There was a soft knock on the back door last Wednesday morning. I opened it to Ciara Leahy, editor of Irish Country Living. Ciara, like many parents that morning of the civil servants’ strike, had sorted out her little children, Molly and Jack. Then, she had hopped in her car and driven from Dublin to meet with me in Cork.

Our agenda included a serious planning session for the 17th Women & Agriculture conference and the recording of an episode of This is Country Living podcast. The excitement between us was palpable with the conference not two weeks away. The work had been done by Ciara and her team. Her aim was to share the line-up and her thoughts with me. I’m so grateful to her for allowing me to be part of the conference.

All going well, I will chair the conference for the day. It is a huge honour for me and I know I will come away energised with new thoughts and plans. I’m thrilled it’s in Cork.

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Endless possibilities

It’s hard to imagine that it is our 17th conference. I remember the day well when the former editor of Irish Country Living, Mairead Lavery, called me into her office and shared her idea of a women and agriculture conference. I was immediately supportive of the idea. Meanwhile, Mairead was already well down the road with ideas about speakers and how we’d make the event unique.

Over the years, the conference has gone from strength to strength. The speakers create a particular dynamic and the conference takes on a life of its own. As a result, no two conferences are the same.

I’ve learnt an awful lot from the speakers but in particular from the life stories of various people. We have heard from amazing women who started up businesses or who saved businesses after difficult times or even a fire. I always love a psychological input and someone who can educate us about managing our lives. The possibilities are endless.

Over the years, the conference has gone from strength to strength. The speakers create a particular dynamic and the conference takes on a life of its own. As a result, no two conferences are the same

Over the years, the audience has changed. There are women that come every year. Many have made it a time to share with their sisters or their friends. Mother and daughters often come together. This year, I know there will be new people especially as the date has shifted to during the mid-term school break. Hopefully, it will give a new cohort of ladies the chance to experience the impact of this conference.

Once Ciara came in the door, we were away on a well-travelled train of thought, trying to make sure that everything, including ourselves, would run smoothly. Meanwhile, back at the Irish Farmers Journal headquarters, Clodagh Carey, events manager, is also hard at work with her team. There is so much to be done. Every step has to be managed so that the ladies have a lovely day, go away happy, feel inspired and have a chance to relax.

I look forward to working with the team from Irish Country Living. I relish talking to ladies that I’ve met at previous conferences. I love to hear stories from women about them and their families as they navigate everyday life and farming life. I enjoy meeting my cousins, school mates and people that I’ve crossed paths with previously. I like to meet and hear from women that are new to the conference.

Glad rags

The next job is to decide what to wear at the conference. I’ve decided to “shop the wardrobe” on my daughter, Julie’s advice. There are a few nice dresses in there that could do with another airing. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and having a good day out.