Belfast's Remarkable Women Talk: Mary Ann McCracken, Winifred Carney and Baroness May Blood

About

Come and hear stories of how Mary Ann McCracken fought for the rights of the poor and took a stand against the slave trade. This talk will look at how Winifred Carney and Baroness May Blood engaged with politics at a time when their voices were being deliberately silenced and how they overcame class barriers in order to achieve small victories.

This talk will be given by Dr Lauren Smyth, Dr Margaret Ward and Avila Kilmurray.

Dr Lauren Smyth is the Historian of Clifton House. Her specialist subject child poverty in early 19th Century Belfast and how charitable institutions, such as the Belfast Charitable Society, tried to improve child welfare during this period.

Dr Margaret Ward is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in History at Queen's University, Belfast. She is a feminist historian, with a particular interest in the contribution of Irish women to political movements in the 20th century.

Avila Kilmurray is the Migration and Peacebuilding Executive at The Social Change Initiative, a role which supports work with the Migrant Learning Exchange Programme and learning on peace building. Avila has worked in the community sector and philanthropy in Northern Ireland since 1975.She has particular interest in women's issues and anti-poverty work and was a founder member of the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition.

This talk is a part of the Féile an Phobail festival which is Ireland's biggest Community Arts Festival.