‘A pair of oddities' in Manchester: Eva Gore-Booth and Esther Roper - a talk by Sonja Tiernan

Description

In 1896 at the age of 26, Eva Gore-Booth was sent to recover from illness in Italy. There she met a young English woman, Esther Roper.
Eva was the daughter of an Anglo-Irish landlord who owned one of the largest estates in the West of Ireland. In stark contrast, Esther was from working class stock. In order to be with Esther, Eva rejected her aristocratic lifestyle, moving from an opulent mansion in Sligo to a mid-terrace property in smog-bound industrial Manchester.
This talk examines the remarkable thirty-year relationship of Eva and Esther. Once labelled as a pair of oddities, it is now clear that the women were open about their relationship, mixing with an eclectic group of radical gay and lesbian activists. The couple became formidable political advocates, often organising successful and radical campaigns for social justice.
Sonja Tiernan is a Lecturer in Modern History at Liverpool Hope University and Secretary of the Women's History Association of Ireland.
Admission free, all welcome