Lectern

Lectern used by the Irish Women’s Franchise League (IWFL) during their campaign for women’s suffrage.

This lectern travelled all over Ireland in the early 20th century. It was used by the Irish Women's Franchise League (IWFL) for their campaign for the right to vote. Excluded from public politics, members used portable lecterns such as this to raise themselves above crowds when delivering speeches. A plaque facing the speaker reads 'Votes for women'. IWFL members served time in prison for breaking windows in public buildings to attract publicity for their cause.

The IWFL was formed by a group led by Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington (1877-1946) and Margaret Cousins (1878-1954). It campaigned for women's suffrage (the right to vote in parliamentary elections) and aimed to have a women's suffrage clause added to any future Home Rule Bill.

Object Number: HH:2018.5

More information

McInerney, Kerry (2023) Reclaiming space: enacting citizenship through embodied protest during the British suffragette movement, Gender, Place & Culture, DOI: 10.1080/0966369X.2023.2249260

Biographical Information:

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington - https://www.dib.ie/biography/skeffington-johanna-hanna-sheehy-a8106
Margaret (‘Gretta’) Cousins - https://www.dib.ie/biography/cousins-margaret-gretta-elizabeth-a2111