Irish Women and Irish Migration

by Patrick O'Sullivan (editor)

Half the Irish diaspora is female, and for significant periods the majority of Irish emigrants were women. This, the women's studies volume of the series, starts with an introduction exploring the connections between women's studies and Irish studies. There follows a women's history reinterpretation of the myths of the 'Wild Geese', five chapters on the nineteenth century look at the motivations and work experiences of women emigrants to the United States, emigration schemes involving Irish pauper women, the experiences of Catholic and Protestant Irish women in Liverpool, and at female.headed households. In a chapter on the mid-twentieth century the newly independent Irish state renegotiates its understanding of emigration. The first of three chapters on the present day is a courageous exploration of connections between sexual abuse and migration. The book ends with studies of emigration's effects on family life, and of personal negotiation of identity among middle-class Irish women.

238 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

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