In this pioneering collection, Cullen and Luddy chart the lives and work of women who were significant figures in Irish political life in the twentieth century. Cutting their activist teeth in the suffrage campaign, many of these women went on to play an important role on the national and international political stage. From trade unionists-Louie Bennett, Helena Molony, and Mary Galway-to political activists-Kathleen Lynn, Rosamond Jacob, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, and Margaret Cousins-these women campaigned on the significant issues of their day, such as suffrage, pacifism, republicanism, trade unionism, socialism, and health reform.

What were the laws on marriage in Ireland, and did church and state differ in their interpretation? How did men and women meet and arrange to marry? How important was patriarchy and a husband's control over his wife? And what were the options available to Irish men and women who wished to leave an unhappy marriage? This first comprehensive history of marriage in Ireland across three centuries looks below the level of elite society for a multi-faceted exploration of how marriage was perceived, negotiated and controlled by the church and state, as well as by individual men and women within Irish society. Making extensive use of new and under-utilised primary sources, Maria Luddy and Mary O'Dowd explain the laws and customs around marriage in Ireland. Revising current understandings of marital law and relations, Marriage in Ireland, 1660-1925 represents a major new contribution to Irish historical studies.

This is the first book to tackle the controversial history of prostitution in Ireland in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Maria Luddy uncovers the extent of prostitution in the country, how Irish women came to work as prostitutes, their living conditions and their treatment by society. She links discussions of prostitution to the Irish nationalist and suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, analysing the ways in which Irish nationalism used the problems of prostitution and venereal disease to argue for the withdrawal of the British from Ireland. She also investigates the contentious history of Magdalen asylums and explores how the infamous red-light district of Dublin's 'Monto' was finally suppressed through the actions of the Legion of Mary in the 1920s. Revealing complex social and religious attitudes towards prostitution in Irish society, this book opens up a new world in Ireland's social and political history.

This is the first book to tackle the controversial history of prostitution in Ireland in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Maria Luddy uncovers the extent of prostitution in the country, how Irish women came to work as prostitutes, their living conditions and their treatment by society. She links discussions of prostitution to the Irish nationalist and suffrage movements of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, analysing the ways in which Irish nationalism used the problems of prostitution and venereal disease to argue for the withdrawal of the British from Ireland. She also investigates the contentious history of Magdalen asylums and explores how the infamous red-light district of Dublin's 'Monto' was finally suppressed through the actions of the Legion of Mary in the 1920s. Revealing complex social and religious attitudes towards prostitution in Irish society, this book opens up a new world in Ireland's social and political history.

This book examines the role of women in philanthropy in nineteenth-century Ireland. The author focuses initially on the impact of religion on the lives of women and argues that the development of convents in the nineteenth century inhibited the involvement of lay Catholic women in charity work. She goes on to claim that sectarianism dominated women's philanthropic activity, and also analyses the work of women in areas of moral concern, such as prostitution and prison work. The book concludes that the most progressive developments in the care of the poor were brought about by non-conformist women, and a number of women involved in reformist organisations were later to become pioneers in the cause of suffrage. This study makes an important contribution both to Irish history and to our knowledge of women's lives and experiences in the nineteenth century.

This book examines the role of women in philanthropy in nineteenth-century Ireland. The author focuses initially on the impact of religion on the lives of women and argues that the development of convents in the nineteenth century inhibited the involvement of lay Catholic women in charity work. She goes on to claim that sectarianism dominated women's philanthropic activity, and also analyses the work of women in areas of moral concern, such as prostitution and prison work. The book concludes that the most progressive developments in the care of the poor were brought about by non-conformist women, and a number of women involved in reformist organisations were later to become pioneers in the cause of suffrage. This study makes an important contribution both to Irish history and to our knowledge of women's lives and experiences in the nineteenth century. Winner of the 1996 American Conference for Irish Studies James S. Donnelly prizer for History and Social Sciences.

A valuable collection of over 100 sources and documents relating to the public and private lives of women in Ireland during the period 1800-1918.

Louie Bennett (1870-1956) was one of the most prominent female public figures of the Irish twentieth century. A suffrage campaigner, an advocate of peace, and an important trade unionist, she was an influential personality on the international stage as well as in Ireland. Despite this Bennett has not previously been the subject of a serious biographical study. The writer, RM Fox, produced a popular anecdotal biography following her death but many areas of her life remained unresearched.Rosemary Cullen Owens in this first biography of Louie Bennett examines the complexity of her public life and details her connections to various social and political movements. Particular attention is paid to her involvement in the Irish Women's Workers Union of which she was a leading member for many years.

Marriage was of huge significance to women and men for social, emotional and economic reasons. Married women had greater status than unmarried women, the most acceptable way to form families was through marriage and, as in all time periods, both men and women desired children. Economic stability, though not necessarily guaranteed by marriage was an inducement to marriage for many women, especially in a society where paid employment opportunities for them were limited. A breach of promise to marry is a fundamental break of a promise, by either a man or woman, to carry through a marriage. Usually an engagement period precedes a marriage and the couple make promises to marry sometime in the future. In common law such promise was a legally binding contract, and if broken the responsible party could be sued for a breach of promise to marry. However, as this book will show, breach of promise cases were not always straightforward. Such promises were like a contract and like other contracts some sort of evidence was required if a prosecution was to be successful and damages awarded. In Ireland almost all the breach of promise cases, from the late 18th to the early 20th centuries, were brought by women. Essentially, the woman who brought the case was seeking money, 'damages', for a broken promise of marriage. Exploring the history of breach of promise cases in Ireland allows an insight into courtship rituals, reveals the significance of monetary considerations in marriage settlements, and the value that was placed on women's, and men's, reputations.