Galway feminists plan to “reclaim the night” with annual march

Queer Feminist Action Galway, a collective of local feminist groups and societies, has announced the date and time of the annual ‘Reclaim the Night’ march. 

Participating organisations include the University of Galway Feminist Society, the Galway Feminist Collective, and Rhythms of Resistance.

The 2024 edition of the march will take place at 6pm on 8 March, with the goal of protesting sexual harassment and gender based violence.

Participants will travel from Eyre Square to the Spanish Arch, marching to represent the right for women to walk the streets safely without fear of harm.

Violence in Ireland

In 2023, the Central Statistics Office published a report stating that 40 per cent of Irish adults (52 percent of women and 28 percent of men) had experienced sexual violence. Of those victims, 22 per cent did not know the perpetrator.

The Gardai reported a 4 per cent increase in rape and sexual assault between 2021 and 2023. There has been a 9 per cent increase since 2019.

International Women’s Day

8 March was selected as the day of the demonstration because it is recognised globally as International Women’s Day.

Queer Feminist Action Galway described the origin of the day on their social media pages, saying, “The idea for an international women’s struggle day first came from the Socialist Party of America (SPA) in 1908 and was celebrated … together by the socialists and the suffragettes (civic women’s rights activists). A year later, the idea was also adopted by the German socialist Clara Zetkin and proposed at the 2nd International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen. Soon afterwards, this was also implemented in some European countries.”

They added, “It was not until 1921 that the date for ‘Women’s Struggle Day’ was set on March 8th to highlight the role of women & LGBTQIA in the February Revolution in Russia, who were the first to take to the streets in Petrograd on March 8th, 1917.”

Historical Roots

Reclaim the Night came to existence in 1977. Following 13 murders, police instructed women in London to stay indoors at night. Women took to the street to protest this injustice. 

The movement experienced a resurgence in 2004. It has taken place annually in over 30 cities worldwide since. 

More information on the history of Reclaim the Night can be found on their website.

Sign Up to Attend

Potential attendees can mark their interest on the AllEvents page. More information will be posted to the Galway Feminist Collective’s Instagram and Facebook.