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A MAJOR CAMPAIGN to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising will see women who featured prominently in the Rising adorn hundreds of buses in Ireland.
The project’s launch coincides with International Women’s Day, which is taking place tomorrow.
The exterior of a special double-decker commuter bus will feature images of six women, while 650 Bus Éireann buses nationwide will feature posters illustrating their stories – as will travel centres and bus shelters.
Busáras in Dublin will also feature billboards and a video about the campaign.
The figures will be profiled on board buses in the regions they are most associated with:
Images: Bus Éireann
The 75-seater double-decker commuter bus featuring an exterior wrap with all six women will be used on the 103 Dublin to Ashbourne route from Beresford Place in Dublin city centre. The illustrations depicted on the bus were produced by artist David Rooney and feature in the Royal Irish Academy’s (RIA) 1916 Portraits and Lives project.
Nicola Cooke of Bus Éireann said the campaign will reach a wide audience. “We decided to go with an element that we felt there hadn’t been a light shone on as such,” she told TheJournal.ie.
The women were selected from the recent 1916: Portraits and Lives book, edited by Lawrence William White and published by the Royal Irish Academy.
“We took the six women out of the [Portrait and Lives] book and focused on them and their lives and what their connection with the Rising was,” explained Cooke. “We just felt it was something strong to go with and something different, and we were very lucky to get the support of Its4Women.ie.”
“Because Bus Éireann is a national network, we’ve regionalised all the women,” she added.
“I’m really proud of it and I think showing people all round Ireland the women that did play a role, that’s very important and Bus Éireann are very happy we’re doing this.”
We felt it was important to be involved in an initiative that shone a light on individuals – who were lesser known – but whose major contributions and sacrifices helped shape our nation 100 years ago.
RIA managing editor Ruth Hegarty told TheJournal.ie that the collaboration came about after the RIA decided to try and get the word out about women’s role in the Rising, following the publication of Portraits and Lives.
She said it was a good way for the public to learn more about the important role women played in the Easter Rising:
These women worked as snipers, cooks, couriers, secretaries, nurses and doctors during Easter Week. They all survived the Rising, and continued as teachers, doctors, actors and trade union activists. Their different life stories give a broader picture of the people who were involved in the Rising.
She explained how much there is to learn from the women’s experiences.
“When you dip into each individual story you get a different part of the Rising. When you read one individual story – they talk about staying up all night, bringing provisions to Liberty Hall in a pram, or they talk about injuries because a lot of them acted as nurses during the week.”
“People weren’t all going into the Rising with the same beliefs, and I think that is refreshing,” she added.
Call for mechanics
In addition, Bus Éireann has launched its call for new apprentice heavy mechanics, with a particular focus on getting women involved. A heavy mechanic would work on the upkeep and repair of buses.
“Unfortunately we’ve had very few females apply for the roles,” said Cooke, explaining that they have launched a national campaign featuring young female and male heavy mechanics, which details how the role has changed.
We haven’t had a female apprentice come through yet. It’s 2016 and we want to get women through the rungs here, get our first female heavy mechanic qualified.
More information on the women commemorated by the project can be read here. Bus Éireann will also be working extra services for the Easter weekend.
- with reporting by Aoife Barry
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Historically, it was always considered notable how common it was for Irish women to fight alongside men. This can likely be traced back to Brehon Law attitudes that tended to hold women in equal regard to men in Ireland since time immemorial. Then the Catholic Church entered the frame and 3,500 years of equality unravelled in a matter of months, but Irish attitudes often remained.
It took Ireland centuries to convert, and even so they were not Catholic.
Catholicism came with the Normans in 1169. In fact, it was a large part of their casus belli that the Irish were part of the “Celtic Church”, and needed to be brought under the fold.
What also remains is the blaming of the Catholic Church for everything….. probably from British rule and people’s slavish deference to their media.
Firstly, no Catholic Church, early Christian Church conversion.
Secondly, same in rest of the world.
Thirdly, people choose to treat women in a certain way. Men chose wrong here for decades.
Fourthly, Ireland is one of the best countries to be a woman in, according to the Oecd.
A lot of the women and men of the 1916-1921 period were ignored by our governments for years.
The only people who turned up at 1916 commomerations were overweight special branchers with handicams filming “republicans” while junkies were injecting themselves and harrassing people.
Way to go.
First comment turns the forum into a Catholic bashing exercise.
I’m actually with Oran on this one. It was the industrial revolution that fixed the ideas on women that we have. The Church only provided a mechanism, as it did everywhere, Catholic or not.
Liam knew once he bashed the Catholic Church, even though he was wrong, he was bound to get green thumbs…
@liam. What you say is true. De Valera even had our fighting women air-brushed from photographs. Hardly surprising – Sure didn’t he allow McQuaid to dictate our constitution & enslaved us into the Catholic Church to replace Britain.
Oran, I think it’s fair to say that the Catholic church did nothing to rectify the inequality for many centuries, and continues in that fine tradition today. So you can call it bashing if you like, but at best they’re collaborators with a bad culture, but we all know they helped to keep women in their supposed place.
@declan madsen – The Catholic Church kept everyone in their place. All children were intimidated by Catholicism from an early age & most up to 20yrs ago, in their adulthood as well.
We could do with a few of these determined women about the place today.
Great idea, but sorry to see their partners unrecognised when they served side by side. Kathleen Lynn and Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen and Elizabeth O’Farrell and Shelia (Julia) Grennan – “Eirebrushed” our play on 1916 lesbian and gay heroes is on in Players Theatre TCD May 2-7th 730pm http://www.gaytheatre.ie
Specifying some theatre as “gay” seems superfluous; wouldn’t “straight theatre” be more unusual and unique realistically?
Happily not just as Irish or American is equally valid. It’s our 13th season heading past 3500 performances and companies from 5 continents who see its relevance, importance and artistic identity. Pop along in May!
Here’s why you’ll see these women on buses all over Ireland
(but you won’t see them underneath them)
Trying too hard Oran. Show some respect
It’s not doing Anything for Anybody. What’s the Point. Surely we can invest money in things for people.
I’d recognise David Rooneys artwork anywhere. Stunning as always.
Pearce was a woman
Mná na hÉireann…like omg lol
See the pols where around in 1916 too
have your say