February 2018

Centenaries & Citizenship Coversations
Reception Room 1st Floor, belfast City Hall
Wednesday 7th February 2018 @ 7.00pm - 9.00pm
Pre-booking essential

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At present we are remembering a decade of key historical moments that shaped the history of Northern Ireland and Ireland a century ago. The period from 1912 - 1922 witnessed some dramatic changes. Now, one hundred years on, we are taking time to explore some of the significant events in more detail.

This season we will look at the Irish Convention, which was an initiative by the Prime Minister David Lloyd George who launched it saying that ‘Ireland should try her hand at hammering out an instrument of government for her own people.’

We will also look at the changing politics of the time, exploring the role of women in politics, following the extension of the vote with the Representation of the People Act in February 1918. The extension of the vote under this act made the General Election of 1918 historic in more ways than one and we will explore this election in detail.

In 1917, we also witnessed the Russian Revolutions and how this impacted on World War I, which was still ongoing throughout this period. We will explore this, and the connection with Belfast.

All of these events are free to attend, however, registration is essential and spaces are limited. If you would like to attend any of these events and have any particular access requirements please contact our Good Relations Unit on 028 9027 0663 or email goodrelations@elfastcity.gov.uk

 http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/events/Event-82836.aspx

February 2018 Women's month, celebrating the representation of the people act 1918
Somme Museum
Monday-Thursday at 2pm and 7 pm
Pre-booking essential

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Our third and final season leads up to Armistice Day, marking the end of the war 100 years ago
Ongoing events

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The final season of extraordinary arts experiences connecting people with the First World War. The 2018 season marks the centenary of the Armistice and features brand new commissions by leading contemporary artists from the UK and around the world.

Since the start of the First World War centenary in 2014, 14-18 NOW has commissioned 213 UK and international artists and over 300 arts and cultural organisations to present 73 projects across the United Kingdom. More than 30 million people have engaged with the First World War through these brand new artworks and events.

With this final season we hope to build on this success and my thanks go to our brilliant artists, arts and heritage partners, funders and supporters without which this ambitious programme would not be possible.

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Suffrage and Society: Then and Now – Reflections on the Representation of the People Act, 1918
Free - Tuesday 6 February 2018, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm @PRONI

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To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, PRONI in conjunction with Queens University Belfast and the Ulster Society of Irish Historical Studies will host a full day conference examining the history and context of the Act on Tuesday 6 February 2018, 10.00 am – 4.00 pm.

Suffrage
The conference will be exploring some of the key archives and research relating to suffrage in Ireland and will conclude with a panel discussion on the contemporary relevance of suffrage to society today.

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Imperial War Museums to explore the working lives of women during the First World War through WomensWork100 in 2018
Activites from the 6th February 2018

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Since 2014, events and activities around the globe have connected people with the impact of 1914-1918 on the world, nations, communities and individuals. The role of women is a story that is yet to be fully told. In 2018 the First World War Centenary Partnership (FWWCP), led by Imperial War Museums (IWM), will present WomensWork100.

This international programme of exhibitions, events, activities, creative responses, personal stories and digital resources will recognise and celebrate the working lives of women during the First World War and beyond. Uncover new stories of women who joined the workforce in diverse roles during the First World War, against the backdrop of the campaign for female suffrage, and explore the important IWM Women’s Work Collection, all online at www.1914.org

Coinciding with the centenary of the Representation of the People Act on 6 February 2018, WomensWork100 will explore the breadth of women’s roles – from factories and hospitals to homes and churches, representing their political activism, front-line service and home front experiences, against the backdrop of the suffrage movement and greater prominence of women in public life.

Activities will be taking place across the country and will commence on 6 February 2018. These activities will include a series of engaging partnership and public events, film screenings, and creative responses, as well as exclusive resources for members and a vibrant public-facing digital programme in collaboration with Lives of the First World War and the War Memorials Project.

For further press information and interview requests please contact: Rhodri Cole, Corporate Communications Officer, rcole@iwm.org.uk, 0207 416 5420

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Ballymacarrett and the First World War: A sacrifice shared

February 2018 Women's month, celebrating the representation of the people act 1918
East Belfast Network Centre (Old Templemore School) 55 Templemore Avenue
Belfast, BT5 4FP Wednesday 7th February 2018 at 7.30pm.
Everyone Welcome

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War, women and the gypsy caravan: the emergence of Belfast's first female police officers, 1914-43
Free - 27 February at 1.00 pm 2018, @PRONI

As part of PRONI’s programme to mark the anniversary of suffrage for women and International Women’s Day, Dr Janice Holmes will deliver a presentation about the first female police officers in Ireland. This event will be held on 27 February at 1.00 pm.

International Women's Day
In the early twentieth century, along with the vote, Irish women sought access to a range of professions, including the police. Although a women's police unit was not established in the RUC until 1943 and in An Garda Síochána until 1959, women were appointed to the Dublin Metropolitan Police and the Belfast branch of the RIC in 1917. They were intended to be an official extension of the work of 'women patrols', volunteers who sought to protect women and young people from the moral and sexual promiscuity which the wartime city presented. Although only small in number, these women were officially sanctioned, with salaries, uniforms and, eventually, the powers of arrest. This lecture will examine the origins of these early police women in the period 1914-22 and will concentrate in particular on telling the stories of the four women who served in the RIC/RUC between 1917 and 1943, when the new women's police section was established. Their undercover work infiltrating and exposing charlatan fortune tellers made for sensational newspaper coverage, but their integration into the wider police 'profession' was a slow and difficult process.

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The contribution of the Indian Community through Trade, Migration and Cultural rites of passage
Free - 28 February 2018, 1.00pm - 2.00pm, @PRONI

PRONI is pleased to host an event titled 'The contribution of the Indian Community through Trade, Migration and Cultural rites of passage' on Wednesday 28 February, 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm.

Sanskriti
Nisha Tandon, OBE, Executive Director of ArtsEkta will talk about the three year Sanskriti project and exhibition.

The contribution of the Indian community in Northern Ireland through trade, migration and cultural rites of passage is something which the Indian community is proud of. This has given Indian people living in Northern Ireland a greater sense of their rich heritage, and of belonging, making Northern Ireland a better place to live, work and visit. Having explored and developed our shared history, the Indian community now has a greater sense of awareness of the proud contribution they have made in Northern Ireland. Through heritage-based activities, attitudes have changed and this has promoted community cohesion and a greater awareness and understanding of the Indian community in any area of Northern Ireland they are currently living, or have lived.

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