Ep 294 Máirín de Búrca: Activist, Volunteer, Loner

Máirín de Búrca has been a tireless social justice activist for women's rights, housing, prisoner rights, anti-apartheid, and many other issues throughout her life. She has, at times, been a committed member of Sinn Féin and, as a founder of the Women’s Liberation Movement, played a key role in that organisation's infamous Contraceptive Train. Máirín was also a prime mover in a legal case which secured for women the right to sit on juries, has been jailed for her anti-Vietnam War activities and fined for attacking Richard Nixon’s car during his 1970 Irish visit.Now, the octogenarian is the subject of a new documentary by filmmaker Cathal Black. A Loner's Instinct traces Máirín's life, taking us from her childhood in Chicago, to her membership of Sinn Féin, to her role as a founder of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement.On today's podcast she talks to Kathy Sheridan about her extraordinary life.A Loner's Instinct will screen at the Irish Film Institute in Dublin April 8th 2019 at 18:30, followed by a Q&A. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.