Herstory's 1st Birthday: Ireland’s Lost Muses / 25.05.17

Ireland’s Lost Muses

Celebrating Herstory's 1st birthday at the International Literature Festival Dublin

Date: Thursday, 25 May

Time: 6:00PM

Venue: Smock Alley Theatre

Price: €10 / €8

Herstory, which tells the lost life-stories of historical, contemporary and mythological women, celebrates its first birthday with a unique event! What makes a ‘muse’? Join speakers, including historian Dr Mary McAuliffe and author of Wilde's Women Eleanor Fitzsimons, to explore the multi-faceted lives of the women who inspired Yeats, Wilde and Joyce. From Maud Gonne to Nora Barnacle, meet the women you think you know but don't — and discover the fascinating characters once lost by history, now found by Herstory. For a twist, acclaimed contemporary poet Dani Gill will read poetry from her new collection 'After Love', recently published by Salmon Poetry and inspired by her male muse. 

Followed by a reception at The Workman's Club, Wellington Quay.

Presented in association with the International Literature Festival Dublin

Ulster Herstory Salon / 20.05.17

THE ULSTER HERSTORY SALON

Date: 20 May 2017

Venue: Portrush Town Hall

Time: Doors Open at 18:30 FOR 21.00 start

Organiser: Angela Byrne

Contact details: a.byrne@ulster.ac.uk

 

Ulster Herstory Salon Programme

Event launch by Dr Karise Hutchinson, Provost at Ulster University, Coleraine

‘HerStory: The Forgotten Women in Science’ by Dr Diane Lees-Murdock, Senior Lecturer, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University

Music by Oonagh McArdle

The Bad Bridget Project by Dr Leanne McCormick, School of English and History, Ulster University

Reading by Elaine Donnelly, creative writer

‘“This is not a Success Story”: The Work of the Architect Florence Fulton Hobson’ by Dr Tanja Poppelreuter, Lecturer in Architectural History and Theory, Ulster University

‘Forgotten and Neglected Women Writers’ by Dr Katherine Byrne, Lecturer in English, Ulster University

Music by Oonagh McArdle

‘Unseen Women: Stories from Armagh Gaol’ and ‘Women's Vision from Across the Barricades’ by Dr Jolene Mairs Dyer, Lecturer in Media Production, Ulster University

‘Sisters in the Troubles’ by Dr Dianne Kirby, Reader in History, Ulster University

Questions from the audience

Closing words by Melanie Lynch, Herstory project founder

Maynooth Herstory Salon / 12.04.17

“Has Second Wave Feminism Ended?”

A Herstory Event

In conjunction with Feminist Society Maynooth & History Society Maynooth

12 April, 2017, 6.45PM - 9.00pm

VENUE: JHL2, John Hume Building on North Campus - CLICK HERE FOR MAP

FREE EVENT & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Twitter Hashtag: #herstorymaynooth

6.45pm:     Wine Reception

7.00pm:     Opening Address by Katelyn Hanna & Maddie Murdock

7.05pm:     Dr Mary Muldowney

‘Demanding Equality. Irish Women Workers in the 1970s’

Mary Muldowney is an independent historian who is the author of many publications on Irish women’s history and labour history generally. She specialises in using oral history interviews as a primary source in her research and focusses particularly on ‘hidden voices’ and unsung heroes. She is one of the organisers of the Stoneybatter & Smithfield People’s History Project and is a founding member and former director of the Oral History Network of Ireland. She is the director of the Alternative Visions Oral History Group, whose members study the history of the labour movement and working class communities in Ireland. Mary also works as an adult education consultant, designing and delivering courses for community and trade union activists. Since the 1970s, she has been involved in various campaigning activities, including the pro-choice movement and workplace representation.

