Suffragettes & prison conditions: an online exhibition

The free online exhibition links to more than
a dozen documents held by the NAI

One hundred years ago today, women in Ireland* voted in a general election for the first time. It followed the enactment of the Representation of the People Act, 1918, which granted limited suffrage to women over 30 years of age and universal suffrage to men over 21 years of age. The Act followed a long campaign by women and working class men for recognition of their contribution to society and their right to participate and vote in elections.

To mark this historic event, the National Archives of Ireland (NAI) has selected a number of documents from the archives of the General Prisons Board, which chronicle the struggle for women’s suffrage in Ireland between 1912 and 1914, including the conditions in which the women were held in prison and the use of force feeding.

Click/tap the image to view this online exhibition.

The exhibition can also be viewed at the NAI in Bishop Street, Dublin 8, where artefacts are on display in the reception area and also on the 5th floor.

* and Britain.