Peace and Protest in Ireland: Women’s Activism in Ireland, 1918-1937

Abstract

ABSTRACT Political violence was a fact of Irish life in the early twentieth century, exacerbated by the sacrificial and martial cultures that grew out of nationalist and unionist politics. The Irish women’s movement developed in this context, adjusting to the demands made on activists by these particular circumstances, and playing a vital role in all the major political movements of the era. Buoyed by the achievement of partial women’s enfranchisement in 1918, Irish women prepared to play an enhanced role in the formal life of the country. However, they quickly found that the rights they believed they had won were less than secure, and they turned to new and existing strategies in their efforts to adjust to the reality of independent Ireland.