Network Ireland

Ms Joan Burton, Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, will this evening (7 March, 5.30 pm Iveagh House) meet delegates from Network Ireland and Network UK, the organisations for businesswomen in Ireland and the UK, as well as a number of women from across the business and public sectors in Northern Ireland. Attendees from Northern Ireland will include Anne Skyes, Irish News, Belfast, Anne Carragher, Head of programmes BBC, Geraldine Keegan, Head of St Mary's College, Derry and Maggie Beirne of the Committee on the Administration of Justice. Liz Murphy, Chair of Network UK will lead the UK delegation.

These women are in Dublin to attend a Business Forum which will take place on Saturday 8th March, International Women's Day , in the Berkeley Court Hotel. This workshop is dedicated "to finding ways and means of working with each other across the border and the sea." This is the first time Irish businesswomen have taken such an initiative. They are hopeful that it will benefit all parties involved. By setting up a business dialogue that will span North and South and the UK, Network will be contributing significantly to a better understanding of the difficulties in conducting business in Northern Ireland as well as of the overall situation there. Minister Burton will this evening provide the platform to launch these tripartite discussions .

From small beginnings in 1983, Network is now an important force in the representation of women at all levels of decision- making in the workforce in Ireland. In 13 years, Network's national membership has grown to 750. In addition to their Dublin head office, they now have regional centres in Limerick, Cork, Galway, Waterford, Mayo and most recently Kilkenny. Network members work at management level in business and industry, in government or semi-state bodies, the professions, the arts and in running their own businesses. The profile of its membership has changed over the years and now over 60% of Network members are from the small business sector- self employed women who are running their own businesses. Network aims to support members by equipping them with the necessary skills to network in their corporate and social lives.Top