We are delighted to announce that Cork Traveller Women’s Network’s Brigid Carmody has been honoured in the new series of female-focused portraits as part of the Accenture Women on Walls exhibit in UCC’s Aula Maxima. Alongside Brigid in the stunning portrait are Mary Crilly, Myra Cullinane, Evelyn Grant, Naomi Masheti, Patricia Sheahan, Caitríona Twomey, and Dola Twomey.

Accenture Women on Wallls.
Picture by Shane O’Neill, Coalesce.

Accenture’s Women on Walls at UCC is a campaign that celebrates women leaders, making them visible through a series of commissioned portraits that create a lasting cultural legacy for Ireland. This is the fourth chapter of Women on Walls and the first outside of Dublin, with over 600 applications since its announcement in 2024. Brigid is the coordinator of Cork Traveller Women’s Network, a grass-roots community organisation that works for Traveller rights, leadership, culture, and heritage.

As the leader of the Cork Traveller Women’s Network, Brigid has amplified the voices of Traveller women and fostered greater recognition and respect for Traveller culture within Ireland. For decades, government policy focused on settling Travellers rather than supporting the growth and preservation of their distinct way of life. Brigid’s work has centred on documenting, honouring, and safeguarding that Traveller heritage. She has consistently called attention to the long-standing neglect of Traveller culture, noting how it has been ignored or misrepresented. Although it still has no place in the school curriculum yet, Brigid’s efforts, along with those of fellow activists and organisations across the country, aim to create space for the authentic story of Irish Travellers to be heard.

Accenture Women on Wallls.
Picture by Shane O’Neill.