Three extraordinarily accomplished women were inducted into the school’s Wall of Inspiration today at our annual International Women’s Day celebration. Congratulations to Ailbhe Smyth, Niamh Byrne, and Alisha Weir.
Ailbhe Smyth is an Irish academic, feminist and LGBTQ activist. She has worked extensively in the area of human rights and social justice. She was the founding director of the Women’s Education, Resource and Research Centre (WERRC), at UCD). Smyth began her involvement in activism in the 1970s with the women’s liberation movement. She received the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award in 2015 at the GALAS, Ireland’s LGBTQ Awards Ceremony. In 2019, Smyth was named as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people. She was conferred the Honorary Freedom of the City of Dublin in 2022 (at the time 3 women were conferred with the Freedom of the City and 2 were past pupils!
Dr Niamh O’Brien is a GP with her own practice in Galway city,. She also works for the HSE-West Drug service, where she provides treatment to patients with opiate dependence disorder and other addiction issues. Niamh is a strong advocate for women’s reproductive rights and provides a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare to women. Niamh has also represented her daughter Annie, as part of a test case, in challenging the government’s decision to close special schools. Annie has non-verbal autism. In 2023 Niamh was awarded the National Dr Fiona Bradley Award which is given to an individual who has made a sustained difference in health care in Ireland and internationally. Niamh’s advocacy for those too vulnerable to speak entirely for themselves has made a sustained difference to health care in Ireland.
Alisha Weir is a current second-year student at OLS, actress, and singer. She began her career in theatre and rose to prominence when she starred as Matilda Wormwood in the film Matilda: The Musical (2022). Her two older sisters took drama classes, which Alisha joined when she was old enough. When the musical Once played in the Olympia Theatre in 2017, Alisha played Ivanka. She also performed a rendition of Justin Timberlake “True Colors” on the Late Late Toy Show. She made her feature film debut in the 2018 thriller Don’t Leave Home and her television debut as Laura in the 2019 crime drama Darklands. Alisha was eleven when she was cast as the Matilda Wormwood in the film adaptation of Matilda the Musical for Netflix and thirteen by the film’s premiere in 2022. She was nominated for a BAFTA award in 2023 for her mesmerising performance in Matilda. She has also starred in Wicked Little Letters with Jessie Buckley and Olivia Coleman. She plays the lead role in the upcoming movie Abigail.
We are so proud to have you as members of the OLS community today and always.
