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ProQuest Information and Learning 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMI' Maidens, Mothers and Rabble Ronsers: Women's political involvement in Northern Ireland, 1790-2001 by Pamela Blythe McKane Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for die degree of Master of Arts in the Joint Women’s Studies Programme at Mount Saint Vincent University Dalhousie University Saint Mary's University Halifax, Nova Scotia September 2001 Copyright by Pamela Blythe McKane, 2001 National Library Bibliothèque nationale ■♦I of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services sendees bibliographiques 385 WeMnglon SirMt 385, rua WaKnglon Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada raurm Vatnimmneg OutU ê Naotimtnea The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or seU reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies o f this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownershq) of the L’auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neidier die droit d’auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. 0-612-74841-3 Canada 11 MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY JOINT MA. IN WOMEN’S STUDIES The undersigned hereby certify that they have read and recommend for acceptance a thesis entitled"'Maidens, Mothers and Rabble Rousers: Women’s political involvement in Northern Ireland, 1790-2001" by Pamela Blythe McKane in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. Dated: F ri Sgp-l-cinaiocr 2.1,2 .0 0 1 Co-Supervisor: Co-Supervisor: Examiner lU MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY DATEx^ AUTHOR: Pamela Blythe McKane TITLE: “Maidens, Mothers and Rabble Rousers: Women’s political involvement in Northern Ireland, 1790-2001’’ DEPARTMENT OR SCHOOL: Women’s Studies DEGREE: Master of Arts CONVOCATION: Fall Permission is hereby granted to Mount Saint Vincent University, Dalhousie University, and Saint Mary’s University to circulate and to have copied for non commercial purposes, at their discretion, the above title upon the request of individuals or institutions. Signature of Author THE AUTHOR RESERVES OTHER PUBLICATION RIGHTS, AND NEITHER THE THESIS NOR EXTENSIVE EXTRACTS FROM IT MAY BE PRINTED OR OTHERWISE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE AUTHOR’S WRITTEN PERMISSION. 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IV Table of Contents Abstract v Dedication vi Introduction 1 Chapter One 14 Silenced no longer the history of women’s political participation in Northern Ireland Chapter Two 71 The work continues: women’s political participation throughout the Troubles Conclusion 125 Appendices 129 Bibliography 131 MOUNT SAINT VINCENT UNIVERSITY DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY Abstract “Maidens, Mothers and Rabble Rousers: Women’s political involvement in Northern Ireland, 1790-2001’’ by Pamela Blythe McKane September 2001 Historically, women’s political participation in Northern Ireland has long been neglected, giving the impression that women in Northern Ireland are agentless “victims ” of history, and politically irrelevant to Northern Ireland and the period of its history known as the Troubles. However, by using a broad definition of politics and political participation - one which includes activities in the private and public realms - the history of women’s political participation is uncovered, revealing that women have participated in a multitude of ways throughout the Troubles. Some women have participated as “maidens ” or “mothers ”, reinforcing dominant gendered norms, while others have been “rabble rousers ”, challenging such norms; still others have been politically active as “maidens ”, “mothers’” and “rabble rousers”, reinforcing and challenging those dominant gendered norms. “Maidens, Mothers and Rabble Rousers: Women’s political involvement in Northern Ireland, 1790-2001” seeks to uncover the history of women’s political participation during the Troubles, while providing a historical context to Northern Irish women’s participation. VI Dedicated to: the women of Northern Ireland - may you continue your proud history of political participation. and my family, my parents, David and Susan McKane, my sister and brother-in-law, Jeanne McKane and Rob Murakami, my sister Erin McKane, my grandparents. Bill McKane and Anne MacKenzie, Ed and Rena Newbery, and my Gran - Inez McKane for their constant love and support - there aren’t words to thank you enough for that. I would like to thank Dr. Linda Christiansen-Ruffman and Dr. Katherine Side for their time, words of encouragement and support, as well as their guidance and patience as my thesis supervisors. I am also grateful to Dr. Michael Vance and Dr. Madine VanderPlaat for the assistance and contributions which they provided me throughout the thesis writing process. My gratitude also goes to Clarinda Spijkerman for her friendship and support - thank you. Introduction 1 Ireland, and Northern Ireland in particular, are said to be trapped in history. Since 1969, when British soldiers were sent in to Northern Ireland to "keep the peace" between "warring" Protestants and Catholics, Northern Ireland has been engulfed in an era of armed conflict (some would say civil war) known as the Troubles. The Troubles comprise a complex set of issues involving relations between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom — above and beyond relations among diverse groups of people within Northern Ireland. Despite the complexity of the issues involved, however, the Troubles are often portrayed in dichotomous terms as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. Such an interpretation of the conflict ignores the differences among women (and men) and within the Catholic and Protestant communities, not to mention the existence of racial minorities in Northern Ireland. Based on most accounts of the Troubles (Bardin, 1992; Coogan, 1996; Edwards, 1970; Hennessey, 1997; Holland, 1999; Toolis, 1996), it would appear that women have not been politically involved in this struggle at all, except as wives and mothers of "martyrs". Moreover, there is a pattern of silencing women's histories in Ireland as a whole. This pattern has continued to the present day, resulting in the history of women's political participation being effectively erased from the "official " accounts of the Troubles. Consequently, the dismissal of Northern Irish women's political involvement throughout the Troubles is no accident, nor is it an aberration. However, this does not mean that women have been passive "victims" of history, with no political agency of their own. Contrary to the dominant accounts of the Troubles, women have been active politically in a multitude of ways since 1969, taking part in the armed conflict, or acting in supportive roles as community activists and organizers in their churches and families, as well as at their places of employment. Why has women's political participation in Northern Ireland, historically and throughout the Troubles, been ignored — and by whom? What is the history of such political participation? How has women's participation been shaped by the social construction of "womanhood" by the Irish, British, and Northern Irish states, as well as the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches? How has their participation reinforced and/or opposed this construction? Moreover, how has anti-Irish racism on the part of the British also shaped social constructions of "womanhood" and ways in which women have participated politically and historically throughout the Troubles in Northern Ireland? It is the aim of this thesis to uncover how women have participated politically (throughout the Troubles). To begin, I will provide an examination of the history of women's political participation