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                  Download the programme (PDF - 1.45MB)

Programme launch and The 1913 Lockout - words and music by Jane Cassidy and Maurice Leyden

Tuesday 7 May 2013, 7.15pm

Jane Cassidy and Maurice Leyden will tell the story of the 1913 Dublin Lockout and the Belfast Dockers' Strike which preceded it, through words and music. They will be joined by traditional singer Barry Gleeson, fiddle player Nollaig Casey and Rod McVey on keyboard.

Therese Moriarty

Wednesday 15 May 2013, 7.15pm

By 1913 women were to be seen everywhere in the struggles of a century ago. They were active in the industrial struggles of Dublin, within the communities, the collective responses to the hardship of the industrial conflict and the political claims of these years.

While Dublin is the main focus of the talk, the Belfast arena of struggle will be part of this account.

Theresa Moriarty is an independent researcher and has published studies of Belfast's 1906 linen strike, women's early trade unionism as well as work on Dublin household responses in 1913 and International Women's Day. She has also published writing on figures such as Mary Galway and Delia Larkin.

John Gray
Supping at the 'bitter gourd': struggles of the Belfast Labour movement 1906 -1932

Tuesday 21 May 2013, 7.15pm

John Gray covers the highlights of the Labour experience; the 1907 Dock strike, the electoral high watermark with twelve Labour councillors in 1920 and the Outdoor Relief protest movement in the years up to 1932.

It is a history that has to embrace the workplace expulsions of 1912 and 1920, and the point in 1920 when those twelve Labour councillors did not dare attend council meetings. While Labour was a victim of Unionist state formation it faced almost equal hostility from a deeply conservative Catholic community.

John was Librarian of the Linen Hall Library from 1982 to 2008. His book, City in Revolt – James Larkin and the Belfast Dock Strike (Belfast, 1984: Dublin, 2007) is an acclaimed and pioneering study. Gray has a history of trade union activism himself and remains a member of Belfast Trades Council.

Padraig Yeates
The Dublin Lockout of 1913 - A Very British Conflict

Thursday 30 May 2013, 12.30pm

From August 1913 until early 1914 Dublin employers engaged in a lockout of most of the city's manual workers in a systematic attempt to destroy the Irish Transport and General Workers Union and the 'new unionism' espoused by its leader Jim Larkin.

They saw the 'new unionism' or 'Larkinism as they dubbed it, the most virulent form of godless, Anglo- Saxon materialism that threatened to swamp Irish national culture and identity.

The Lockout is usually viewed as a prelude to the Easter Rising of 1916 but at the time it was a unique event that emphasised class differences rather than national ones.

Padraig Yeates is the author of 'Lockout: Dublin 1913'; 'A City in Wartime: Dublin 1914-1918' and 'A City in Turmoil: Dublin 1919-1921'.

Stephen Royle and Agnieszka Martynowicz
Migration and the making of a city

Thursday 6 June 2013, 7.15pm

Stephen's presentation will examine the famine of the 1840's and its impact on Irish migration. Increased death rates and increased emigration saw the population of the island fall dramatically.

Prominent amongst these was Belfast where the population grew from 71,477 in 1841 to 415,151 in 1926. Shipbuilding and engineering enterprises employed thousands of men; many women could find work in the linen mills. This lecture considers the impact of the migration on the form of the city, also on the economy and its labour history.

Professor Stephen Royle is Professor of Island Geography at Queen's University. He contributed to Belfast 400 (edited by Sean Connolly, 2012) and his most recent book on Belfast is Portrait of an industrial city, 'Clanging Belfast', 1750-1914 (1911).

Agnieszka's lecture will discuss the recent migration into Belfast, particularly following the expansion of the European Union in 2004 and then again in 2007. It will outline the experiences of migrant workers in the workplace and in the wider community, as well as discussing the impact of 'new' migration on the City's cultural and social landscape.

Agnieszka Martynowicz has an academic interest in migration and asylum policies and practice and has led research on the experiences of migrant workers and on inclusion and integration in Northern Ireland. She has also conducted an investigation into immigration detention for the NI Human Rights Commission in 2007.

Special Literary Lunchtime: Words for the Workers

Wednesday 15 May 2013, 1pm

Established local poets Martin Mooney and Nathaniel Joseph McAuley read from their own work and a selection of literary voices on the theme of workers' rights. With live music from singer songwriter Eamon Byers celebrating the extensive canon of workers' anthems.

