46. Outsiders: Irish American Radical Women

The individual experiences of ordinary Irish emigrant women in the late 19th and early 20th century can be difficult to reach, with many spending years working long hours in domestic service or on factory floors. But there is a group of these women who left a greater mark in the written record and--sometimes--even left behind their own words. They were the "radical" activists--Irish American women who took the decision to raise their heads above the parapet in an overwhelmingly patriarchal world to fight for the causes they believed in. In this episode, Fin and Damian are joned by Dr Tara McCarthy, the expert on Irish American women's activism during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. Tara takes us through the background of these women, explains their origins, and highlights the incredible stories of a number of these remarkable individuals. Along the way she charts the importance of the Irish nationalist struggle for the growth in activism, discusses efforts to improve the lot of women in the workplace, and shares the strategems employed to progress the cause of female suffrage. All in all, this is a must-listen show if you want to discover more about the major contribution Irish American women made to activism in the United States during this critical period. Book: Tara M McCarthy, Respectability & Reform: Irish American Women’s Activism, 1880-1920 Syracuse University PressDictionary of Irish Biography: Fanny Isabel ParnellNew York Irish History Roundtable Profile of Marguerite MooreNew York Historical Society Profile of Elizabeth Gurley FlynnTransatlantic Podcast. Episode 8. Mother Jones: The Most Dangerous Woman in America?National Park Service Profile of Leonora O’Reilly Freedomsway.org Profile of Mary Kenney O’SullivanDictionary of Irish Biography: Hanna Sheehy SkeffingtonNational Park Service Profile of Maud MaloneNational Park Service Profile of Margaret FoleyGilder Lehrman Institute Profile of Mary Elizabeth Lease Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.