McAleese and Supreme Court remind us why Women's Day matters

International Women’s Day was in danger of becoming a weekday version of Mother’s Day. The commercial opportunities were stacking up alongside the flowers and the social media well-wishers were sharpening their snappy messages. But, in rapid succession, two events in Ireland bulldozed the flimflam and reminded us that this day matters, that celebrating and highlighting the role and contribution of women in society remains crucial and necessary.

The first came in the short phrase ‘empire of misogyny', former President Mary McAleese’s short summary ofthe Catholic Church’s attitude to women. It is a powerful phrase which will become part of the story of the Catholic Church in Ireland and it’s the core message of McAleese’s Voices of Faith speech in Rome for International Women’s Day. She has chosen her words carefully; her career as a barrister and journalist and her presidential experience ensures that her speech has been well crafted, with a powerful soundbite which will stick and stick.