Saoi O'Connor began the Fridays for Future strike in Cork city on 11 January 2019 outside Cork City Hall[1][2] holding a poster which says "The Emperor Has No Clothes".[3] O'Connor made their first media appearance aged 3 as part of a fair trade campaign during St Patrick's Day.[4] O'Connor quit mainstream education at Skibbereen Community School to take up home-schooling[3] to allow them to campaign full-time.[5] In February 2019, O'Connor travelled to the European Parliament in Strasbourg to join fellow activists for the climate debates.[4]