What's happening for International Women's Day?

national | gender and sexuality | feature Thursday March 05, 2009 22:33 by mechano/mechana

International Womens Day

According to Wikipedia International Women's Day started in the States in 1909, spread to Copenhagen and other parts of Europe and by 1911 was being celebrated by over 1 million people. Its an official holiday in many countries throughout the world and though it doesn't have this status in Ireland it is being marked by a number of groups and events over the next few days. Heres a selection from the events listed on Indy's Events Calendar.

Links & Views: • InIternational Women's Day - Why we celebrate on March 8th • Amnesty.ie Launches Campaign against Female Genital Mutilation • Ógra Shinn Féin Video: Ní saoirse go saoirse na mBan

The Communist Party are hosting a talk by the General Secretary of the Federation of Cuban Women in Liberty Hall on the 5th.

Sinn Fein are celebrating International Women's Day with a talk by Nell McCafferty hosted by Mary Lou McDonald.

As part of the Anarchist Bookfair there's a screening of 'An Anarchists Story' in Seomra Spraoi. Its a movie about Ethel MacDonald, a working class Scot, who travelled from Glasgow to Barcelona to cover the Revolution taking place during the Civil War and who worked in an anarchist radio station. If you're interested you can read find out more about Ethel here and the movie here.

On the 7th, éirígí in their own words, "will be holding a short ceremony at the grave of Kathleen Lynn - Medical Doctor, Marxist, Feminist, Republican and Internationalist" to mark International Women's Day at her grave in Deansgrange at 12p.m. More details here.

Again, as part of the Anarchist Bookfair will feature a talk by Martha Ackelsberg entitled "The Trials of Theory and Practice: Spanish Anarchism, Mujeres Libres, and the Struggle for the Emancipation of Women" on Saturday the 6th of March at 4.30. A well known academic her book 'Free Women of Spain' developed out of the desire to examine male/female relations in the Spanish anarchist collectives. Her other writings focus on women’s community activism in the US and the world, gender and feminism.

On Sunday the 8th of March the 'Progressive Film Club' hosts an International Women‘s Day Film Festival where they will screen "a number of films by and about women".

Choice Ireland, the RAG collective and the Lashback collective are planning to celebrate International Womens Day with their second Feminist Walking Tour. In their own words "The tour will tell the stories of women throughout our history from Granuaile to the women of the Ladies Land League and Irish Women Workers’ Union to today's women activists who work to reduce poverty and exclusion in our city... The walking tour is an educational and entertaining way to celebrate the courage and achievements of women past and present and an ideal way to mark International Women's Day." If you want a flavour of what to expect check out coverage of last years tour here.

If you have details of anything else going on please add it in a comment!