The Bad Bridget Experience
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: Sch of Hist, Anthrop, Philos & Politics
Abstract
The Bad Bridget Experience comprises five creative encounters. It centres around an innovative museum exhibition and immersive sensory installation at Ulster American Folk Park, an open-air National Museum NI museum in Omagh, County Tyrone. This is complemented by online content that brings aspects of the museum exhibition and installation, and original content, to an international audience. Alongside the online and in-situ encounters are an engaging and creative Education Programme aimed at teenagers, and a reflective and emotive Community Programme with female participants. The Bad Bridget Experience is based on the AHRC-funded research project, 'Bad Bridget': criminal and deviant Irish women in North America, 1838-1918.
The Bad Bridget Experience brings the academic research to a wider public audience for the first time and conveys a more nuanced understanding of the Irish migrant who departed Irish shores than previously known. It presents a seldom told alternative to the 'American dream'. The project centres around emotions as a means to engage, educate and stimulate reflections. Visitors and participants will learn of the emotions of emigrants before their departure from Ireland, their hopes that they could make something of themselves in the new world, their sense of responsibility towards their families at home, and the economic desires of those who helped fund their passage abroad. It will explore disappointment experienced after migration. Poverty remained a feature of many Irish immigrants' lives. Having spent everything on the passage ticket and provisions, they had little on arrival. Life abroad presented new challenges including a very different climate and unfamiliar working and living environments. Job opportunities for girls and women were also limited and, as the academic research uncovered, treatment and conditions were heavily dependent on employers and circumstances.
Migration was not unaffected by heartbreak. Partners, relatives and friends who promised to migrate never appeared. The migration of pregnant unmarried women shows that the concept of leaving Ireland to avoid the shame of pregnancy outside marriage predates the 20th century. Relationships also broke down abroad; our research shows that Irish women were the most likely migrant group to be deserted by their husbands. For much of the 19th century, infant mortality was also higher in Irish families than any other ethnic group. The loneliness, poverty and lack of support networks led to criminal and deviant behaviour, as made clear by heart-breaking statements of many of those who ended up in courts and prisons, which will be used to good effect as part of the Bad Bridget Experience.
Irish migrants who left rural Ireland were thrust into urban America. The immersive sensory installation seeks to confront visitors with the sights, smells and sounds of 19th-century New York. While historical research to date has focused on chain migration, where one migrant assisted a relative or friend to travel abroad, our research reveals a more complex picture. Those who offered assistance were often in poor circumstances themselves, able only to offer a floor to sleep on for a few days rather than to facilitate a gradual acclimatisation to North America. The transient existence of many Irish immigrants also meant promises of assistance were not fulfilled because new arrivals could not track down contacts.
Irish migrants also experienced judgement. Stereotyping and discrimination against the Irish presented challenges. The Bad Bridget Experience allows space for reflections on similarities between migration in the past and today. The research also showcases resilience, perseverance and determination, evident in Irish female migrant's survival strategies. Sometimes strategies were deviant or criminal, but not always, and the exhibition allows visitors to engage with the diversity of responses to opportunities and challenges in the 'New World'.
The Bad Bridget Experience brings the academic research to a wider public audience for the first time and conveys a more nuanced understanding of the Irish migrant who departed Irish shores than previously known. It presents a seldom told alternative to the 'American dream'. The project centres around emotions as a means to engage, educate and stimulate reflections. Visitors and participants will learn of the emotions of emigrants before their departure from Ireland, their hopes that they could make something of themselves in the new world, their sense of responsibility towards their families at home, and the economic desires of those who helped fund their passage abroad. It will explore disappointment experienced after migration. Poverty remained a feature of many Irish immigrants' lives. Having spent everything on the passage ticket and provisions, they had little on arrival. Life abroad presented new challenges including a very different climate and unfamiliar working and living environments. Job opportunities for girls and women were also limited and, as the academic research uncovered, treatment and conditions were heavily dependent on employers and circumstances.
Migration was not unaffected by heartbreak. Partners, relatives and friends who promised to migrate never appeared. The migration of pregnant unmarried women shows that the concept of leaving Ireland to avoid the shame of pregnancy outside marriage predates the 20th century. Relationships also broke down abroad; our research shows that Irish women were the most likely migrant group to be deserted by their husbands. For much of the 19th century, infant mortality was also higher in Irish families than any other ethnic group. The loneliness, poverty and lack of support networks led to criminal and deviant behaviour, as made clear by heart-breaking statements of many of those who ended up in courts and prisons, which will be used to good effect as part of the Bad Bridget Experience.
Irish migrants who left rural Ireland were thrust into urban America. The immersive sensory installation seeks to confront visitors with the sights, smells and sounds of 19th-century New York. While historical research to date has focused on chain migration, where one migrant assisted a relative or friend to travel abroad, our research reveals a more complex picture. Those who offered assistance were often in poor circumstances themselves, able only to offer a floor to sleep on for a few days rather than to facilitate a gradual acclimatisation to North America. The transient existence of many Irish immigrants also meant promises of assistance were not fulfilled because new arrivals could not track down contacts.
Irish migrants also experienced judgement. Stereotyping and discrimination against the Irish presented challenges. The Bad Bridget Experience allows space for reflections on similarities between migration in the past and today. The research also showcases resilience, perseverance and determination, evident in Irish female migrant's survival strategies. Sometimes strategies were deviant or criminal, but not always, and the exhibition allows visitors to engage with the diversity of responses to opportunities and challenges in the 'New World'.
