A WREATH has been laid at the statue of Mary Ann McCracken in Belfast ahead of her 159th anniversary.
The event, organised by the National Graves Association, took place on Friday afternoon in the grounds of Belfast City Hall.
Mary Ann McCracken died on July 26, 1866 at the age of 96 – her anniversary is on Saturday.
Speaking at the wreath-laying commemoration, Sinn Féin councillor Siobhán McCallin said: "It's a privilege and honour to share a few words with you today about such an iconic Irish republican. For too long women like Mary Ann McCracken were hidden from history, deliberately excluded or in some cases, completely erased."
Cllr McCallin said Mary Ann was born in Belfast into a wealthy family.
"She was the daughter of one of the wealthiest Presbyterian merchant families in Belfast. As the young sister of Henry Joy McCracken, she espoused the ideals of the United Irishmen and women.
Sinn Féin councillor Siobhán McCallin
"She lived through some of the most turbulent times this island has experienced, and her life was marked with violence and tragedy. Mary Ann died on the 26th of July, 1886. She was 96-years-old and her life spanned two centuries and her legacy will span the ages. Mary Ann was at the centre of one of the greatest revolutionary moments of the 18th century, and that would leave an indelible mark on her life."
Cllr McCallin said Mary Ann bore witness to the 1798 rebellion and the birth of the Industrial Revolution.
"In recent years, it has been wonderful to see women like her be given their rightful place in history. Having been hidden figures for so long, her legacy is celebrated and she is no longer erased.
"Mary Ann was a visionary; a forward thinker ahead of her time. She was a woman of deeply held principles, and some would argue, Ireland's first feminist.
"Despite her wealth and her privilege. She was a supporter of the disenfranchised and the lover of the poor. She was an educator, a businesswoman, an emancipator, an abolitionist, a republican, a rebel, and her legacy inspires many to this day.
"She is rightly remembered for her close love and bond with her dear brother, United Irishman Henry Joy McCracken. Her unconditional love for Henry is well known and her altruism shone through when she raised his illegitimate child, Maria, who would live with her until her death. This act of love personified fearlessness and the courage as many in society would have frowned upon Maria and shunned her, including some members of the McCracken family.
"As we look and fit together the jigsaw of each unique part of the puzzle that completes the entire picture of this heroin, let us reaffirm her ideals as we strive to deliver a new Ireland. Let us be inspired by this fearless, political, radical, social reformer, anti-slavery campaigner, activist and protester.
"As we continue our endeavours to try and shape and build a new Ireland, let those foundations be built on the social justice and equality Mary Ann espoused, one that unites Protestant, Catholic and dissenter. One that is a beacon to the world, that condemns war and protects Irish neutrality as inspired by Wolfe Tone. Let her actions of protest guide us in our attempts to boycott, divest and sanction, let her hatred of the evils of slavery inspire us to call out the legacy and the evil of imperialism.
"Let her understanding of international struggle and solidarity help us in our demands for just peace and complete cessation of violence for the Palestinian people. Mary Ann was so much more than the sister of Henry joy. Let us remember her in her own right."
Roseleen Walsh and Loretta McKee from the National Graves Association then laid a wreath at the statue to conclude the commemoration. The wreath bears the message 'It is newly strung and shall be heard', which was associated with the United Irishmen.
