Pints and Protests

Honouring Nell McCafferty This Women's History Month

(Image above is a photograph of Nell McCafferty by Brian O'Neill. Taken in May 2014. CC BY-SA 3.0)

Just a stone’s throw from Dublin’s most famous shopping street sits a beautiful 19th-century pub with a long and storied history. Host to tourists and locals alike, many years ago Neary’s also found itself in the crossroads of the fight for women’s rights. Back in the 20th century, and indeed still now in some cases, (see the Dea Latis studies The Gender Pint Gap and The Beer Agender), women drinking pints was looked down on, to the point that many (or even most) places in Ireland refused to serve women in that measure. Instead, they often drank bottles of the stuff at home or in smaller serves. But women wanted the same right to drink whatever measure they wanted, where they wanted, like their male counterparts. So they protested.

Enter Nell McCafferty. An ardent supporter of equality and social justice, McCafferty was one of the founding members of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement, a feminist activist group. They engaged in many forms of protests including one which allows groups like ours, The Ladies Craft Beer Society of Ireland, to even exist.

In the late 1970s, McCafferty and thirty comrades entered the premises of Neary’s and each ordered a brandy, which they were easily served. Now came the test: a single pint of beer. This order was categorically refused by the barman. To that they quickly drank their brandies, refused to pay and walked out. Of course this wasn’t the only such protest, albeit certainly the most famous. A dear friend of mine, told me how her great aunt also went to the local pub and asked to be served a pint, much to the scandal of the men in the place.

Of course, this is only a small part in the life of Nell McCafferty, who was a life-long activist, and worked tirelessly to advocate for women and other marginalised people, for instance, fighting to Repeal the 8th and gain people access to contraception (The Contraceptive Train). She was a prolific writer and journalist, creating works like A Woman to Blame and Nell.

Sadly, McCafferty passed away on August 21st, 2024.

We owe much to the women who came before us; who fought for our rights in all aspects, from letting us open credit cards, buy houses, and even to peacefully enjoy our beers in our favourite pubs. So tomorrow, if you, like many of us, are out celebrating International Women’s Day with a few friends, perhaps raise a toast to McCafferty and remember her important work. Sláinte.