'Peace Heroines' exhibition featuring portraits of Baroness May Blood and Eileen Weir now on display at Belfast's Linen Hall Library

Belfast’s historic Linen Hall library is currently hosting an exhibition of portraits of women who were central to helping end the conflict here with colourful depictions of Baroness May Blood and others now on display at the city centre venue until September 30.

The collection is billed as an “extraordinary showcase that celebrates women who, spanning the political spectrum, tirelessly worked towards establishing peace” here in Northern Ireland and consists of nine thought-provoking portraits by Ulster artist FRIZ also depicting Monica McWilliams, Eileen Weir, Pat Hume, Bronagh Hinds, Susan McCrory, Saidie Patterson, Pearl Sagar, and Anne Carr.

These trailblazing women unarguably left an indelible mark on society, supporting victims of sectarian violence, championing integrated education, initiating transformative cross-community projects, organising impactful peace marches, and empowering women in both the political and public spheres.

The 'Peace Heroines' exhibition will also continue its display at 2 Royal Avenue, featuring over 30 additional panels that explore the stories of more women of extraordinary courage who helped shape the end of the Troubles through their steadfast commitment to combating sectarian strife with firm commitments to civic virtue and cross-community engagement.

To mark the official launch, the Linen Hall will host a special event on Thursday, July 6.

Linen Hall director, Julie Andrews, said: “We are thrilled to host the 'Peace Heroines' exhibition at the Linen Hall, celebrating the remarkable women who have tirelessly worked towards establishing peace. Through these thought-provoking portraits, we pay tribute to their invaluable contributions and hope to inspire visitors with their stories of courage.”

She added: “As home of the NI Political Collection, we couldn't imagine a better place to house this exhibition.

"Our team has carefully handpicked items from our ‘extraORDINARYwomen’ archive – an archive that highlighted the roles and attitudes of women in NI during this momentous period of political and socioeconomic change."

The artist, FRIZ, added: “To create this body of work I started by learning about the women and their fantastic achievements and contributions to peace in Northern Ireland. In exploring how to approach the portraits one thing that struck me was how much of the personality of each individual shone through in their photos. To this end, I wanted the final pieces to be colourful and unignorable.”