Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington, nationalists, pacifists, feminists, socialists: their role in early 20th century Ireland
National University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) Professor Emerita Micheline Sheehy Skeffington will speak on the US organizing activities and political legacy of her grandmother, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, whose husband Francis was executed in the aftermath of the 1916 Easter Rising. Sheehy Skeffington was a co-founder of the Irish Women’s Franchise League in 1908 and determined advocate of the cause of Irish nationalism. This year, 100 years since her grandmother toured the US, Micheline Sheehy-Skeffington is retracing that tour and filming for a documentary to honor her grandmother’s remarkable and little-remembered achievement. Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington were ardent nationalists, pacifists, socialists, feminists in early 20th century Ireland, fighting for justice and women’s suffrage. They encapsulate some of the main ideals of the time. After Francis was shot without trial by a British officer during the Irish 1916 rebellion, Hanna embarked on an epic 18-month tour of the US to tell the truth about British brutality in Ireland. The illustrated talk will tell their story.
Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington recently took early retirement from the NUI Galway where she lectured in plant ecology. Her grandparents were Hanna and Francis Sheehy Skeffington, prominent Irish activists in the early 1900s. A strong feminist herself, Micheline won a gender equality case against her university and is still campaigning for justice for her female colleagues.
United Irish Cultural Ctr, 2700 45th Ave, San Francisco – Sunday Nov 12th, 5pm.
This event is free for ILHS members, $5 for non-members
ilhssf.org
CALENDAR SPONSORED IN PART BY THE CONSULATE GENERAL OF IRELAND, SAN FRANCISCO