Last week an event took place at City Hall which celebrated Belfast’s past; there was much discussion of the current state of our city and another event crept up which managed to nod to our past while laying the ground for a prosperous, shared future. If you stick with me for a few hundred words, I will explain.

First of all we had the unveiling, not before time, of two statues to female historical figures of Belfast’s past, Winifred Carney and Mary Ann McCracken.

McCracken is probably the better known of the two, sister of Henry Joy, she was a steadfast campaigner against slavery, friend of the oppressed and the poor and a successful businesswoman; setting a template for a fair and successful city which we surely all pursue.

I was keen since the statues were unveiled to find out more about Winifred Carney, who it turns out was suffragette, a trade unionist and an Irish republican. Born in Bangor, she was raised on the Falls Road - a remarkable woman.

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There was widespread welcome for these additions to the grounds of City Hall and rightly so. When you travel overseas, what do you look for in a city........

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