‘Suffrage First-Above All Else!’ An Account of the Irish Suffrage Movement

Abstract

Feminist history reclaims the previously unnoticed, holding it up to the light of day to see how it fits beside other better-known facts - a process which radically transforms our perceptions of the past. This article is a contribution to the work of establishing a feminist perspective on Irish history; a perspective that is only now, slowly and painfully, beginning to emerge. Very little is known about the Irish suffrage movement of its activities, its different organizations, personalities, successes or failures.' Historians have ignored its existence and few participants have left us their memories, no doubt feeling' that subsequent events rendered their feelings irrelevant. As a feminist living in the north of Ireland, I understand their reaction, but mourn our loss. In piecing together this account, I'm conscious of the large gaps in the documentary evidence; of questions that must, at least for the moment, remain unanswered. Nevertheless, to begin to grasp what the questions are is a step forward in understanding the problems confronting these early feminists, who struggled for survival in a political environment where 'social questions'- were dismissed as digressions from the National Question. But historical research is not only concerned with discovering the past - it should also help us to understand our failures, and maybe even suggest strategies for the future. In this respect, the Irish suffrage movement retains its immediacy. The manner in which the suffragists attempted to deal with the consequences of acute political divisions throws light upon the current debates concerning the degree to which women will mobilize to fight against their oppression, regardless of the fact that this sexual oppression is mediated by class, race, and religious differences. And if women do unite on specific issues, the question then arises as to whether this recognition of common needs can spill over into other areas, so that political disagreements will eventually be transcended. This is a fundamental issue amongst Northern Irish feminists. The evidence of history does not give us cause for optimism - the suffragists certainly failed - but we can at least learn from the reasons for their failure. Can it be attributed to external factors, rather than to any internal contradictions within feminism? This discussion does not provide any ready-made answers, it simply raises some of the questions.