PEACE HEROINE
Marking the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Peace Heroines is a powerful and timely exhibition honouring the often-overlooked women who were instrumental in building peace in Northern Ireland. Created by the Herstory Education Trust in partnership with National Museums NI and the Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund, this exhibition features striking new portraits by renowned street artist FRIZ. Through bold, vibrant works, FRIZ captures the strength, resilience, and legacy of ordinary women who took extraordinary steps — from peace marches to political activism — to bridge communities during times of deep division. More than a celebration, Peace Heroines is a call to remembrance and a spark for future generations to continue the work of peacebuilding with courage and compassion.
PEACE HEROINE
Presented by Blayney Blades in Association with Herstory
1st Feb to 12th March 2024
Artworks by FRIZ
As we commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement in 2023, the Herstory Education Trust partnered with the National Museums NI and the Republic of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs Reconciliation Fund to create the Peace Heroines education programme, featuring a touring exhibition with stunning new portraits of the peace heroines by the artist FRIZ, and youth workshops exploring power. Since the 19th century, women in Northern Ireland have been building bridges by setting aside religious and political affiliations to work together to assert their civil rights and challenge laws that restricted their freedoms; issues regarding women’s education, married women’s property rights and voting rights.
From local to national, this cooperative characteristic of the women’s movements continued into the 20th century with suffragism, trade unionism and eventually, the peace movement of the 1960s on. Women from all walks of life played a pivotal role in the Northern Ireland peace process and continue cross-community dialogue and reconciliation projects today. Ordinary women with extraordinary courage, they faced daily threats to their lives and the lives of their families. Many overcame struggles with poverty, poor education, and personal tragedy to work together for peace. They did everything from supporting victims of sectarian violence to lobbying politicians, founding integrated education, starting cross-community projects, organising mass peace marches, and inspiring women to participate in political and public life.
The project was sparked by a timely conversation at the United Nations back in 2019. Herstory CEO & project curator Melanie Lynch explains: “When I met with Ireland's Ambassador to the UN Geraldine Nason-Byrne she explained to me that the role of women in the Northern Ireland Peace Process is a key United Nations case study. I reached out to our school contacts and they confirmed that this essential story is not taught on the official school curriculum in Northern Ireland or the Republic. Our new Peace Heroines project aims to change that and introduce students and the public to these legendary activists and inspire the next generation of peace builders. It’s time to write herstory into history.”
FRIZ is known for her work exploring history, myths and the folklore that shapes the cultural identity of a place. Using these stories, she creates a journey of discovery for people as they reconnect with some of their earliest and formative memories. The medium of murals allow these stories to be presented as part of the fabric of a place to new generations and told in a contemporary way. FRIZ’s work leans towards presenting powerful female characters and explores our connection with the natural world. Sometimes it is a mirror, sometimes an aspiration. It is often a study in who we are; where we come from and our connection to the natural world around us.
For the Peace Heroines exhibition, she sought to create loud, colourful artwork, artwork that demands space, much like the women portrayed within the canvas’