Erin's Daughters in America: Irish Immigrant Women in the Nineteenth Century

by Hasia R. Diner

The most sensitive treatment of Irish culture and the most complete history we have of the Irish female experience. -- Labor History.

Genres: History, Ireland, Nonfiction, American History, Research, Irish Literature, 19th Century

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

Reviews

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6 stars

not my usual cup of tea but it was lowkey fire. i come from a long line of irish girlbosses as diner so eloquently noted! #work

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and readable, this book provided me with a deeper understanding of the lives of my ancestors.

[Mathew Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not like this book at all. The idea one had to overcome their "misfortune" of being from Ireland and needed to change in order to succeed -- a very pro-British, pro-American, imperial minded view of 19th century Irish, was annoying. The source material was lacking and the arguments often went unsupported. On top of that, she often contradicted herself. There are good points to the book, such as noting the importance of the Irish immigrants as being a female majority, and how they chose to works as servants, maids, etc, was really good. But, in the end, the book just has fare more negatives than positives, in my opinion.

[Rashers Tierney · Rating 4 out of 5]

The lot of Irish immigrant women was a challenging one to say the least. Set adrift mainly in urban settings alien to their agricultural traditions and rural experiences, these women struggled to find a foothold in the New World. The paths they took were varied, ranging from domestic and factory work, and eventually into the steadier and higher-paying occupations of teaching and office work--among others. If you've ever had any interest in what Irish women in the 19th century experienced (perhaps your own ancestors amongst them, do set aside the time to honor their memory and learn about how they lived.

[Mary Bermingham]

Excellent history of Irish women immigrating to America in latter part of 19th century and the beginning of the 20th. There were so many single women immigrating that it was a phenomenon. Their influence on Irish-American life was important and measurable. If you have Irish ancestors, this is a must-read.

[Kareninfolsom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I not only enjoyed this book in itself, but it's altered the way I read books involving Irish characters.

[Eileen O'Finlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for research for the sequel to my novel, Kelegeen. It was informative, readable, and quite helpful to my research.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent study of the mass migration of single Irish women over decades to the USA. Been on my reading list for a while, but luckily turned up in a class I am attempting at Villanova. ☘️☘️☘️

[ikely · Rating 4 out of 5]

dense but very thorough

[M. Apple · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book as background reference material for a work in progress ("My Three Granddads"), hoping it would help me better understand the relationship between my Irish-English grandparents. There's a lot of interesting observations in this book; however, the tone throughout gives the feeling that the author couldn't quite make up her mind whether it should be primarily for an academic or a mainstream audience. As a result, it lacks enough appeal to either. There aren't enough details and there are too many quotations an paraphrases that seem cherry-picked to support a previous bias. Further, there is (as with many such books) there is a distinct lack of a final summary chapter. The author notes the existing depth of research into Irish-American history but it appears as if her hesitance to make a clear distinction between academic and mainstream appeal prevented her from adequately exploring this body of research. This is perhaps a function of time (the book was published in 1983, when computer analysis of quantitative data was limited to the tech-savvy and qualitative coding schemes were mostly done by hand).

Two points can be made now in hindsight:

1. It seems likely that Irish immigrant attitudes had a lasting effect on subsequent generations, meaning that the strict gender roles and spheres of influence within Irish-American families and communities were not restricted to first-generation members. The data and quotations in the book were the result of the author combining existing sources rather than conducting her own empirical research. Ethnographic studies of second- and third-generation families would have made her assertions more powerful and less stereotypical. I could certainly see the women=home chief and men=workplace attitude in my own grandparents' home, but many families would have to be included in a study for these results to have generalizability from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood.

2. It seems likely that the Irish immigrants were not entirely unique in their gendered attitudes, even now. Small mention is made of other immigrant groups (Italian for example) but Asian and Latino groups are largely ignored in favor of European immigrants. Including groups of Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese immigrants would have again greatly strengthened the author's argument that Irish women immigrants were unique.

I regard this as a flawed but valuable culture study at the beginning of what we now call gender studies. It needs to be updated and expanded.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit academic, but not very long, so that didn't bother me too much. I learned a lot about Irish women -- things that haven't been in any of the other booms I've read on the Iroish diaspora. I also got a much greater perspective on my family history too, such as why my great-grandfather tried so hard to have all his daughters go to college in an age where that was very unusual. But apparently not unusual for the Irish. I think this book woukd be enjoyed most by people with Irish heritage who are looking to gain more insight into their family history.

[Maria Tortuga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well researched account of the 19th century wave of immigration by Irish women to the US. Although the book focuses on their transition to the US, it explains why they came over and delves into the aspects of Irish culture that drove them here. Aside from the famine, a driving force for this mass female emigration was the inequality they faced at home, positioning Irish women as true pioneers and paving the way for the Irish in the US.

[Marge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diner has an engaging and readable style, and the book brought much to life for me about the ways in which Irish 19th century immigration patterns differed from those of other European groups at the time. Women had a special role in Irish immigration, and this book opened up their world to me.

[Maureen Flatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look at Irish immigration patterns and how Irish women created a unique culture in America......proud of my tribe!

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly comprehensive early study of Irish women immigrants. Writing is awkward in places but the information is helpful.

[Z. Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I love history... and I loved this book. Taught me so much about a group of women I had known nothing about.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study of Irish women immigrants. Helped give me a better understanding of what my grandmother may have thought and felt and experienced when she came to the States.