Mná na hÉireann

Cavan County Museum as part of our Official 1916 Commemorative Programme and to Celebrate International Women’s Day 2016 invite you and a guest to the unveiling of Mná na hÉireann: a 1916 Commerorative Quilt designed and produced by the Erne Quilters.

Date: Tuesday 8 March 2016 at 7pm

Official Welcome by Cllr Paddy Smith, Chairman, Cavan County Council

The evening will include a discussion on ‘Women of the Time’ with an invited panel including Dr. Margaret Mac Curtain, Dr. Angela Byrne and Gaye Fairnbairn, Erne Quilters facilitated by Elizabeth Laragy, Radio Producer.

Dr Margaret MacCurtain is one of the pioneers of Irish Women’s History. She is an internationally recognized and honoured scholar, educator, writer, innovator, and feminist activist. She has been described as the ‘complete Humanist’. Her books include Women and Irish Society: The Historical Dimension, Missing Pieces, and From Dublin to New Orleans: The Journey of Nora and Alice

Gaye Fairbairn, originally from Pennsylvania and living in Cootehill for 39 years. Gaye will speak about the inspiration the quilters found researching the women of the period for the Mna na hÉireann 1916 Quilt.

Dr Angela Byrne is Lecturer in History at the University of Greenwich, UK. She teaches and publishes on the histories of travel and exploration, science, and empire. She is author of Geographies of the Romantic North: Science, Antiquarianism, and Travel, 1790-1830 (Palgrave, 2013).