SI Ireland

Yet another inspiring female athlete secures Gold… Irish swimming sensation Ellen Walshe has doubled her gold medal tally at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris.

Just days after securing a magnificent 400m individual medley title on Wednesday with a time of 4:34.42, the Templeogue star pulled off a sensational comeback victory in the 200m individual medley final. Trailing in seventh place after the butterfly leg and sixth after the backstroke, Walshe surged to the front during a powerful breaststroke leg and flew through the freestyle finish to touch the wall first.

🏆 Double European Champion StatusThe 400m IM Masterclass: Secured Ireland's first long-course senior gold of the meet on Wednesday.The 200m IM Comeback: Charged from 6th place to 1st in a stunning second-half display.History Maker: Cemented her position among Europe's elite, following up on her previous historic short-course achievements.🏊‍♂️ The Golden TakeawayWalshe admitted she left absolutely everything in the pool, driving home a monumental week for Swim Ireland alongside teammates like Mona McSharry.🟢⚪️📯

HISTORY MADE! 👑🇮🇪Huge congratulations to the incredible Kate O’Connor, who has officially been crowned the European Heptathlon Champion after a sensational masterclass in Birmingham! Not only did she secure the gold medal, but she smashed the Irish national record with an unbelievable 6,751 points!From the hurdles and high jump to that grit-testing final 800m, Kate proved what absolute dedication, versatility, and resilience look like. This phenomenal victory comes hot on the heels of her brilliant Commonwealth Games gold, proving that she is truly operating at a world-class level.To every woman and young girl watching: Kate is the ultimate blueprint. She shows us that when you dare to dream, work through the grind, and back yourself across every single obstacle, you can conquer the world. 🌟✨Thank you, Kate, for blazing a trail, rewriting the history books, and proving that there are zero limits to what women in sport can achieve! Dundalk, Newry, and the entire nation are bursting with pride today! 🕊️💚

Yesterday, on UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, members of Soroptimist International Wexford came together wearing blue to show their support for the Hidden in Plain Sight campaign and to stand in solidarity with survivors of human trafficking.

Blue is the international colour of awareness for this important day, symbolising our shared commitment to ending exploitation and protecting the dignity and rights of every person.

Thank you to our Wexford members for joining clubs across Ireland in raising awareness, starting conversations and demonstrating that, together, we can make a difference.

Today, on UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland proudly launched Year Two of our national Hidden in Plain Sight campaign in Dáil Éireann.

We were honoured to bring our campaign to the heart of Irish democracy, continuing our commitment to raising awareness of human trafficking and advocating for stronger action to prevent exploitation.

Our sincere thanks to Senator Alison Comyn for hosting today’s event and for her leadership in ensuring that the issue of human trafficking remains firmly on the political agenda.

We were also delighted that Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP joined us virtually from the European Parliament, reinforcing the importance of tackling human trafficking through cooperation at local, national and European levels.

Today’s event brought together voices from policing, academia, international organisations and civil society.

We were privileged to hear from:

🔹 Detective Inspector Adrian Kinsella, Garda National Protective Services Bureau, Human Trafficking Investigation Coordination Unit & Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit.

🔹 Julie Bourgade, National Programme Manager, IOM Ireland – the United Nations Migration Agency.

🔹 Dr Niamh Flanagan, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies, Maynooth University, whose research focuses on social policy, child and family policy, and responses to child trafficking.

We were also delighted to be joined by Senator Joe O’Reilly, Senator Maria Byrne, Leas-Chathaoirleach of Seanad Éireann, National President Siobhán Matthews, and our Project Sponsor Annette Kennedy, whose vision and commitment have helped shape this campaign from the very beginning.

Over the past 18 months, Hidden in Plain Sight has reached an estimated 300,000 people, engaged communities across Ireland, generated national awareness, and brought our advocacy from local communities to the United Nations and today, to Dáil Éireann. Speaking ahead of the launch, Dr Siobhán Matthews National President of Soroptimist
International Republic of Ireland, said:
"Human trafficking is one of the most serious human rights abuses of our time, yet it remains
hidden in plain sight. Behind the statistics are real people whose lives have been affected by
exploitation, fear and abuse.”

