Team Irish Country Living has been writing dedicated Women & Agriculture content in the paper every week since July, as we prepared for our annual conference. It’s hard to believe that four months have passed since we sat down to plan this content. We have met with so many women, told their stories, heard what it is that they like about the conference and now the time is practically upon us.

This time next week we will be at the Radisson Blue Hotel Sligo for our 12th annual Women & Agriculture Conference. The excitement is certainly building and we cannot wait to meet everyone. Last year, just a few months into this job as editor, I didn’t really know what to expect from the conference. This year however, with a little more experience under my belt and learning new things daily, I am really looking forward to meeting with our readers and also hearing from our fantastic lineup of speakers.

Ciara Leahy interviewed our keynote speaker for this week’s paper (pages 4-5), the indomitable Vicky Phelan, who exposed the cervical check scandal that shook the country to its core. We are very honoured that she will address our conference and share her story. Vicky said that what she is most proud of is that by speaking out she has helped make other women stronger. Our conference is about women empowering women and although I am sure that her talk may be emotional for many in attendance, I believe that we will all walk away a little stronger for it.

I know it will be emotional for me personally because of my sister Brig, who died from cancer in 2017. In the interview, Vicky also speaks about how through research, she has found a drug that for now, for her, is working. This is an immunotherapy treatment different to chemo and radiation therapies. For a short time we had hoped that Brig would benefit from a similar treatment, but unfortunately she didn’t qualify for the clinical trial. And we will now never know if a trial drug could have saved her or at least have given her the quality of life that Vicky is experiencing.

This month is national breast cancer awareness month. On pages 10-11 we detail some of the fundraising initiatives that have taken place this year in support of Breast Cancer Ireland (BCI), which is constantly researching to find a cure for the disease that will effect one in 10 of us over the course of our lifetimes.

This week’s paper is packed with stories of how women-led campaigns are making a difference in Ireland despite considerable adversity. Maria Moynihan met with solicitor Aisling Glynn who has not let a diagnosis of muscular dystrophy stop her. She represents vulnerable people and is challenging attitudes regarding ability versus disability (page 14). Mairead Lavery visited the National Museum of Country Life in Castlebar to learn more about how women and their powers of persuasion ensured a solid take up of the rural electrification scheme (page 19).

Looking forward to meeting you all in Sligo. There are tickets still available, so get yours quickly. Call 01-4199525 or visit www.womenandagriculture.com