Thread: Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World! Based on my new wonderful book! @sarahwebbishere writer, @oneillustration illustrator, @OBrienPress publisher! @AnPostIBAS 2018 Children's Book of the Year (Senior)! 28+ #EPICwomen @MagicalEurope https://www.sarahwebb.info/new-page 

The award-winning children's book 'Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World' was made by 2 remarkable women, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin's author Sarah Webb @sarahwebbishere (left) & Castlebridge, Wexford's illustrator Lauren O'Neill @oneillustration (right)! Mná na hÉireann!

Granuaile. Clan leader & Sea captain. c 1530-c 1603. Short hair so she could go to sea! Toll on ships coming into Galway harbour & became known as Pirate Queen of Connacht! Eng governor took her son & land. Appealed to Elizabeth I in person; was so impressed she got them back!

Maria Edgeworth. Bestselling author & educationalist. 1768-1849. 2nd of 22 brothers & sisters! Lived most of life at Edgeworthstown, Longford. Able to buy their house with money from her books! During famine wrote to raise money for food for tenants! Other famous writers visited!

Dr James Barry. Daring surgeon. c 1799-1865. Margaret Bulkley 1 of 1st women to study medicine, >50 yrs before women allowed in college! Presenting herself as man studied @EdinburghUni! Sent to S Africa with BA. Did 1 of 1st c-sections where baby lived! Free treatment poor women!

Anna Haslam. Suffragette. 1829-1922. Born Youghal, Cork, 2nd youngest of 17! As Quaker girl, given more rights than in other churches. Throughout life helped women; soup kitchens, cottage industries. Most famous deed setting up Dublin Women's Suffrage Association with her husband

Mother Jones. Labour organiser & champion of child workers. c 1837-1930. Mary Harris born in Cork; emigrated in famine. All her 4 children died yellow fever! Her sewing shop burnt down in Chicago Fire! Didn't give up! Focused on helping workers; "most dangerous woman in America"!

Nellie Cashman. Gold prospector & businesswoman! c 1845-1925. Born near Cobh, Cork. Set up boarding houses over US & Canada! Led expedition to save trapped miners in BC; "Angel of the Miners"! Financed miners hospitals & sister's kids! At 77, champion woman dog musher of world!

Sarah Purser. Artist, patron & businesswoman. 1848-1943. Born Dún Laoghaire. Educated in Switzerland, @NCAD_Dublin & Paris! Father had to move to US so Sarah sold paintings for money! Founded stained glass company; exported to churches all over world! Helped start @TheHughLane!

Maud Gonne. Nationalist & activist. 1866-1953. Protested against evictions when young. Set up 'Patriotic Treat' (sweets, buns & oranges to children), 'Daughters of Ireland' (Irish & dance classes), school dinners, 1st Irish newspaper for women & Women's Prisoners Defence League!

Anne Sullivan. Groundbreaking teacher. 1866-1936. Her Limerick parents emigrated to US during famine. At 8, her mum died & left to poor house where she developed eye infection; made her practically blind! But graduated school for the blind. Famously became Helen Keller's teacher!

Countess Markievicz. Rebel leader & politician. 1868-1927. Constance grew up @LissadellHouse & studied art. Married Polish aristocrat! Involved in Easter Rising & arrested. But became 1st female MP elected to House of Commons & 1st female Irish cabinet minister. >3 yrs in prison!

Aleen Cust. Ireland's 1st female vet. 1868-1937. Changed from nursing to vet training; family unhappy & she had to pay her own fees! Not allowed to sit final exams but worked as assistant in Roscommon & PT Vet Inspector in Co Galway! When vet died took over! @theRCVS recognised!

Dr Kathleen Lynn. Doctor & Nationalist. 1874-1955. Father was a clergyman so she grew up taking food to poor & nursing sick children. Grandfather & cousin doctors & she wanted to too. Had own surgery in Rathmines! Treated wounded of Rising! Opened St Ultan's Children's Hospital!