Free ticketed event.

The Workers' City: Urban Walk

Saturday 18 May 2013, 11am and Thursday 13 June 2013, 6.30pm

This new walking tour of Belfast, explores the architecture and urban quarters that grew up around industrial might and worker strife. How did the merchant trades, linen, engineering and shipbuilding make their mark on the city? And how were people's lives transformed in the city that developed around them?

We'll visit the icons of working Belfast - Victorian linen warehouses housing new creative industries, shipyards that attract tourists from around the world. You'll hear the story of the entrepreneurs whose investments propelled the city's growth and the men and women who fought for workers' rights.

As well as exploring a turbulent and fascinating past, we'll look to the future - what will this city be like for workers in 20, 30 or even 50 years' time? What kind of industries will Belfast be known for - and what shape will our city take as a result?

Departs Ulster Hall Foyer

Free ticketed event

Architecture in 3 minutes: Transport House Short Film Workshop

Thursday 23 May 2013, 10am-4pm

PLACE is calling on all those interested in architecture and film to take part in their short film challenge: Architecture in 3 minutes.

The topic of the challenge will be Transport House - a building from the mid-20th Century heyday of the trade union movement. As a building, it has admirers and detractors. It also symbolises a social and industrial era now long gone, perhaps forever. So what story can you tell about it?

Join this free workshop with filmmaker Paddy Cahill (Liberty Hall, Cycling With...) and get to grips with the challenges of presenting architecture on film. Bring your camera, camcorder or even camera phone - by looking at examples of architecture on film and getting advice from a seasoned filmmaker, you'll have the tools and techniques to create your own short film about Transport House.

The workshop is free but places are limited - book in advance by phoning PLACE on 028 9023 2524 or book online at www.placeni.org.

For details on how to submit your three minute architectural film masterpiece, visit http://go.placeni.org/3mins (the competition is open from 23 May - 6 June, giving you two weeks to shoot, edit and present your work to the world).

Paddy Cahill is a Dublin based documentary filmmaker whose work focuses on architecture. His 2007 documentary Liberty Hall drew attention to one of Ireland's most iconic yet underrated and often ignored buildings.

Special Breakfast Club Screening of Made in Dagenham

Sunday 2 June 2013, 10.30am (breakfast from 10am)

As part of our sell-out Breakfast Club movie series, the Ulster Hall is pleased to present this special screening of Made in Dagenham, a dramatization of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. Breakfast on our signature vintage china included.

£8 includes continental breakfast.

The McPeakes present Songs from the Mills and Factories

Friday 21 June 2013, 10.30am

The 19th century saw dramatic changes in Belfast, transforming it from a merchant town into Ireland's foremost industrial city, but these changes were most dramatic for the workers. The Ulster Hall invites you to join members of the McPeake family as they explore the songs and stories of the Mill and factory workers. There is a chance to tell your own memories of the people and industries that shaped the city.

Free ticketed event, including refreshments

United - the changing face of the Trade Union movement in Belfast By David Ellison

Throughout July

United is a collection of powerful photographs by up and coming photographer, David Ellison, exploring the diverse range of people involved in the Trade Union movement with Belfast City Council.

David Ellison is a contemporary photographer who combines studio based portraiture and contextual landscape photography.

David has his photographs collected by Archive of Modern Conflict and Birmingham Central Library. His previous work has concentrated on the landscapes that frame his portraits – bleak former industrial towns and desolate coastlines.

This exhibition runs as part of the Decade of Centenaries commemorations in collaboration with Belfast Exposed gallery.

Free wine reception and launch on Thursday 4 July 6.30 - 8pm.

Screening of Milk (in association with Belfast Pride Festival 2013)

Wednesday 3 July, 7.30pm

Join us for a free screening of the 2008 Oscar nominated film, starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California.

There will be a short introductory talk by local film historian, Mike Catto. Free ticketed event.

Women and Labour in an Era of Patriarchy (1900 -1930s) Dr Cathy Higgins

Thursday 4 July, 2pm

This presentation will explore the experiences of women in the labour movement in early 20th century Ireland. Why was it such a struggle for women like Mary Galway in Belfast and Louie Bennett in Dublin to gain recognition and equality for women in the workplace? And why was the structured violence against women in the labour movement overlooked and even condoned? Free ticketed event.