7.20pm:     Hazel Hogan

                  Performing a selection of her own poetry    

Hazel Hogan is a poet from Dublin. She is part of the spoken word and Graffiti collective OutStraight. Hazel has performed at events such as Electric picnic, Body & Soul, Lingo: A spoken word festival, NYF Dublin, F Festival, St. Patrick festival, First Fortnight festival, The Monday Echo, PETTYCASH and Come Rhyme with Me. She is also part of the Dublin City of Literature project, Dublin: A Year in Words. She is the co-founder of the poetry, music and variety night, Words in the Warehouse that happened in the Grangegorman squat. She has been published on RTE and some of her work can be viewed there. 

7.30pm:     Dr Sinéad Kennedy      

‘Well-behaved women seldom make history: Feminist struggle then and now’

Sinéad Kennedy teaches in the School of English, Theatre and Media Studies at Maynooth University where she is a Senior University Tutor and MA Co-Ordinator in Gender & Sexuality in Writing & Culture. Her research interests focus on critical theory, in particular the control and regulation of the female body by the neoliberal state. She has published widely on the politics of abortion in Ireland and internationally and has recently co-edited The Abortion Papers Ireland: Volume 2 (2015).  She has been involved in feminism and pro-choice activism for almost 20 years and she is a co-founder of the Coalition to Repeal the Eighth Amendment. Follow her on Twitter @SineadmKennedy and keep up to date with her activism on repealeight.ie 

7.45pm:      Avril Kealy

Performing a selection of her own poetry

Avril is a third year English and Anthropology student in Maynooth University. Ever since she was younger, she’s been massively interested in what it means to be female in our society. A lot of this has stemmed from her love of artists like Lady Gaga and Lana Del Rey, whose music and artistic image, she believes, really explore the female condition in both its fragility and strength. Her poetry mainly focuses on sexuality, love and hurt from the female perspective, putting her own personal experiences to paper in an attempt to create something that serves as closure to her, but also that which is relatable to readers/listeners. Avril’s main aim in creating poetry is to give voice to the often censored parts of being a young Irish woman in the 21st century, emphasising the ugly, sad, taboo and painful parts of life.

7.55pm:     Break (More Wine)

8.00pm:     Dr Mary McAuliffe

‘‘Surfing that Second Wave’; The Ongoing Project of Re-visioning Women’s History’

Mary McAuliffe is an Assistant Professor / Lecturer in Gender Studies at UCD; specialising in Irish women's / gender history. Her research interests include Irish women's history, gender and war, memory and history, oral history, social and political history, public history and she has published in these areas. One of her most recent publications is 'Richmond Barracks 1916: We were There, 77 Women of the Easter Rising' which was chosen by Dublin Public Libraries as its book of the 2016 commemoration of the 1916 Rising. Mary was the President of the Women's History Association of Ireland (2011-2014) and is a member of the National Museum of Ireland Decade of Centenaries Commemoration Advisory Committee. As well as publications Mary also contributes to history documentaries, radio and TV. Keep up to date with Mary on her various Twitter accounts: @MaryMcAuliffe4, @Womenof1916 and @Kerry1916book

 8.15pm:     Alice Kinsella

Performing a selection of her own poetry

Alice Kinsella is an Irish poet, playwright, and fiction writer. Her poetry has been widely published, most recently in, Banshee Lit, The Pickled Body and The Irish Times. She has been shortlisted for competitions such as the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Competition 2016, and commended in the Jonathan Swift Awards 2016. Her video poem ‘When’, a feminist reworking of Kipling’s ‘If-‘ featuring sixteen female poets, was published in The Irish Times for International Women’s Day 2017. Her debut play ‘The Passing’ was devised as a part of ‘What’s the Story’ at the Liberties Festival 2016. ‘The Passing’ will be performed as a part of Little Shadow Theatre’s New Irish Playbook in May 2017. Find out more at aliceekinsella.com or at Facebook.com/AliceEKinsella

8.25pm:     Dr Jean Walker

‘“I'm not a feminist but…” Linking the post- Girl Power Generation to Feminism in the Context of Irish Women’s History’

Jean Mary Walker is on the executive committee of the WHAI (Women's History Association of Ireland) and the AHSI (Agricultural History Society of Ireland). She teaches electives on the social history of health and medicine and has a particular interest in gendered history in a Ireland.