Description | The exhibition is a non-academic impact. |
First Year Of Impact | 2022 |
Sector | Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | BBC Music Breakfast interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | National Museums NI curator Victoria Millar was interviewed for BBC 6 Music Breakfast with Lauren Laverne on 12 May and spoke about the Bad Bridget exhibition. This increased awareness of the exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | BBC Newsline |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Elaine Farrell, PI, and National Museums NI Victoria Millar were interviewed for BBC Newsline on 5 May about the Bad Bridget exhibition. They spoke about the objects included in and the research behind the exhibition. This was broadcast on TV and online, and increased awareness of the exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | BBC Radio Foyle interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Curator of the Bad Bridget exhibition, Victoria Millar, and Tasha Marks, who was involved in developing scents for the exhibition, were interviewed for BBC Radio Foyle. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | BBC Radio Ulster interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | On 23rd April, curator Victoria Millar and illustrator Fiona McDonnell were interviewed for BBC Radio Ulster, Culture Café, about their roles in the Bad Bridget exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Dublin South fm radio interview |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | On 28th February, Elaine and Leanne were interviewed on Dublin South fm's 'Memory Lane' programme and drew attention to the Bad Bridget exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | International Literature Festival event in conversation with Roisin Ingle |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This public event, co-organised by Penguin Sandycove, the Irish Literature Festival Dublin, and Brigid 2023, was in conversation with Irish Times columnist and author Roisin Ingle. As part of this conversation, we discussed the Bad Bridget exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bad-bridget-elaine-farrell-leanne-mccormick-in-conversation-tickets-516... |
Description | Launch of Bad Bridget Exhibition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This exhibition opening launch event was attended by stakeholders, museum staff, and invited guests. It sparked interest in the exhibition and project, and led to increased audience awareness through word of mouth. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | National Museums NI Board of Trustees tour |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On 17th June, c.10 people from National Museums NI's Board of Trustees attended a tour of the Bad Bridget exhibition. Attendees reported an increased awareness of the collections and the ability of these objects to tell stories relating to the Irish migratory past. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | National Museums NI Curatorial Management Team tour |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On 27th June, c.10 people from National Museums NI's Curatorial Management Team participated in a tour of the exhibition. Attendees reported an interest in seeing the collections from different departments represented in a single exhibition, and expressed appreciation for the juxtaposition between objects and modern interventions, such as the illustrations. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | National Museums NI History team tour |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On 26th June, c.10 people from National Museums NI's History Team were given a tour of the exhibition. Attendees reported an interest in incorporating elements such as sights, sounds and smells in future exhibitions. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | PRONI and the Nerve Centre's CollabArchive tour |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On 28th May, c.25 people from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the Nerve Centre's CollabArchive project attended a tour of the Bad Bridget exhibition. This was part of a day trip, which also included a podcasting workshop in the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies on the site of the exhibition. The tour sparked subsequent questions and discussions, and attendees reported an increased awareness of women's migration experiences. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | South West College visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | On 15 December, Fiona McDonnell, who was the illustrator on the Bad Bridget exhibition, gave a presentation to a group of 16 third level students and their 2 teachers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | The Bad Bridget Exhibition |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Bad Bridget exhibition opened in April 2022 at the Ulster American Folk Park. Evaluations to date (1 March 2023) are extremely positive. 85% of 170 participants indicated that they have learned something new from the exhibition. Positive comments are plentiful, and include: "More than my history degree taught me! Female perspectives are also overlooked &underwritten. This gives a voice to the unheard."; "The 1st person used in text panels amplified the migrant experience for women. Their voices were clear."; "I learnt that you don't hear enough about these women and how hard they had it." 91.92% of participants were satisfied with the exhibition (66.18% very satisfied). Comments included: "Fantastic exhibit, only wish there was more of it to read. What is here is especially presented and unbelievably fascinating."; Very interesting & important to understand emigration from women's perspectives"; "I thought it was all excellent. Please make it permanent fixture, given the main exhibits focuses on three men."; "Very well interpreted objects which clearly explain their relevance in context of the exhibition." |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
URL | https://www.ulsteramericanfolkpark.org/whats-on/bad-bridget |
Description | UU Museum Studies students visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | On 27th October, ten students from the MA in Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies (Ulster University) received a tour of the Bad Bridget exhibition from curator Victoria Millar and researcher Dr Leanne McCormick. They reported an increased awareness of the context, and expressed much interest in the interpretive techniques. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Writing workshops with Jan Carson |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Novelist Jan Carson, who wrote the panel text for the Bad Bridget exhibition, ran two workshops (one on Saturday 18th and the other on Wednesday 22nd February). Evaluations were overwhelmingly positive, with 100% of participants indicating that they were 'very satisfied' with the workshop. Comments included: 'Jan was very approachable and made the topic easy to access and understand'; 'Excellent workshop, lots of super practical advice and thoroughly enjoyable.' 58% of those attending noted that the workshop was 'much better than expected', with 25% saying it was 'a little better than expected' (and the others indicating it was as good as expected). Comments included: 'The visit exceeded expectations. It was well paced and covered a variety of topics in a concise space of time.' 83.3% of participants chose 10 on a scale of 1 to 10, as to how likely they would be to recommend the workshop. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |