Saturday 29th March 11am

Sunday 30th March 11am

Queen’s University, Belfast

In the nineteenth century, Belfast went from a small town to a booming, industrial city with a remarkably high proportion of women but what role did women have in shaping this new city?

You’ll meet a nonagenarian fighting to end the slave trade, women desperately trying to make childbirth safer for the poor, the first Irish suffragist and an unstoppable duo changing the education system for girls throughout the country.

This talk and walking tour 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.

A range of tours can be arranged to suit small groups

Minimum group size: 2

Maximum group size 20

Book a private talk for your group by getting in touch.

Full list of available talks on request. Examples of recent talks below.

Wednesday 5th March 1pm

Belfast City Hall

To mark International Women’s Day, this talk celebrated the women who were honoured one year ago with the unveiling of their statues on the grounds of Belfast City Hall, Mary Ann McCracken and Winifred Carney.

This talk, led by Dr Lauren Smyth and myself, featured the stories of Mary Ann, Winnie and other remarkable women from Belfast’s history.

Thursday 20 February, 1pm

Clifton House, Belfast & Online

The Great Famine, An Gorta Mór, was the watershed moment of the nineteenth century, shaping Ireland and beyond through the high death toll and mass emigration. This talk uncovers how and why Belfast suffered in the late 1840s and delves into the specifics of how institutions like the Belfast Poor House, hospitals and the workhouse worked together in an attempt to ease the problems facing the town. 

Talk at Koinonia Belfast

13 February 2025

Gilnahirk Ladies’ Group

25 November 2024

This talk covers the origin and history of the Belfast workhouse and its evolution into one of the biggest hospitals in modern Northern Ireland.

Stormont Probus

11 March 2025

Carryduff Historical Society

14 October 2024

An overview of what healthcare was available for people in Ulster in the nineteenth century.

Clifton House, Belfast & online

Mon 29th April 2024

Since opening its doors 250 years ago, the Poorhouse was the first to offer free medical relief for the sick poor of Belfast. As the town grew, the role of the Belfast Charitable Society remained central to the expanding network of charities, institutions and hospitals providing different kinds of medical care. This talk explores how the Society treated the sick within its own walls and how it endeavoured to respond to various public health issues. The Society played a key role in the provision of maternity care and the establishment of a lunatic asylum as well as dealing with epidemics of infectious and venereal diseases.

Ballymena Family History Society - Public Talk

Thursday 25th April 2024

This talk explains the background to the workhouse system in Ireland and demonstrates what life was like in an Irish workhouse. The story of the local workhouse is also discussed.