in feminist with regards to women’s rights campaigns and the policy work that NWCI are well known for is going to be accompanied by a new campaigning zeal!

Expect to see lots of blogging, twittering and the like in the months to come.  NWCI have a campaign running at the moment against cuts in child benefit and the many other cuts proposed in the McCarthy Report which no doubt will increase in volume between now and December 9th.  They are also asking you to spot the woman in Irish public life. I was doing a  bit of that myself watching Tonight with Vincent Browne last week – women were never the main guests only the paper reviewers. I also noted that Ann Marie Hourihane yesterday in the Irish Times pointed out that women in death are invisible.

I’m looking forward to the regular NWCI feature explaining what their member organisations do throughout the country and Longford Women’s Link are the first group to be profiled.

I was asked to write a guest blog post for NWCI’s new blog and have written on the subject of disability and care and the choice not to be cared for.