7 Irish Women We’ve Got Serious Girl Crushes On

1. Ivana Bacik

Deputy leader of the Seanad and leader of the Labor party in the Seanad, Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Law School since 1996, a staunch feminist and a strong proponent of a woman’s right to choose, Ivana is a woman well worth looking up to.

2. Louise O’Neill

Rapidly making a name for herself both at home and abroad for her young adult novels Only Ever Yours and Asking For It, Louise also scooped a 2015 STELLAR Shine Award for Best Author, voted by you guys, so we know you love her too.

3. Sinead Burke

You have to have come across Sinead Burke aka Minnie Melange by now. Blogger, PhD candidate, activist (and so much more), she’s a little person with a whole lot to say, and recently impressed the entire nation when she was a guest on The Late Late show with Ryan Tubridy. Go, Sinead.

4. Amy Huberman

Hilarious, multi-talented – this lady acts, writes and has her name and face on multiple brands – as well as juggling the commitments of a young family (oh, and then there’s yer man she’s married to, too), Hubes is an enduring fave.

5. Ashling Thompson

She’s got beauty and the brawn to play the tough game that is camogie, and Cork player Ashling is shining a well-deserved light on the issue of mental health too. “Don’t bottle things up; you will lose friends. No matter how bad the situation may be, it always gets better,” she says.

6. Sophie Spence

One of three players nominated for the World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year award, the second-row plays club rugby for Leinster, was part of the Grand Slam team and claimed her second Six Nations title in three years in 2015. Phew!

7. Andrea Farrell

This funny fecker won our 2015 STELLAR Shine Award for best comedian and deservedly so. Look for her name in very big lights in 2016.

• feminism
• girl crushes
• inthemag
• Irish women