Embassy of Ireland, Belgium St. Brigid's Day 2022
Event
17 January 2022
'Smart Women, French Letters and a Fast Commission - The Second Wave of Irish Feminism'
To mark Lá Fhéile Bríde 2022, the Embassy of Ireland invites you to join archivist-historian-broadcaster Catriona Crowe in conversation with Suzanne Lynch, Politico Brussels Playbook co-author, for a lively discussion of women’s history in independent Ireland. The conversation will focus on the Second Wave of Irish Feminism, and will be followed by Q&A with the audience.
The Second Wave of Irish Feminism in the 1960s and ’70s achieved a great deal of advancement for Irishwomen in a very short time. With Suzanne Lynch, Catriona will explore the international influences on the movement, and some of the unique personalities, men as well as women, who engaged in activities as diverse as the contraceptive train of 1971 and the Commission on the Status of Women, 1970 – 73. An entertaining and informative spin through one of the most effective movements in twentieth century Ireland.
The webinar will take place on Zoom on Tuesday 1 February at 6PM (Brussels time).
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Meet the Speakers
Catriona Crowe is former Head of Special Projects at the National Archives of Ireland. She was Manager of the Census Online Project, which placed the Irish 1901 and 1911 censuses online, free to access. She is editor of Dublin 1911 (2011), and a member of the editorial team of Documents on Irish Foreign Policy.
Catriona is a member of the Royal Irish Academy, Honorary President of the Irish Labour History Society and a former President of the Women’s History Association of Ireland. She is Chairperson of the SAOL Project, a rehabilitation initiative for women with addiction problems, based in the North Inner City, and of the Inner City Renewal Group. She is Curator of the First Thought Talks strand of the Galway International Arts Festival. She presented the RTE documentaries Ireland before the Rising (2016), and Life After the Rising (2019).
Suzanne Lynch is a journalist with Politico, co-authoring its daily Playbook newsletter from Brussels. Prior to joining Politico, she worked as a foreign correspondent and finance reporter for the Irish Times. She was based in the United States as Washington Correspondent between 2017 and 2021. Previously, she was European Correspondent, leading the Irish Times’ coverage of the euro zone crisis, Brexit and the refugee crisis. She has also written extensively on financial and arts issues, and is a regular contributor to international TV and radio platforms. She holds a BA in English and Music from University College Dublin and has a PhD in English Literature from Cambridge University where she researched the work of Virginia Woolf.
About St Brigid’s Day
St. Brigid’s Day is marked in Ireland on 1 February. Saint Brigid of Kildare is one of Ireland's three patron saints and is Ireland’s most important female saint. An important relic, the Saint Brigid’s mantle is kept in the Holy Saviour Cathedral, Bruges. Since 2018, Irish Embassies all around the world, starting with London and Brussels in 2018, have begun to share the empowering story of Brigid, creating a platform to celebrate the creativity of women and encouraging our participants to share their stories about the women who inspire them”.