Six years after the 8th Amendment was repealed, Ruth Walsh examines the important message behind Lisa O’Connor’s Fleeting.
Sometimes being a feminist feels like existing in a bubble. Often an overly idealistic one. Once you realise the importance of this belief system, at whatever age that is for you, things can start to feel disjointed. When you recognise the inequalities that exist in society, you are propelled to change mindsets or at the very least, express a liberating opposition to the damaging narrative that exists. When certain topics come up in conversation, your lived experiences of misogyny, and the unfair treatment you experience because you are a woman aren’t always heard and don’t always carry the weight it should.
These are frequent and sometimes unbearable interactions that can be exhausting; but it’s women like Lisa O’Connor who are changing this conversation. Lisa has made a significant impact by interpreting Irish women’s history through her experience and perspective during the tumultuous 2018 repeal of the Eighth Amendment in her award-winning short film Fleeting.
We’ve probably all had one of those uncomfortable encounters at one stage in our lives. You know, the ones with a relative, friend, or older person from our community when the topic of abortion comes up. Culturally, these discussions might have been avoided. Or the pro-choice party might have stayed silent when a statement was made about how a woman should not be allowed to have an abortion. However, 2018 saw a seismic shift in how this discussion was framed. As a nation, we collectively agreed that regardless of these arguably backward views, women will still get abortions if they need to. Whether it be safely or unsafely women will always get them. And as a result, we now no longer live in a country where if we conceive and it’s unplanned, a woman is forced to carry this pregnancy to term. That change to the Irish constitution in 2018 has made it safer for women and allowed us autonomy over our own bodies.
In its 12-and-a-half-minute runtime, Fleeting throws the viewer into the middle of this epic awkwardness, yet still manages to offer comfort and education. Fueled by empathy, writer Lisa O’Connor, who also plays Saoirse, draws from past experiences. Be it the generational differences between her and her father in the pub or the controlled frustration her character manages so well as they discuss religion and the price of a pint, it’s all too familiar.
The film follows Saoirse, a young woman who flies home to Ireland to vote in the repeal of the Eighth Amendment referendum in May 2018. There she meets her dad, played by Brendan Dunlea, who is firmly pro-life. Fleeting captures the prickly tensions within families at the time of this referendum and gently acknowledges the shadow the Catholic Church casts on rural Ireland as well as the never-ending conversation surrounding a woman’s right to choose. This thoughtful short offers hope and celebrates what Ireland achieved for women on that day six years ago. With the rise of fascism in the Western world, America’s rollback of Roe v. Wade, and Project 2025 making headlines, women’s bodily autonomy and human rights are in no way guaranteed “It’s important we remind ourselves that we have to keep this conversation alive,” Lisa states.
For Lisa O’Connor, the compelling force to create Fleeting stemmed from a profound need to bridge the generational and ideological chasm within her family, “I grew up in a staunch Catholic household. My dad voted ‘No’ in the abortion referendum, and it broke my heart. I needed to write down this hypothetical conversation to try to understand his perspective.”
Lisa recounts writing this film on the night bus in London during the summer of 2019. “After I had my own termination, I started writing in my notes app on my phone.” Initially conceived as a stage play, Fleeting found its way to fruition through the nurturing hands of her director and best friend, Louisa Connolly-Burnham. Produced by Augusta Woods, this film’s transition from stage to screen required expanding the narrative to include more locations, such as a church, a pub, and a hospital waiting room, enhancing the film’s emotional and visual journey with the fundamental structures in traditional Ireland.
Themes of generational differences, of modern versus old Ireland, flood the energetic space of this story. GAA, and how it is at the core of our recreational time while also being a great distraction, sits like bone marrow between the two leads. The loneliness experienced by women who choose to make the decision to terminate their pregnancy floats on top like a feather.
Fleeting comments on so much, but the importance is stacked on Saoirse, as she returns home to show her support to her fellow Irish women. The amount of voters who flew home to have their say was huge and Lisa wanted to pay tribute to this. Their votes played a key factor in how the 8th was repealed by such a landslide. “I personally couldn’t afford to go home to vote, as I had just buried my Granny weeks before.” Lisa said.“I set up a GoFundMe, and a woman from New Zealand with two young girls sent me a donation—within minutes, I swear—to fly home. She wanted to take her girls to an Ireland that had safe healthcare for women.”
Given the opportunity, Fleeting could do for Irish women’s history what Caca Millis did for Irish language students.
As a nation of storytellers, we have seen creative voices at the forefront of every important shift in our society. Given the opportunity, Fleeting could do for Irish women’s history what Caca Millis did for Irish language students. Independent films like this, with a spirit of activism and change at their core, should be shown in schools for years to come. They stand as poignant explorations of the personal and political moments that define our lives.
Fleeting screens at Underground Film Festival this August.
Ruth Walsh is an Irish journalism graduate, public relations consultant, and a digital content creator based in Amsterdam. As a passionate feminist, Ruth celebrates strong female energy and embraces bold, robust topics. She shares her journey and insights on her Substack newsletter, Woman Versus Machine, where she explores life, style, and the unique challenges of navigating the modern world. Follow Ruth on Instagram or Substack.