It's St Brigid's Day on Friday so... a thread of fabliss Scots/Irish historical women. First up, Margaret Skinnider from Helensburgh, who supported the Free State by becoming a sniper under the command of Countess Marckiewicz. She smuggled detonators in her hat, Some quine. /1 
This formidable Irish lass is Rachel Johnson, who was a foreman navvy in a brickworks in Glasgow. She was sworn in as a Special Constable to help police clear the riots in Partick in 1875 and dumped one guy in the Clyde cos he refused to stop struggling. I love her. /2
This is a monument near Oban to Deidre of the Sorrows - probs the best known woman in Celtic folklore. She fled Ireland to Scotland with her lover Naoise but her father caught her, killed Naoise & made her marry the King of Ulster. She killed herself, he was so awful. /3
Next medieval rebel leader Finola O'Donnell & her ma Lady Agnes Campbell. Together they waged a guerilla war against English governors in Scotland & Ireland. We forget how close the links are between the countries were in the medieval when sea travel was easier than by land. /4
Quick hiss at this guy, Irish Abbot, St Columba who came to Iona to found the Christian community & banned women & cows from the island saying 'where there is a cow there is a woman and where there is a woman there is mischief.' Boo to this. /5
My favie Scottish suffragette was Irish. Mary Maloney dogged Winston Churchill's 1908 by-election campaign in Dundee. He refused to talk about the suffrage so she said he wouldn't talk about anything then & followed him around ringing a bell to drown out his voice. Slan, Mary. /6
I could go on obv cos there are piles of women over hundreds of years. On Friday for St B's day I'll be @womenslibrary with @MargotMcCuaig @luberachi & Catriona Logan to talk about creative women and more. Tix are free. To join us go here 👇eventbrite.ie/e/st-brigids-d…
Or you know, if you just want more stories about our amazing foremothers, you could always pick up my David Hume Institute recommended book Where are the Women.👇So many stories... our grannies truly were the bomb. amazon.co.uk/Where-are-Wome…
