The first general survey of the history of women in early modern Ireland. Based on an impressive range of source material, it presents the results of original research into women’s lives and experiences in Ireland from 1500 to 1800. This was a time of considerable change in Ireland as English colonisation, religious reform and urbanisation transformed society on the island. Gaelic society based on dynastic lordships and Brehon Law gave way to an anglicised and centralised form of government and an English legal system.
Acknowledgements. Introduction. PART I, POLITICS 1. Marriage, Lordship and Politics, c.1500-1692. 2. Politics, Patriotism and the Public Sphere: Women and Politics, 1690-1800. PART II, THE ECONOMY 3. Portions, Property And Home: Women And The Economy, 1500-1696. 4. Women and Economic Opportunities in Eighteenth Century Ireland PART III, RELIGION AND EDUCATION 5. Women and Religious Change, 1500-1690 6. Charity, Cathecising and Convents: Women and Religious Institutions, 1690-1800. 7, Reading, Writing and Intellectual Interests PART IV, IDEAS 8. Ideas About Women. Conclusion. Bibliography.
Biography
Mary O'Dowd
