“Please note: this event will be recorded. NO BYO alcohol will be permitted.”
“In Conversation With…” is our latest series of events here at the Duncairn in which our good friend Professor Phil Scraton will host in-depth conversations with some inspirational people that we really admire. After a successful launch in April with actor Maxine Peake, we welcome Bernadette McAliskey for the second event.
Bernadette McAliskey
One of six children, whose father died when she was nine years old, like many families in Cookstown, Bernadette Devlin endured poverty and sectarianism, inspiring her socialism and republicanism. She was politically active in the student movement, taking on a significant role in the 1969 Belfast to Derry Civil Rights march brutally attacked by Loyalists. In Derry, 14 innocent people were shot dead by soldiers of the Parachute Regiment. Aged 22, she was elected MP for Mid-Ulster. In her writing, broadcasting and public talks Bernadette’s political activism has remained unwavering.
Since 1997 she has worked, now as Director, for the rights-based South Tyrone Community Empowerment Programme. STEP is committed to protecting and advocating for the rights to housing, welfare, employment and legal protection for the many families recruited from Europe to work in agriculture and factories. Aiming to ensure the development of sustainable communities and to eradicate racism and racial inequality, STEP challenges economic marginalisation and social exclusion though personal support and community development.
Tonight’s conversation will focus on Bernadette’s lifelong commitment to socialist-feminism within a society divided by sectarian conflict.