Ladies Who Launch

The Women’s Museum of Ireland is delighted to announce the launch of their campaign for Ireland’s first Museum of Women’s History this Monday 4th March in Trinity College’s Long Room Hub.

The museum was founded in November 2012 by graduates Jean Sutton and Kate Cunningham in response to what they saw as a lack of recognition of women’s history in Ireland. The museum follows in the footsteps of similar initiatives in Washington and Australia.

Jean Sutton said “I’m delighted that we’ve decided to this – so far the respose has been so positive, I think there is a community out there really committed to giving Irish women’s history it’s proper place in our society”

The campaign launch will see the beginning of a move to highlight the impact of Ireland’s women writers, politicians, artists, entrepreneurs and change makers on the nation’s history. The launch will be celebrated with the museum’s inaugural exhibition titled “Monster’s of Creation”: Snapshots of Women in Higher Education with special guest Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness.

Taking inspiration from a quote in the 1896 Saturday Review “A learned girl is one of the most intolerable monsters of creation’ the exhibition brings together images from archives around the country of women in education from 1906 to current day, demonstrating the great strides that these “monsters of creation” have made in a century.

The museum will also see its website go live that same day with a series of articles highlighting Irish women’s history www.womensmuseumofireland.ie.

The launch will be preceded by a panel discussion on Women in Higher Education with Professor Susan Parkes, Mrs Justice Catherine McGuinness, Judge and Activist and Jean Sutton, founding member of the Women’s Museum of Ireland. Chaired by Hannah McCarthy, Auditor College Historical Society, this discussion will take place in the Uí Chadhain theatre, Trinity Arts Block.

The Women’s Museum of Ireland is a project that aims to promote the formal recognition of the role of women in Irish history as well as the role of Irish women abroad. The museum hopes to educate the public about the contributions of women to cultural, political and social history in Ireland, and the role Irish women have played overseas.

Press Enquiries:

Kate Cunningham

kate@womensmuseumofireland.ie or 087 2598026