To mark International Women’s Day, and the first anniversary of the unveiling of Mary Ann McCracken and Winnifred Carney statues in the grounds of Belfast City Hall, join Dr Robyn Atcheson and Dr Lauren Smyth as they tell you stories of these, and other, remarkable Belfast women.

Hear stories about Mary Ann McCracken who fought for the rights of the poor and took a stand against the slave trade, as well as some of the women who ended up in the Poor House. This talk will look at how women 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. It will also explore the legacy of these women in the 20th and 21st centuries and how Belfast can better remember them and their activism.

Dr Robyn Atcheson is a social historian who teaches and writes on social history, history of medicine and women’s history. Her specialist research interests lie in the history of poor relief and public health in nineteenth-century Belfast.

Dr Lauren Smyth is the Historian of Clifton House who researches and tells the stories of those who worked and lived in the Belfast Poor House, the work of the Belfast Charitable Society and Mary Ann McCracken. Her specialist subject is 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.

Location: Belfast City Hall

Time: 13:00-14:30

Date: Wednesday 5 March

Price: Free

https://visitbelfast.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873669685