This simple stainless steel teapot was a gift from Joyce McCartan to Hillary Rodham Clinton on her visit to south Belfast in 1995. Joyce had set up a women’s drop-in centre following the murder of her teenage son. Set in the Lamplighter, a traditional fish and chip shop, it was a place where women from both sides of the religious divide could talk of their experiences during The Troubles and share their personal losses. Joyce died shortly after their meeting but when Hillary returned to speak in Belfast two years later she placed the teapot on top of her lectern as a mark of respect.
Two nights ago Clinton was given an award at an event in New York commemorating 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement. In her acceptance speech she talked of the time she sat with the “mothers” of The Troubles in that very same café and how they continued their campaign after her visit. The peace deal was signed in 1998. Women like Joyce, working tirelessly in their community to bring people together, played a huge role in making it happen. As she herself said “It takes women to bring men to their senses.”