8.40pm:     Laura Harmon (NWCI)

‘Making Waves: Feminism in Ireland Today’

Laura Harmon is the Women in Leadership Officer with the National Women’s Council of Ireland. She has previously worked in public relations and politics. She was president of the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) during the marriage equality referendum campaign and she served two terms as USI Equality and Citizenship Officer from 2012-2014. During her time in USI, Laura worked on a range of issues including women in leadership events, pro-choice campaigns and voter registration. She led the ‘Say Something’ survey project in 2013 – the first national study in Ireland on third level students’ experiences of sexual and physical violence, harassment and stalking. She is a board member of the National LGBT Federation of Ireland. Laura is a graduate of University College Cork with a BA in English and French and an MA in Applied Linguistics.

8.55pm      Closing Address by Melanie Lynch

(Founder of Herstory)

Herstory Hootenanny / International Women's Day 2017

HERSTORY HOOTENANNY

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY SPECIAL

DATE: 7.30PM, 8TH MARCH 2017 

VENUE: SMOCK ALLEY THEATRE, MAIN SPACE

TICKETS: €22 / Fundraiser event. Click here to book or call 01-6770014

A storytelling extravaganza in celebration of women on International Women’s Day 2017.  This special evening features comedy, poetry, theatre, music, mini talks and a few surprises. From ancient goddesses to contemporary heroines and mother mavericks discover the lost life stories of extraordinary women from Ireland and around the world.

Performers and speakers include Women Are Boring, Deirdre Sullivan, Amy De Bhrún, CandleLit Tales, Carina Fitzpatrick, Anna Carey, Rebecca T Kealy, Aideen Mc Queen and Fatin Al Tamini, to name but a few.

Suitable for ages 15+

Click here to book tickets or call Smock Alley box office: 01-6770014

Cork Herstory Salon / 20.03.16

Cork Herstory 20/20 Salon

DATE 20th March 2017, 7pm - 9pM (Doors open from 6.30pm)

VENUE: STAFF COMMON ROOM, University College Cork

All welcome to this free event, please register here

UCC Women’s Studies is delighted to host the March Herstory 20/20 Salon.

This Herstory Salon will provide a wide range of women’s stories; engineers, patrons, playwrights, innovators, feminists, and poets. The speakers include historians, campaigners, writers, students and scholars of literature, drama and applied social studies. All are interested in exploring the stories and experiences of women.

The evening will be a celebration of women, and the women whose work involves uncovering, analysing and celebrating Herstory everyday: the teachers and students of Women’s Studies at UCC.

Running Order

All speakers will speak for ten minutes

7.00: Opening address: President O’Shea, UCC

7.10: Amy Prendergast (TCD) Amy is an expert on eighteenth-century salons in Ireland, and their links with Britain and France. She will explain what Salons were, and share the stories of the women behind them.

7.20-8.00 Panel 1 (Women as creators)

Clíona Ó Gallchoir (Women’s Studies and School of English)

Shauna McGrath (Current Women’s Studies MA student)

Kathy D'Arcy (Women’s Studies and author)

Róisín O'Gorman (Women’s Studies and Drama and Theatre Studies)

8.00-8.10 Break/questions

8.10-8.50

Panel 2: (Feminism in action)

Liz Kiely and Máire Leane (Women’s Studies and Applied Social Studies)

Rola Abu Zeid O'Neill (Women’s Studies and ACE)

Orla Egan (Women’s Studies and Cork LGBT digital archive)

8.50-9.00 Questions

9.00 wrap up Melanie Lynch (Founder of Herstory)

Waterford Herstory Salon / 20.02.17

Waterford Herstory 20/20 Salon

DATE: 20TH FEBRUARY 2017

7PM - 8.30PM

VENUE: Waterford Institute of Technology’s (WIT) Granary campus on the Quay in Waterford city

Free event, to book visit www.wit.ie/events. Booking is required as spaces are limited.

