Bronagh Lawson is a visual artist with over 25 years experience working in Interface areas in Belfast, for the last 9 years voluntarily In East Belfast.

Anyone who was involved in the Women’s Coalition in Northern Ireland has more than one story to tell. For my own part I was running cross-border cross-community women’s programmes at Townsend Enterprise Centre when Shiela Fearon, who was running a women’s enterprise project, came into my office one day and said: “Come with me there is something interesting going on.” Off we trotted to the Ulster People’s College in Belfast where Bronagh Hinds burst into the room and explained that no women would be at the Peace talks.

My first thought was “she’s amazing, I’m in”. Little did I expect a few weeks later at a meeting to put my hand up and give my name to stand in the elections. What followed was a whirlwind, our tag line was Human rights, Equality, Inclusion.

I remember when Margaret Ward, the historian who was running a women’s resource and development agency at the time called a meeting in Queen’s University to let us all know that the UN had adopted a resolution 1325 because of the Women’s Coalition impact. I remember drunks coming up to me in the street saying “you’ve got my vote because the men have made a mess of it.”

I remember being in bizarre places meeting interesting people, learning from a bunch of women with amazing skills and lots of laughs. On a visit to the American Ambassador’s residence in Dublin to gain support, we realised we were the only women political party in the world.

Weirdly, all of these things seemed very normal. Whatever normal is in Northern Ireland. As we folded and members’ energies went in different directions, Annie Campbell (Chief Executive of Women’s Aid) Monica McWilliams (Human Rights Commission), Kate Fearon of conflict zones around the world, Ann McCann (Anorexia  support), Judith Cross (Age NI), Helen Crickard (Women’s Tec/Women’s Information NI), Elizabeth Byrne McCullough (Alzheimer’s Society), Baroness May Blood in the House of Lords, Jane Morrice (deputy speaker of the NI Assembly) – women who have influence in all walks of life in Northern Ireland from the Strategic Investment Board to unions, community groups, councils  and families.

A call went out for a reunion of the women in the Linenhall library recently where an archive of the Coalition is. When we all got together this week we talked about how even when women do step up they often get written out of the history of events, and specifically the lack of mention of former NI Secretary of State Mo Mowlam.

Every time I see the Wave goodbye to the Dinosaurs poster on the wall of the library I remember the day it was designed. There was much joy and some singing when Jane Morrice held an open mic for members’ memories.

Annie Campbell said her life has been much more boring since as she remembers trying to feed her two kids while a Japanese film crew tried to interview her.

Helen Crickard remembers the NI Women’s Coalition, paid a parking fine for them after stopping their van on the motorway to put up posters on the lampposts.

Baroness May Blood reported that the Wave Goodbye to the Dinosaurs film about the coalition has just won an award, had been showed at the House of Lords and it’s going to be repeated.

Bronagh Hinds was applauded for her input earlier in the day at Queen’s on saying that women are not just victims but agents of change. I love them all, I even love Brenda Callaghan for boycotting it because the Linenhall recently invited the Israeli ambassador to a function, because for my part I recalled that sometimes we do not remember just what an eclectic bunch of people we were and how amazing the experience was.

Patricia Wallace talked of joining by a series of coincidences. Liz Bryne McCullough wrote a song we all decided to have an impromptu sing along. It took me to be sitting in front of a bunch of America art students at the School of Art Institute Chicago, talking about our experience that I looked up at their faces and realised just how far away from that opportunity those young women were, in a country where politics seems to be all about money.

I also remember working on an imaginary front-page newspaper article with Margaret Ward and we reckoned we wanted a black May Blood as first minister, we are not there yet. As was normal an American film crew were there to record everything at the Linenhall. We’re an eclectic bunch 20 years wiser, so watch this space.