Year One opened people’s eyes.

Year Two is about turning awareness into action.

Together, we will continue to educate, advocate and work towards a future where human trafficking is no longer hidden in plain sight.

Alison ComynSoroptimist SIGBI

Today, Hidden in Plain Sight goes to Leinster House.

We are honoured to bring our campaign to the heart of Irish democracy through an awareness and advocacy event in Dáil Éireann, kindly hosted by Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP and Senator Alison Comyn, Chair of the Women's Caucus.

Over the past 18 months, our campaign has reached communities across Ireland.
Today, those conversations continue where policy is shaped.

Human trafficking cannot be tackled by one organisation alone. It requires collaboration between government, law enforcement, frontline services, legislators and civil society.

We are proud to be part of that conversation.

Today marks the beginning, not the end.

As we launch Year Two of Hidden in Plain Sight, we are setting our sights even higher.
Over the coming year we will continue to expand awareness across Ireland, deepen our partnerships, strengthen advocacy and bring this conversation to new audiences.

Our ambition is not simply to raise awareness.

It is to influence policy, support prevention and ensure that human trafficking can no longer remain hidden in plain sight.

From local communities...
To the United Nations...
To Dáil Éireann...

The conversation is growing.
And we're only getting started.

Today is more than a day of awareness. It's a day of commitment.

On UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland proudly launches Year Two of our national campaign, Hidden in Plain Sight.

Over the past 18 months, our members have worked tirelessly to shine a light on human trafficking in communities across Ireland, educating, advocating and encouraging people to recognise that exploitation can happen anywhere.

Today, we take the next step.

As we launch Year Two, our ambition grows. We will continue to raise awareness, strengthen partnerships and ensure that the voices of survivors, frontline organisations and communities remain at the heart of this campaign.

Because awareness must lead to action.
And action must lead to change.

This week members of Soroptimist International Ballina, joined by friends and community leaders, gathered at the beautiful Belleek Castle to mark World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Together they formed a powerful blue awareness ribbon, a symbol of hope, solidarity and our shared commitment to ending human trafficking.

We were delighted to be joined by Minister Dara Calleary TD, whose support highlights the importance of working together across communities, government and civil society to confront this global crime.

Every conversation, every partnership and every act of awareness helps ensure that human trafficking is no longer Hidden in Plain Sight.

Thank you to everyone who took part in creating this striking display of unity.

💙 Together we are making a difference.

Tomorrow, the world marks UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Over the past nine days, we've shared facts, challenged myths, highlighted the warning signs and celebrated the incredible work of Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland clubs in raising awareness across our communities.

But awareness isn't the finish line.
It's the starting point.

Human trafficking continues to affect women, men and children around the world, including here in Ireland. It relies on silence, vulnerability and people looking the other way.

Together, we can help change that.
Take a moment to remember:
💙 Human trafficking happens in Ireland.
💙 It is often hidden in plain sight.
💙 Awareness can help protect vulnerable people.
💙 Every conversation has the power to make a difference.

Thank you to every SIROI member, partner organisation, speaker, volunteer, journalist and supporter who has stood with us throughout the Hidden in Plain Sight campaign.
Tomorrow, we stand together with communities across the world to mark UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Let's continue to shine a light where traffickers depend on darkness.
Because together, we can ensure that human trafficking is no longer hidden in plain sight.

Some conversations start in local communities.

The most important ones deserve to be heard around the world.

Over the past 18 months, Soroptimist International Republic of Ireland's Hidden in Plain Sight campaign has grown from local awareness events across Ireland to international advocacy at the United Nations.

By bringing our work to the UN, we helped ensure that the experiences, partnerships and learning from communities across Ireland contributed to the global conversation on preventing human trafficking and protecting those most at risk of exploitation.
This reflects what SIROI has always believed:

Real change begins locally, but it doesn't have to end there.

Every awareness event hosted by our clubs, every conversation with a community member, every partnership with frontline organisations and every voice raised against exploitation has contributed to something much bigger.

As we approach 30 July – UN World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, we remain committed to raising awareness, challenging exploitation and standing up for women and girls.

Together, we can ensure that human trafficking is no longer hidden in plain sight.