Waterford women are getting political and standing beside actress Meryl Streep and feminist academic Elaine Aston to form a network of resistance against Trump’s exclusionary tactics and the slight-of-hand discrimination against women that pervades contemporary politics and social structures. Work has been going on in Waterford in the last year to celebrate women and the next event scheduled is in association with Herstory.ie entitled Waterford Herstory 20/20. The event will celebrate inspirational women from Waterford, past and present and will be hosted by Waterford Institute of Technology’s (WIT) Granary campus on the Quay in Waterford city on 20 February from 7pm – 8.30pm.

A number of guest speakers at the event will discuss inspirational, contemporary and historical Waterford women whose stories and experiences in the world of sport, broadcasting and business are aimed to inspire young men and women of the future. The Herstory salon series is part of series events to be scheduled nationwide this year on the 20th day of every month across the country in reaction to Donald Trump’s election and his reputation on equality and attitudes towards women in particular. 

Waterford Herstory 20/20 is a multi-partner event supported by DVF Printing: the Granary Café; Herstory.ie; Shona.ie; the Equality Office and the Research Support Unit, TUI Equality WIT; the School of Humanities, WIT; the University of the Third Age, Tramore; Waterford City and County Council Library Services & Waterford City and County Archives, Waterford City and County Council; WIT Student's Union and hosted by Waterford Institute of Technology.

To book visit www.wit.ie/events - booking required as spaces are limited.

 

TRINITY HERSTORY SALON / 20.01.17

TRINITY HERSTORY SALON

FRIDAY 20TH JANUARY 2017

TIME: 7.30PM

VENUE: TRINITY COLLEGE CHAPEL

FREE EVENT, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

"From the shadows into the light, we will share women's stories from our families and communities, tales of lost national heroines and women who we admire around the world."

In the wake of Illuminate Herstory, DU Gender Equality Society, Global Development Society and DU History present:

------------ Trinity Herstory Salon ------------

Trinity Herstory Salon will celebrate the stories and achievements of women in Ireland and around the world.

On the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, we stand together in solidarity, attesting that women's voices will not be silenced in spite of current political affairs, we will not allow women's issues to be marginalised, and we will seek to celebrate these stories, lives and achievements of great women.

Speakers and performers include Senator Lynn Ruane, Jane Alden, Amanda Piesse, Dr. Ciaran O'Neill, Ellie Kisyombe, Rebecca T Kealy and Carina Fitzpatrick. See biographies below.

 

CARINA FITZPATRICK

Carina is a jazz musician and performance artist based in Dublin. As an advocate for body positivity, autonomy and feminism she has been outspoken on her views about sexual objectification of women, censorship, representation, rape culture and victim blaming.

After a topless protest in July 2016, she has been associated with the Free the Nipple movement which acts as a platform for broader conversations about issues affecting women and seeks to dismantle gender inequalities by highlighting the absurdities of certain double standards.

Her passion for promoting body positivity comes from her background as a holistic therapist and yoga instructor. In her ten years working in the spa industry she learned a lot about her clients' feelings of vulnerability and their need for confidence and validation.

Fitzpatrick believes that there is a very real need to revolutionise the way that Irish people think about their bodies, sex, consent and gender. She wants to shift the focus from shame, stigma and consequences to a more inclusive and nuanced approach that addresses practicalities as well as pleasures.

 

REBECCA T KEALY

Kealy describes herself as a multimedia artist and poet who lives and loves and loves living in an attic studio; near a river; somewhere in Dublin.
She is a proud host of the showcase Every Second Wednesday.
And she enjoys subversion, anarchy and long walks on the beach.

She'll be performing a spoken word piece about the Free the Nipple campaign and her experiences.

