Illustrated Talk on Unionism, nationalism and women’s fight for the vote: understanding different views through discussion and debate, held in March 2013.

This event looked at Irish women’s campaign for the vote, which took place at a time of great political upheaval as unionists and nationalists campaigned for and against home rule. The aim was to provide an understanding of unionist, nationalist and feminist attitudes towards women’s demand for equal rights to citizenship.

In addition to an illustrated presentation delivered by Myrtle Hill and Margaret Ward, well known journalist Fionola Meredith, as chair of the event, encouraged the audience to consider their responses to the choices facing women at the time – to work for the unionist cause in the hope that women would be rewarded for their work by being granted the vote in an independent Ulster; to work for an end to British rule over Ireland; to put the suffrage cause above all others.