So what are you up to this weekend? Here at Shona, we plan to have a nice lie in, watch some Netflix (okay, a lot of Netflix) and maybe go for a bit of an oul stroll if the rain holds off. On Saturday, Sinead Kane will be preparing to run a Marathon in the Antarctic. That’s
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Claire Wineland has cystic fibrosis, a genetic, chronic and progressive disease, and will probably die in the next few years. She’s hoping to reach 21 so she can go clubbing just once. In her short life, she has written a book, given two Ted Talks, started a charitable foundation and won numerous awards. She also
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Yesterday we shared a post by a girl who realised as a woman that she had bullied another girl in school to the brink of suicide. This seemed to strike a cord, and we received a few messages from girls who were going through a really hard time and wanted to tell us about it. If you
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We came across this story on www.viralwomen.com and thought we would share it because so many of us can identify with it. There’s a bit of a bully in all of us, although its a label nobody wants. I hated school, I never felt like I belonged, and I had no idea where I fit
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We Irish girls need to see female role models in all aspects of life, business, arts, sport, politics, society, and science. This we know for sure. And we’re working on that. But answer me this, did you ever, in your wildest dreams think that in your lifetime you’d see a red headed Irish woman in
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Family stuff happens, and sometimes it hurts. This young lady wrote this letter that she will never send to her Dad, but wanted to get how she felt off her chest. Writing stuff down is a great way to get your head around how you feel, and sometimes helps a little. Dad, I have so
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We devoted our entire January 2017 Special Issue to an exploration of gender—get it now on iOS: https://t.co/Gp06vqjZBg #GenderRevolution pic.twitter.com/vtWWukVEtg — National Geographic (@NatGeo) December 16, 2016 This is 9-year-old Avery Jackson, a beautiful young lady who has shared the story of her transition with us on youtube. Appearing on this months National Geographic, she says, “The best
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Edwina Kelly has been a professional make-up artist for the last 18 years; working in Film, TV and Commercials. A specialist in prosthetic’s and special effects make up, her credits include Ripper Street, Penny Dreadful and making Mario Rosenstock look like Miriam O’Callaghan. How did she get such a cool job? Lets ask her… Growing up in the
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Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the last time Nicole Ryan saw her brother Alex alive. The 18 year old died after taking a synthetic drug at a house party. Nicole has struggled ever since to cope with her loss, and writes about it on her blog. She now wants to educate the world about the
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If you haven’t come across Herstory yet, you need to check it out. Led by the fabulous Melanie Lynch, they aim to “tell the multi-faceted, lost, forgotten and untold life stories of Irish women from history and today; to capture their individual characters, achievements, and the patriarchal dogma they challenged.” You can read some of the amazing
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So 2016 was good for some, bad for others. Whatever way you look at it, it was an eventful year, and one that will bring big changes for 2017. But what about you? Have you made new years resolutions? Betcha did. Gonna cut back on Social Media? Get 600 points in your exams? Loose half
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We had such a good time at Girlfest, talking about everything; likes, selfies, goals, friends, challenges and amazing people. Thanks to everyone who came and took part. Click below to see some of the pictures.
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Sophie Kane is a very promising young writer who has written for the National Women’s Council and the Journal amongst others. Here, she writes about how when you be yourself, yourself can be anything! Thanks Sophie. x In Ireland today we face so many obstacles, a homeless crisis, a woman’s right to her reproductive health ,
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One of the very first posts that we published on Shona.ie was a piece naming Lizzie Velasquez our inspirational person of the day. Lizzie was born with Marfan Syndrome, which means that her body can’t store fat. She is also a very successful motivational speaker and author who speaks out about bullying and social media trolls.
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Here’s the thing. Us girls spend many years changing and growing, moving from one group to another and identifying more with some at different stages because we like to hang out with those who are similar to us. Our personalities change over time, and we will go through phases where our friendships are just plain
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I first met Anitta at a workshop I did in St Pauls, Waterford in October. I spotted her straight away as she is full of life & energy, and has the eyes of an old soul. She stood up and spoke to the class and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. She came
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The Royal Irish Academy is an organisation for the most brilliant academics. It was founded in 1785 and is as gloriously fancy as its sounds. Walking through the august halls, Michelle Cullen and Eithne Harley from Accenture noticed that the portrait lined walls featured not one woman, and decided to do something about it. They
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So many of us girls dreamed of growing up to be a ballerina when we were tiny. For many of us, it wasn’t even about the dancing, it was purely the tutu. Little did we know that ballerina’s at the top of their game live the lives of athletes, making huge sacrifices, often far from their
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