Mary Quaile
Venue: Lincoln 1 room, Methodist Central Hall, 4/5 Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ
A day of talks and discussion on radical history and politics.
Programme for the day
Registration 10.00 am to 10.30am
Morning session 10.30am to 1pm
The socialist origins of International Women’s Day – Ciara O’Sullivan
The life and politics of Mary Quaile, trade unionist and socialist – Alison Ronan
Trade Unionism Today – Hannah Ravenscroft
Women for Independence, Scotland – Natalie McGarry
Podemos in Spain – Alba Maiques
Lunch 1pm to 2pm (not included)
Afternoon session 2pm to 4.30pm
Sex, Race and Class – Selma James
Panel Discussion: Where are Women in 2015? Speakers: Bernadette Hyland, Jessica Lishak, (one more speaker to be confirmed)
Conference fee £5.00 / £1.00 (people on JSA).
To book a place please email: maryquaileclub@gmail.com
This event is part of the Wonder Women Festival and has been sponsored by UNITE North West Region, UNITE Preston branch UNITE Greater Manchester Social Action branch, UNITE Wharton and Samlesbury branch , UNITE Bamber Bridge branch and UNITE Central Manchester health branch.
About the speakers
Ciara O’Sullivan is a founder member of the Mary Quaile Club
Alison Ronan is an historian who has researched the life of Mary Quaile and other political and trade union campaigners in Manchester. She is the author of “A Small Vital Flame” Anti-war women in North West England 1914 – 1918
Hannah Ravenscroft is a UNITE shop steward at Vauxhall
Natalie McGarry is a member of Women for Independence
Alba Maiques is a member of Podemos, Manchester
Selma James has been active in socialist and women’s politics since the 1950s. She is the author of A Woman’s Place (1952), Sex, Race and Class–the Perspective of Winning: A Selection of Writings 1952–2011 ( 2012) and many other books. Her documentary on women for the BBC, shown in 1971, can be seen here.
Bernadette Hyland is a founder member of the Mary Quaile Club and author of the forthcoming book Northern Resisters: Conversations with Radical Women.
Jessica Lishak is the Women’s Officer for the Students Union, University of Manchester.
About Mary Quaile
Mary Quaile came to Manchester with her family from Dublin in the early 1900s. She led a strike of café waitresses and then went on to work as an organiser for the Manchester and Salford Women’s Trades Union Council. Mary opposed the First World War and was active in the No Conscription Fellowship. After the war she became an organiser with the newly formed TGWU. Mary was elected on to the General Council of the TUC in 1924 and took part in campaigns to increase union membership. She also visited the Soviet Union on a trade union delegation. During the General Strike in May 1926 Mary spoke at rallies in Manchester and elsewhere
Mary returned to Manchester in the 1930s and was Treasurer of the Manchester Trades Council for many years. She died in 1958. Her obituary appeared in the Manchester Guardian which said that “her determination to get trade unionism for women accepted was often met with jeers, boos, rotten apples, and threats of violence. She spoke at hundreds of factory gate meetings in both the East End of London and Manchester; she never betrayed any sign of fear when faced with hostility. Her warmth and lovable personality won for her many friends in the labour and trade union movement.”