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington. Suffragette, Nationalist & Human-rights campaigner. 1877-1946. 1 of 1st women to graduate from Irish uni! Set up Irish Franchise League & feminist newspaper! Imprisoned for breaking Dublin castle windows for lack vote! Toured world re vote & independence

Lilian Bland. Pioneering aviator. 1878-1971. 1st woman in world to design, build & fly her own biplane; the Mayfly! "May fly, may not fly" she joked at her Co Antrim home! Also multi-talented: award-wining photographer (some of 1st colour live birds), 1 of 1st sports journalists!

Eileen Gray. Designer & architect. 1878-1976. Kathleen Eileen Moray Smith from #Enniscorthy #Wexford! Fell in love with Japanese lacquer @V_and_A; expert in using it to decorate! Designed furniture/rugs (sold to James Joyce) & villa E-1027, France (people from world still visit)!

Máire Ní Chinnéide. 1879-1967. Irish teacher, 1st woman president Oireachtas na Gaeilge & promoted Irish! Led group created camogie/camóguidheacht, 1st president @OfficialCamogie & scored 1st goal! Accomplished author: Peig Sayers life, kid's plays, Grimms' Fairy Tales in Irish!

Lady Heath. 1896-1939. Sophie M Peirce-Evans born in Co Limerick. WW1 drove ambulances on front line! 1st woman to fly loop the loop & parachute jump from a plane! Solo flight from S Africa to London! Set world records in high jump & javelin; fought for women to be in Olympics!

Mainie Jellett 1897-1944. Studied art at @NCAD_Dublin London & with Cubist painters in Paris! Her paintings were abstract & brought together religious & Celtic but laughed at! But taught art to people & co-founded 1st modern art exhibition in Ireland! Also designer e.g. costumes!

Dame Ninette de Valois. 1898-2001. Edris Stannus from Co Wicklow. Loved ballet & joined Ballets Russes! When she discovered she had polio, opened ballet school & set up @TheRoyalBallet! WW2, toured to entertain! Trained Margot Fonteyn! Choreographer; created >40 new ballets!

Dame Kathleen Lonsdale 1903-71. From Co Kildare. 16, won scholarship to college! Invited to join @ucl working on X-ray crystallography; proved benzene flat & became 1st woman Prof there! Worked on diamonds; 1 named after her! Pacifist & lifelong interest in making prisons better.

Maureen O'Hara 1920-2015. Maureen FitzSimons grew up in Dublin. 14, @AbbeyTheatre, 17, Hollywood film contract! >50 films! Starred in 5 with John Wayne. Did most of her own stunts & stood up to sexism! When her husband died, became 1st female president of a commercial airline!

Sybil Connolly 1921-98. Raised Waterford. 1st woman to run Irish-based fashion house (Dublin)! Haute couture from Irish textiles (finely pleated linen, wools, lace). Employed c 100 women who made lace & knitwear for her designs! Jacqueline Kennedy a client! 1953 Life magazine!

Kay McNulty Mauchly Antonelli 1921-2006. Born in Donegal to Irish speaking family who emigrated to Philadelphia! Kay was hired by @USArmy's Ballistic Research Lab as a 'human computer'! 1 of 6 original programmers of ENIAC (one of the world's 1st electronic digital computers)!

Maeve Kyle. Ireland's 1st female Olympian! Born 1928 in Co Kilkenny. In hockey played for Ireland 58x! Set up Ballymena & Antrim Athletics Club. 100m & 200m in 1956 Melbourne Olympics, & 1960 Rome & 1964 Tokyo! >30 medals in international championships! Became coach to help young

Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Born 1943 in Lurgan, Co Armagh. As @Cambridge_Uni PhD student, discovered 1st radio pulsars! @NobelPrize Physics went to supervisor; "The world's not fair & it's how you cope with the world's unfairness that counts"! 1st female president @PhysicsNews!

Anne O'Brien. 1956-2016. 17, asked to play for @StadeDeReims in France; won league & cup! 1st woman from Ireland or Britain to be signed to a professional European team! Italian @SerieA; 11 league titles! Spoke French & Italian! Elegant & brilliant midfielder. Later became coach.