 

DR. CIARAN O' NEILL

Dr O'Neill's research has mostly focused on elites and elite education, something very much at the core of both of his books, Irish Elites (2013) and Catholics of Consequence (2014). He also occasionally publishes on Irish literature 1890-1940, and has also become more and more interested in Public History since his time at TCD. He has mentioned that his next project will be about power; taken from what angle? We will have to wait and see.

Since 2014 Dr O'Neill has been the President of the SSNCI - an interdisciplinary society dedicated to the study of nineteenth-century Ireland. In addition to this he has also been involved with a group of likeminded historians working together in the Transnational Ireland Network, and in a global research network called SPECTRESS, funded by the European Commission.

Some of Dr O'Neill's publications can be found at https://tcd.academia.edu/CiaranONeill

 

SENATOR LYNN RUANE

Lynn Ruane is a newly elected independent senator, serving in Seanad Éireann and is a former president of Trinity College Dublin's Students' Union. An early school leaver & single mother of two from Tallaght, she gained access to Trinity College in 2011 through the Trinity Access Programme as a mature student. Prior to her return to education, she worked for fifteen years as an addiction programme developer and community worker in west Dublin. As a senator, Lynn plans to be a passionate and vocal defender of education, a voice for the underrepresented in Irish politics and a challenger of inequality in all it's forms.

 

ELLIE KISYOMBE

Ellie is an activist against the direct provision system in Ireland. As conversations on refugees are being heightened globally due to the continued humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Mediterranean via Syria, the plight of the refugee remains the plight of our time. Ellie has been standing up and shouting out for the men, women and children of the direct provision system and is ready to tell us about what we can do to help.

While there was plenty of talk about direct provision in the past two years, there was very little action. The Malawian native has been in direct provision for over five years, and volunteers with the Irish Refugee Council on the End Direct Provision campaign. As a direct provision resident, she is barred from paid employment. Kisyombe’s message to government last April was, “Stop the suffering. Stop the damage. Hopes have been raised, please do not let us down again.”

 

JANE ALDEN

Jane has worked at Trinity College Dublin, Stanford University, and is currently Associate Professor of Music at Wesleyan University. Her research addresses musical notation and visual culture in the medieval and modern eras, language and translation, and experimental musical practices. Her publications include the monograph Songs, Scribes, and Society: The History and Reception of the Loire Valley Chansonniers (Oxford University Press, 2010) and a number of articles on medieval and contemporary topics. She is currently writing a book on the Scratch Orchestra, participatory music-making, and the function of experimental notation. With degrees from Manchester University, King’s College, London, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Alden is active as a singer and conductor, seeing performance as the most effective way to reach out beyond academia to communicate with the wider public. In 2011, she formed the Vocal Constructivists, a London-based group of singers who specialize in performing graphic and text scores. Their album, Walking Still, is available on the Innova label.

 

AMANDA PIESSE

Amanda Piesse works on early modern drama in the School of English at Trinity College Dublin where she has been employed since 1994. She wrote her doctoral thesis on the characterisation of women in late medieval and early modern drama and has published articles on women’s voices in English mystery and morality plays and Tudor moral interludes, on revenge tragedy and on individuality and identity in the sixteenth century. She also has research interests in children’s literature, and the two areas converge in the work she’s currently doing concerning children’s voices in early modern literature, and on the relationships between the very old and the very young in children’s books.

2017 HERSTORY LIGHT FESTIVAL

ILLUMINATE HERSTORY 2017

IRELAND CALLS ON HER SISTERS WORLDWIDE TO EMERGE FROM THE SHADOWS INTO THE LIGHT

Illuminate Herstory is Ireland's new annual light festival celebrating women and girls. When the Christmas lights went out over the weekend of Nollaig na mBan (Women's Little Christmas) on the 5 - 8th January 2017, we illuminated the country with images of women. In the inaugural year, 16 counties / half the island of Ireland participated, lighting up castles, museums, libraries, theatres, offices and homes. From the shadows into the light, we shared women’s stories from our families, communities, tales of lost national heroines and women who we admire around the world. 

