Monthly Archives: June 2021

Captain John McCracken, father of Henry Joy and Mary Ann McCracken, was a seafarer by trade. It was said that the Belfast skyline of those days was broken only by the spire of the Poor House, the cupola of St Anne’s Church, the Market House belfry and when Captain McCracken’s ship was in port her masts, alongside other vessels, which were clearly visible from the opposite end of High Street. Captain McCracken operated in an age when most ship captains and crew members would have supplemented their income by smuggling. However, Capt McCracken took his ‘Custom House Oath’ very seriously, and [...]

The Mary Ann McCracken Foundation is delighted to announce an extra special addition to its Mary Ann birthday event on 8 July at 7pm. Now featuring Baroness May Blood – ‘a current day Mary Ann’ – attendees will hear how she too has committed her life to fighting for the needs and rights of the people of Belfast and further afield. In addition to hearing about Baroness Blood’s achievements, the Mary Ann McCracken Foundation will also highlight who and what Mary Ann championed in her 96 years including education, abolitionism, women’s and workers’ rights. Then you, the audience, will be encouraged [...]