Where were my women on May 3, 1921? Did they dance on the streets and wave flags when Northern Ireland was born? Were their struggles any different when they woke up the next day?
The women in my family were ordinary Protestants from Belfast and Newry. Their stories have not been overly preserved. I have suitcases of clippings on war heroes and handed-down tales of notable men. But I have fewer tools to discern how my women experienced their lives 100 years ago. I ve used official records, newspaper archives and fragments of family memories to piece together their lives.
I wanted to see what could be learned by excavating the truly ordinary. None of my women did anything famous, or infamous. But they glued their own worlds together. And sometimes they fell apart. Imagining their lives during partition is my small tribute to them. As well as an exploration of Protestant women s lives at this time.
HEALTH bosses overseeing the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccine in Somerset have moved to dismiss rumours that council staff have been prioritised over care home residents. Residents have been concerned after claims emerged that vaccines had been handed out to workers at Somerset County Council (SCC) while care homes were left wanting. Now, although it remains unclear how many care home residents and workers have received the new Pfizer vaccine, the Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has told your
News that it is delivering the vaccine in line with guidance - including to health and social care staff at the council.