Today at Leinster House, I wove a star with the One Million Stars Ireland project and Amber Women’s Refuge, at a special Star Weaving ‘Jam’ for members of the Oireachtas to show support for and solidarity with victims of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence (DSGBV) in Ireland. Each eight-point star represents light, hope, and solidarity against DSGBV and promotes the project’s eight points of healthy love within relationships.
The One Million Stars Ireland project is an inclusive community arts project connecting communities across Ireland in solidarity against DSGBV. Founded in 2019, the project was brought to Ireland and is co-ordinated nationally by Art Therapist Siobhan McQuillan working with Amber Women’s Refuge. It is part of the global One Billion Stars project, founded in Australia in 2012 by artist Maryann Talia Pau after the rape and murder of an Irish woman living in Melbourne. Star weavers from 20 counties have already woven more than 100,000 stars since the project launched in Ireland. To date, the youngest star weaver is five years of age; the eldest is 89. www.onemillionstarsireland.ie
Woven stars are curated into the travelling ’LOVE’ star installation, spreading love and hope for a future free from violence and abuse for all in our country. Below are photos from the lighting-up ceremony for #onemillionstarstoendviolence on the grounds of Kilkenny Castle last May.
