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Up to 1860....
Up until the 1860's, women in the UK had very few rights:
A single woman could own land, but once she married, everything she owned passed to her husband.
A husband could divorce his wife far more easily than a wife could divorce her husband.
There were very few girls' secondary schools, and no woman could go to university.
A woman could not vote in elections or hold public office. -
The birth of Isabella Tod
Tod was born in Edinburgh, and moved to Belfast in the 1860s. She was a key figure in the development of the women's movement. -
The Campaign for a Married Women's Property Act
Tod became the Irish leaders of the campaign to have the law changed so that women could keep their property after marriage. In 1868, Tod was asked to give evidence to the Select Committee Inquiry on the Married Women's Property, and was the only woman to do so.She urged MPs to apply the reform, and the campaign was successful - the first Act passed in 1870. -
Birth Date of Hanna Sheehy Skeffington
In Co. Cork to a prosperous family, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington was a graduate of the Royal University, recieving a BA degree. She married Francis Skeffington, a socialist and feminist, in 1903, and, to show the equality between them, they combined their surnames. -
The 1898 Local Government Act
This act gave women the right to vote for local councils and to sit on district councils. Anna Haslam founded the Irish Women's Suffrage and Local Government Association, which urged women to vote and stand for election. As a result, 35 women won seats on district councils in 1899 -
Inghinidhe na hÉireann
In 1900, when Queen Victoria paid her third visit to Ireland, a group of women, lead by Maude and Jennie Wyse Power, organised counter-demonstrations.
Out of this grew Inghinidhe na hÉireann, a nationalist organisation for women. It ran 'buy Irish' campaigns, held free classes for children in Irish, history and music, organised céilíhe and put on small plays.
One of their important works was to provide free meals for poor children in a number of Dublin schools. -
Irish Women's Franchise League
Sheehy Skeffington and other suffragists set up the IWFL in 1908. It was a more vocal society than previous ones, as the members made public speeches and organised marches and demonstrations to win support for the campaign. -
General Elections 1910
When John Redmond and his MPs from the Home Rule party were voted into Westmister after the 1910 general elections, it meant that Home Rule was coming and the question arose - Wold women have the right to vote in the new Irish parliament? The IWFL then organised demonstrations, demanding 'Home Rule for women as well as men' -
IWFL militant action
The Prime Minister and the Home Rule leaders all opposed votes for women, so the IWFL decided on militant action. Several women, including Sheehy Skeffington, smashed windows in government buildings. Six were arrested and given prison sentences. Newspapers and the public disapproved of the violence, and the cause lost support. -
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Suffragettes in prison
The IWFL continued it's campaign, despite the loss of support, damaging government property. Between 1912 and 1914, thirty-five women were sent to prison. Twelve of these women went on hunger strike, a tactic started by English suffragettes -
The Founding of Cumann na mBan
The CnamB was founded so that women could work in conjunction with the Irish Volunteers. The constitution of the organisation referenced the use of violence to achieve their aims, if necessary. The primary aims of the organisation as stated in its constitution were to "advance the cause of Irish liberty and to organize Irishwomen in the furtherance of this object", to "assist in arming and equipping a body of Irish men for the defence of Ireland".
