THE installation of two bronze statues in the grounds of Belfast City Hall to commemorate two radical Belfast women will take place today, Friday.
Last August, the Council's Planning Committee approved the proposal for 3m high bronze statues of Winifred Carney and Mary Ann McCracken.
They will be the first statues of women from a republican tradition to be erected at Belfast City Hall. Both will be formally unveiled on Friday to coincide with International Women's Day.
Born in Bangor in 1887, Winnie Carney was an Irish suffragist, trade unionist and advocate of Irish independence. She was present with James Connolly in the GPO during the Easter Rising and was a Sinn Féin election candidate in 1918. She died in 1943.
Mary Ann McCraken was an abolitionist and social reformer whose political activism began with the United Irishmen. Born in Belfast in 1760 into a prominent liberal Presbyterian family, her brother Henry Joy McCracken was hanged in High Street in July 1798 for his part in leading an attack on Antrim town during the rebellion of that year.
Speaking in Council this week, Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Beattie welcomed the upcoming installation.
"This will be a hugely historical day for this city and for the whole island," he said. "In 2011, this Council carried out an Equality Impact Assessment which showed this Council was not inclusive. It showed it was predominately white, upper class, Anglo-Saxon and male.
"After years of delay, I am delighted that the statues will be installed in the grounds of Belfast City Hall. It is important to keep the balance and make sure everyone is welcome in this city."
An event to mark the installation will take place at 2pm on Friday in the City Hall grounds. Speakers will include the Lord Mayor, the artist and a representative from ICTU. A panel discussion/debate, to include some drama, poetry and music will also take place that evening at City Hall.
Plans include the publication of a booklet which will be given out at both events and available after, a shortened version of which will be published on Council’s website and accessed through a QR code on the statue.
