Hi, I’m Dr. Belinda Vigors, a social scientist, and I’m on a quest to connect Ireland’s past to to the lived experiences of today’s Women of Ireland. I believe to better understand the experience of being a woman of Ireland, you need to look back to history, to explore how Ireland’s past has shaped its culture and society and how that, in turn, has influenced the daily lives of women of Ireland. Come join me!

I’m Irish but I’ve lived in the UK since 2014. Before I moved here, I never thought much about being Irish, apart from being quite fiercly patriotic in the way most of us are. But, once away from Ireland I suddenly became aware of my ‘Irishness’. It was subtle. I found myself explaining how I would react to things or why I decided to do things a certain way or why I made a particular decision, with “It’s because I’m Irish”. I realised that many of my choices, the things I went for or held myself back from, some of the things that annoyed me and the behaviours I valued were, in part, culturally dependent.

Ever since I’ve been curious about how Ireland’s culture, history, social norms and social structures may have influenced my worldviews, experiences and the way in which I approach life and the world as a woman — why I do the things that I do. Which is why I’ve set myself a goal to begin this project, where I have set out to explore Irish history and heritage, alongside interviewing women of Ireland today on their experiences with the aim of connecting the two.

I want to know how Ireland’s heritage, history, culture and society has shaped the women of Ireland today and how we approach the world?