A Co. Galway farmer has been selected as one of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations' (UN) 100 Women Heroes.

This is for International Year of the Woman Farmer (IYWF) 2026.

Blátnaid Gallagher was selected from more than 600 nominations across 131 countries.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said her dedication, leadership and achievements will be showcased across UN media channels and prominent events to advocate for gender equality in rural sectors.

A special awards ceremony will take place as part of the World Food Forum in Rome in October.

DAFM said Gallagher is an "exceptional role model for women and young girls, in Ireland and now worldwide".

Gallagher runs Murray Meadows in east Co. Galway, where she operates her own 100-acre mixed farming enterprise.

A passionate advocate for women in agriculture, she has recently served as Ireland’s ambassador for the FLIARA project, championing the voice of female farmers across the EU.

She is the driving force behind Ireland’s first national wool co-op, centred on our native Irish sheep breed, strengthening opportunities for sheep farmers nationwide.

Alongside her hands-on farming work, she is a contributor to the EU CAP Network Focus Group 57, also a Farming for Nature ambassador and sits on the Galway Rural Development LEADER Evaluation Board.

She was one of the shortlisted candidates for the role of ambassador to represent Ireland during the IYWF.

International Year of the Woman Farmer

The UN declared 2026 the IYWF.

The year spotlights the essential roles women play across agri-food systems, from production to trade, while often going unrecognised.

The UN said women farmers are central to food security, nutrition and economic resilience.

IYWF 2026 aims to raise awareness and promote actions to close the gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods worldwide.

Ireland's ambassador for the IYWF is Carina Roseingrave.

Roseingrave runs Burren View Farm alongside her brother Gerry at the foothills of the Burren in Crusheen, Co. Clare.

They have a mixed enterprise of dairy and suckler cattle, along with a pedigree Limousin and Charolais herd. The farm also produces free-range eggs.