Despite its structural difficulties, the new state of Northern Ireland continued in relative peace and stability from 1923 until the 1960s.

The 1960s, though, were a period of change both culturally and politically.

The formation of NICRA marked the formal beginning of the civil rights campaign. It was the commencement of a new era for Northern Ireland, albeit a turbulent one.

To help us understand this decade of change in the 1960s I have enlisted the help and expertise of Dr David McCann. David is a columnist for the Irish News, a political commentator, and more recently the co-host of the new Stormont Sources podcast. I began by asking David if it was fair to describe Northern Ireland as a relatively peaceful and stable society from 1923 until the 1960s...

This episode was produced as part of At the Crossroads: The Campaign for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland, a project developed by The Linen Hall. This project is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and has also received financial support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.

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The concept of civil rights in Northern Ireland is as old as the state itself. Established in 1921, the new northern government inherited a deeply divided and disadvantaged society which its practices only served to deepen for half a century.

To help us understand the complexities of this period I have enlisted the help and expertise of Dr Cormac Moore. Cormac is a resident historian with Dublin City Council, he is a columnist with the Irish News as well as editing its daily ‘On This Day’ segment, and he is the author of several books – the most recent being The Root of All Evil: The Irish Boundary Commission published by Irish Academic Press. I began by asking Cormac his opinion on the extent to which the Unionist government had inherited a deeply imbalanced society which they were incapable of fixing…

This episode was produced as part of At the Crossroads: The Campaign for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland, a project developed by The Linen Hall. This project is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund and has also received financial support from the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council.

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Using new archival sources and information from some of the relatives of these forgotten activists, in her new book Rebel Women, Margaret Ward gives us a compelling account of the courageous contributions of over fifty women who were members of Cumann na mBan, or who were attached to the IRA between 1914 and 1924 in County Antrim. The book focuses on members of the Belfast branches and of branches in the isolated communities of the Glens of Antrim. Throughout this period of conflict and partition, women played an essential role in the republican movement. Not only did they organise arms dumps, shelter men on the run, hide money and documents, provide weaponry for operations, care for the wounded and organise effective communication systems, they also paid the price in terms of raids and imprisonment.

Welcome to Episode 43 of the Historical Belfast Podcast where it is 5 years (almost to the day) since Episode 1, way back in April 2020. In this new Episode I am joined by Dr Margaret Ward to discuss matters arising from her new book. I was really delighted to get Margaret onto the podcast and I began by asking her to give me a sense of Cumann na mBan particularly in Belfast and what set them apart from the rest of the island.

Rebel Women available from Beyond The Pale at the following link: Rebel Women: Cumann na mBan in Belfast and the Glens of Antrim — beyond the pale books – books on Irish society and politics

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