Sonia O'Sullivan. Born 1969 in Cobh, Co Cork. Started going to athletics for the disco! Ireland's most successful female athlete ever: won 3 World & 3 European Championships, broke 4 world records & ran for Ireland in 4 Olympics (including silver medal in 5,000 metres in 2000)!

Mary Robinson. Ireland's 1st female President. Born Ballina, Co Mayo. @tcddublin (Law), @Harvard_Law. Only 24 became Prof Law @tcddublin! 1 year later, elected to Ireland's Senate! >20 yrs, fought for human rights eg women's & Traveller's. @UN High Commissioner for Human Rights!

Blazing a trail into the future! "These young Irishwomen are already making their mark on the 21st C. Now it's over to you. How will you make your mark?...astronaut?...athlete?...President of Ireland?" @sarahwebbishere's brilliant book continues, looking at 8 more young women!

Saoirse Ronan. Born 1994 in The Bronx, NYC to Dublin parents. Family moved to Co Carlow when she was 3, then Howth, Co Dublin when teen. @TheAcademy nomination x4 (1st for Atonement when only 13!), @BAFTA nomination x5 & @goldenglobes win (Ladybird)! Now true Hollywood A-lister!

. @GinaAkpeMoses. Born 1999 in Lagos, Nigeria. Arrived at 3 in Dundalk, started athletics at 8 in St Gerald's AC. Specialised in 100m & 200m. European Athletics Junior Championships, European Youth Summer Olympics, gold at 2017 European U20s, & Youth World U-20 Championships!

Annie & Kate Madden. These Meath sisters grew up around horses! Won a @BTYSTE Award at age 13 & 14 for discovering natural solutions to soothe horses' tummies! Their company, @fenuhealth produces supplements for horses & racing camels! Employs 8 people & sells into 15 countries!

. @KatieTaylor took part in Ireland's 1st female boxing match! Since 2019, became 1 of only 7 boxers in history, female or male, to hold all 4 major world titles in boxing: WBA, WBC, IBF & WBO! Flag bearer for Ireland at 2012 Olympics & won gold medal in lightweight division!

Ruth Negga. Born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia & grew up in Limerick. Studied acting @tcddublin. 2012, won @IFTA! For portrayal of Mildred in Loving (2016), nominated for @BAFTA @goldenglobes @TheAcademy! Also @AgentsofSHIELD ('13-15, 18) @PreacherAMC ('16-19) & @adastramovie ('19)!

. @TheSineadBurke. Academic, activist & writer. 3 ft, 5 tall, born Dublin. Dreams of world where every person is encouraged & celebrated equally. Speaks in schools, workplaces, even the @WhiteHouse, & to fashion designers about creating clothes for & with people with disabilities.

Louise O'Neill @oneilllo. Writer & activist. Born 1985 & grew up in Clonakilty, Co Cork. 1st Young Adult novel 'Only Ever Yours' "launched her into international lit stage like a rocket"! Won 2014 @AnPostIBAS Newcomer of the Year! Talks to students about women's rights!

Blazing a trail into the future! "These young Irishwomen are already making their mark on the 21st C. Now it's over to you. How will you make your mark?" This lovely @oneillustration illustration from @sarahwebbishere's Blazing a Trail book was projected on to @gpowithistory!

My amazon review (maiden name!) of Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World! REALLY chuffed with this book! !'s & glowing adjectives! @sarahwebbishere author @oneillustration illustrator @OBrienPress publisher @AnPostIBAS 2018 Children's Book of the Year (Senior)!

1st of my activities for kids, based on @sarahwebbishere's wonderful book, Blazing a Trail! Can you match these awesome women to their description?! @MoLI_Museum #Herstory #EPICwomen #girlpower #CreativeBursts

Irish History for kids (& big kids)! 2nd of my activities, based on @sarahwebbishere's wonderful book, Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World! Can you match these awesome women to their description?! @MoLI_Museum #Herstory #EPICwomen #girlpower #CreativeBursts

Irish History for kids (& big kids)! 3rd of my activities, based on @sarahwebbishere & @oneillustration's wonderful book, Blazing a Trail: Irish Women Who Changed the World! Can you match these #EPICwomen to their description?! #Herstory #girlpower #IrishHistory #CreativeBursts