‘Exceptional’ explorer to be honoured with blue plaque marking her Gleno origins
The Ulster History Circle will today (Thursday) commemorate a remarkable woman from the Gleno valley who was an explorer, scientist and academic.
A blue plaque will be unveiled in tribute to Martha Craig who was the first woman explorer in Labrador in Canada in the early 1900s.
Born on August 8, 1866 at Carneal, Gleno, Martha was the daughter of William Craig and Mary Nelson.
During a remarkable life, she was also a lecturer in North America and once visited US President Andrew McKinley in the White House.
Chris Spurr, chairman of the Ulster History Circle, said: “Martha Craig had a remarkable and colourful life and much of lived far from her origins in Gleno.
“She was a pioneering woman in an age when this was exceptional.”
The plaque will be unveiled at The Dairy, Waterfall Road, Gleno, by Gordon McDowell, the great, great nephew of Martha Craig.
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Click here to read: Plaque is planned for Gleno explorer after pandemic passes
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