A National Women's History Month / St. Patrick's Day double tribute.

[Forkboy]

I would like to introduce you to Bernadette Devlin McAliskey

“Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dare to win.”

Devlin was studying Psychology at Queen's University Belfast in 1968 when she took a prominent role in a student-led civil rights political party called People's Democracy. She opposed James Chichester-Clark in the Northern Ireland general election of 1969. When George Forrest, the MP for Mid Ulster, died, she fought the subsequent by-election on the "Unity" ticket, defeating a female Unionist candidate, Forrest's widow Anna, and was elected to the Westminster Parliament. At the age of 21, she was the youngest MP at the time. She stood on the slogan "I will take my seat and fight for your rights" – signalling her rejection of the traditional Irish republican tactic of abstentionism (being absent from Westminster). She made her maiden speech on her 22nd birthday, rather unconventionally within an hour of taking her seat.

She remains the youngest woman ever to have been elected to British parliament. Her 1969 book, The Price of My Soul, did much to publicise widespread discrimination against Roman Catholics in Northern Ireland.

Her radical left-wing politics resulted in conviction of incitement to riot in December 1969. She had actively engaged, on the side of the residents, in the 'Battle of the Bogside', which is widely marked as the beginning of Northern Ireland's 30 year "Troubles". She served a short jail term.<1> After being re-elected in the 1970 general election, Devlin declared that she would sit in Parliament as an Independent Socialist.

Devlin witnessed the events of Bloody Sunday. She was later infuriated that she was consistently denied the chance to speak in Parliament, although parliamentary convention decreed that any MP witnessing an incident under discussion would be granted an opportunity to speak about it in Parliament.<2> Devlin punched Reginald Maudling, the Secretary of State for the Home Department in the Conservative government, when he made a statement to Parliament on Bloody Sunday stating that the British Army had fired only in self-defence.<3> She was temporarily suspended from Parliament as a result of the incident.<4>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernadette_Devlin_McAliskey

[midnight]

1. I enjoyed reading about this remarkable women... But I had

heard through a History Channel over 15 years ago that the Irish were a very advanced society and that women held positions of pope in the Catholic chuch,they were doctors, and lawyers before Rome came over and took it away from women.. So I'm not suprised but very pround of this women....Thanks.

[Forkboy]

2. I learned about her many years ago from this song.

Slap by Chumbawamba

One, two, three, four
Slap
Fleet Street fell in love
But the girl proved hard to get
Took a seat at the old boy's club
But wouldn't share the bed
Cuppas for the troops
Bubbly-gum and wire
Trojan horses, Black & Tans
They're running for their lives
Royals came to call
Mister Paisley save her soul
Heavens here's the naughty girl
Wouldn't say her prayers
Bloody Monday morning
The rat who did the talking
Here's Ginger to the rescue
Take that! And that!
Take that! And that!

The liner notes explained that the song was about Bernadette, and I did some looking into it. And I loved what i learned. I figured she was a good choice for today. :)

[Forkboy]

3. Kick...just becasue I can.

:evilgrin:

[cboy4]

4. K&R

:thumbsup:

[Forkboy]

5. What? No comment?

:evilgrin:

[goodgd_yall]

6. Ach---I bought that book when it came out

And I don't know where the hell it went. I wish I still had it.

Good on ya, FB for bringing this to our attention. It's an excellent tribute for the day and month!

[Forkboy]

7. I've scoured libraries trying to find it.

I don't have the money to order a pizza, let alone a book, but I'd love to read it.