As violence increases in Belfast, women are becoming more politicised. Lady Abercorn visits the city to rally members of the Ulster Women’s Unionist Council. Meanwhile the IRA requests the formation of a Belfast branch of Cumann na mBan (League of Women) whose members help gather intelligence and move weapons. And in 33 Carnan Street, off the Shankill Road, Maria Kirkpatrick raises her six children amid riots and protests. Sociologist Claire Mitchell and historian Margaret Ward look at the role of women in these volatile times.