In honour of International Women’s Day, Team IMAGE are paying tribute to the women in our lives that endlessly inspire us to be the best possible versions of ourselves.
Sarah Finnan, Digital Editor, IMAGE.ie
As I get older, I have renewed appreciation for my mum and all she does for my siblings and me. Anyone who knows her will tell you that she’s the definition of a powerhouse – we all have the same 24 hours in a day but Leslie Finnan achieves more in hers than I do in seven! She’s the type of mum who will drive 40 minutes to pick you up from a teenage disco, who will drop surprise Christmas presents at your door when you’re in Covid isolation, who will commission a gorgeous quilt made of treasured old blankets and T-shirts for your birthday… to put it simply, she’s the best.
It would also be remiss of me not to mention my sister here. Whether it’s the 12,000 daily TikToks she sends me, the play-by-play of her day or the random memories she spends five minutes trying to retell through fits of laughter, she never fails to make me smile. Like all sisters, we bicker over clothes and whose hairbrush is whose, but she’s been my lifeline through many tough times and I’d be absolutely lost without her.
Lizzie Gore-Grimes, Editor-in-Chief
Every time I lean over the sink and secure the plug in place before changing my earrings, I think of my mum. It’s just one of the myriad tiny things she’s taught me along the way; a lesson I’ve been so grateful for on the many occasions my new earring has gone clattering down the porcelain, only to be saved by the sealed plug.
Saying excuse me before interrupting her, using bread soda (for everything!), only using my ring finger to rub around my eyes, brushing my hair from the bottom up, marking ‘my stuff’ with red nail varnish… all the countless little things I’ve picked up along the way. And, of course, her mantra “Don’t forget to breathe…” – advice my siblings and I have often rolled our eyes at over the years. But when you think about it, is there any more universally useful piece of advice?
Regardless of the situation you find yourself in, or the emotion you’re battling, whether it’s anger, disappointment, confusion or shock, when you step back and take a moment to breathe deeply… in for six and out for six… you will inevitably feel just that little bit more capable of tackling the problem in front of you.
So this one’s for you mum. For all the small, but never insignificant, ways you have made me and shaped me into the person I am today.
Shayna (Sappington) Healy, Branded Content Editor & Wedding Content Writer
Every time something hilarious, heartbreaking or exciting happens in my life, my initial gut reaction is to call my little sister Amanda and gab about it. Of course, growing up we had our spats – stealing each other’s clothes, wrestling over the remote control, her feigning an injury at my hand whenever my mom conveniently entered the room…. but over the years, we’ve grown inseparable. I’ve watched her become a fierce, kind and talented adult and there’s no one I admire more.
Her quiet but tenacious spirit has led her to become a force to be reckoned with. After taking a leap and leaving her solid career, she’s pursuing her passion as an entrepreneur and is an absolute rockstar at it. And somehow, she manages to always make time for those closest in her life, be it her husband, her friends, her own well-being or her incredibly needy older sister. She inspires me every day and I’d be utterly lost without her.
Emily O’Neill, Marketing Account Executive
I am so lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible women in both my personal and professional life (shoutout to all of the wonderful women from team IMAGE). At the ripe old age of 28, I still live at home so it is no surprise that my lovely ma, Siobhan, is one of my best friends. I don’t know how she puts up with me but she does and I am so blessed to have her. She is always the first person I call to share any sort of news or updates with, even if we have only seen each other five minutes previously. We genuinely do everything together. She is my travel companion, fashion advisor and number one hype woman (if you have read the comments on my IG posts you will understand). She really is one of a kind!
Marlene Wessels, Art Director
Myself and Elsje go back many, many years. We met on our first day of school and have been friends ever since, even though we ended up going to different universities, lived in different cities, and are now living on different continents. We don’t talk often, but stay in touch – she is and will always be my best friend. We were first to tell each other when we had our first kiss, we skipped school together, we went on diets together and binged together, we went to our first dance together, we got drunk together. We have shared our darkest secrets, our heartache and laughed together trillion times.
She is one of the most beautiful people I know but always stays modest. She is really smart, very hard working, has a heart of gold and is a super mom! It is impossible not to love and admire her.
Sarah Gill, Features Editor, IMAGE.ie
I am seemingly always on the brink of performing an unrelenting soliloquy on my love for Eimear O’Reilly, and in fact, if you give me even half a margarita, it’s pretty much guaranteed. We met in college, which is a fact that tends to surprise many given that we act like we once shared a womb, and I’ve been in love with her ever since. As housemates, we are one another’s live-in therapists, a fact that works out much better for me given that she does, in fact, work in psychology.
In the year I’ve lived with Eimear I have laughed more than in all of my 27 years combined. She’s got the kind of energy that leaves you with symptoms of withdrawal if you’re without it for too long. She is so emotionally intelligent, kind, patient and generous, but she’s also the most ridiculous person I’ve ever met in the best way possible. We will sit together and ponder the inner workings of the Universe, but we will also Google things like ‘when exactly is Dooms Day (Irish time)’, ‘did they have a sense of humour in the 1800s’, and ‘volume of a teardrop (in teaspoons)’. We gather all the secrets of the world and promptly forget about them moments later in pursuit of another episode of Glee, Girls or Pretty Little Liars. I wouldn’t trade her for diamonds.
Meghan Killalea, Marketing Account Executive
I am so lucky to be able to say that I am surrounded by so many incredible, inspirational women who make my life so much more full and show me that strength comes from so many different places. But as long as my list of inspirational women could be, I want to make special mention to my mom, Caroline. My confidante, best friend, shopping buddy, and quite frankly the most stylish woman I know, my mom never fails to be kind, understanding, and thoughtful every day.
She has taught me so many invaluable things about life, from her incredible baking skills and how to make the best cup of tea to knowing how it’s okay to struggle sometimes because we’re only human. Even with the trials life has thrown at her, she navigates each of them with grace and a deafening, joyful laugh (that I have now inherited). So this one’s for you, mom, for moulding me into the woman I am today. If I turn out to be half the woman you are, I will be incredibly proud indeed.