Click here for a list of Illuminate Herstory events NATIONWIDE.

ILLUMINATE HERSTORY 2018

Big plans are already underway for next year. Our objective is to start a new annual festival where Ireland inspires the world to celebrate women, just like the global greening on St. Patrick’s Day.

  Illuminate Herstory is for everyone

Every classroom and boardroom have projectors, every home is full of wonderful family photographs, and the national archives have incredible images of women. Whether you are a community group or a national organisation, everyone can get involved by organising an event. You can programme storytellers, performers and herstorians or keep it simple and host an intimate gathering of friends and family. Click here for ideas on how you can Illuminate at home.

          AN INVITATION TO THE WORLD

Illuminate Herstory doesn't stop in Ireland. In 2018 we will be extending the invitation to the world to join us. You can spread the word to family and friends abroad and create an online illumination like Skype's Impossible Family Portrait project.

TO SPONSOR A 2018 LANDMARK LIGHT INSTALLATION PLEASE CONTACT MELANIE: melanie.herstory@gmail.com

For press enquiries please contact Elevate PR: +353 1 662 5652

Herstory Salon @ THE IRISH TIMES / Culture Night 2016

The first Herstory Salon was the official Irish Times Culture Night event, produced in partnership with the award-winning Irish Times Women's Podcast. Our panel included Irish Times columnist and playwright Hillary Fannin, history lecturer Dr Jennifer Redmond and Professor Linda Doyle of Trinity College Dublin. They discussed the significance of salons for women throughout history, the thrill of rediscovering lost stories of women and the importance of women engaging in the latest technological developments including the Internet of Things. Presented by Kathy Sheridan there is music from MayKay of Fight Like Apes (Kathy's daughter!) plus eloquent exchanges of views on everything from iconic female musicians to #WakingTheFeminists.

Click here to listen to the salon on the IT Women's Podcast - it's Episode 56.

There will be more Herstory Salons in 2017. Watch this space!

HERSTORYTELLING #1 / CULTURE NIGHT 2016

The first Herstorytelling session was listed #4 in The Irish Independent from 3000 Culture Night events nationwide. TG4 filmed the event for The Roisin Show.

Herstory presented a magical night of storytelling, comedy, theatre, dance and music in celebration of Ireland’s extraordinary women at The Liquor Rooms on Culture Night, Friday 16th September from 8 - 12pm.

15 performers and speakers included Amy De Bhrún, Alison Spittle, Siofra O' Meara, Eve Darcy, Sinead Gleeson, Aideen McQueen, Eleanor Fitzsimons, Andre K'Por, Yvonne Usher, Genevieve Healy, Ashley Tubridy, Fiona Lowe, Sisters of the Rising, Dr. Anne Rosenbusch, Treasa Kerrigan and Dr. Jennifer Redmond. The Goddess Club hosted ‘Crazy in Love’ burlesque dance classes on the hour, every hour. 

To toast the bravery of Ireland’s remarkable women adventurers and explorers, The Liquor Rooms' mixologist made special cocktails in their honour, and An Olivia Chocolate captured the women’s characters in signature liquor chocolates to tempt the most discerning chocolate lover.

The event was attended by 910 people over the course of the night with a constant queue down the quays. Herstorian Sinead Mc Coole attended and she said she has never seen such a young audience so engaged with women's history.

HERSTORY LAUNCH / 25TH MAY 2016

HERSTORY LAUNCH / 25TH MAY 2016

To celebrate the launch of the Herstory movement we hosted a special event in The Pillar Room, Rotunda Hospital, where Countess Markievicz lay in State. A mélange of performances, speeches and surprises featured Dr Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin, Maria Fleming from WakingTheFeminists, Dr. Jennifer Redmond, Tara Flynn, Patrick Carton, Amy De Bhrún, John Ennis, Landless and the Smock Alley Theatre collective.

Thanks to Verona Photography for the fabulous snaps. And here's a video of the event.