Women's history

Sisters in war: an Irish nurse battles a deadly enemy in WW1 Iraq

Sisters in war: from the 1916 Rising to the front line of WW1

Nurse Hannah Meany began working as a nurse in 1916 - and found herself treating both sides in the 1916 Rising before heading to the battlefields of France in WW1. Her great-nephew Paul Looby tells her story

Nan Hogan: a revolutionary life

Nan Hogan was a revolutionary activist who played a part in both in the War of Independence and Civil War. Now, thanks to her nephews, Hogan's story is being brought back into the light, as Mary McAuliffe explains

How the Treaty caused an irrevocable split in Cumann na mBan

The female Irish golfer who wasn't afraid to take a stand

She was a brilliant golfer who kept her day job and stood by her principles. In this extract from the Dictionary of Irish Biography's new book Irish Sporting Lives, Linde Lunney tells the story of Philomena Garvey

The Irishwoman who became an American tennis star in the 1890s

She was Victorian Ireland's most celebrated female tennis player who became a star in America. In this extract from the Dictionary of Irish Biography's new book Irish Sporting Lives, Paul Rouse tells the story of Mabel Cahill

Crochet, cards and céilís: Civil War women behind bars

The female Civil War internees kept themselves busy behind bars - as these extraordinary artefacts from the Kilmainham Gaol Museum archives show

The Irish female motor racer who became a Nazi sympathiser

She was the Offaly-born daredevil who became an unashamed Nazi. In this extract from the Dictionary of Irish Biography's new book Irish Sporting Lives, Niav Gallagher tells the story of Fay Taylour

'The Mainstay of the Trouble': imprisonment of 'suspect women'

The women of Cumann na mBan had rejected the Treaty - and in late 1922, the Provisional Government decided to clamp down on their subversive activities. Sinéad McCoole tells what happened to this certain "class of female"

How one woman changed the Irish equestrian world forever

She was a lifelong horsewoman and champion showjumper who had a huge influence on the Irish equestrian world. In this extract from the Dictionary of Irish Biography's new book Irish Sporting Lives, Terry Clavin tells the story of Iris Kellett

Forgotten Widows of the Revolution: Grace Gifford

She was a talented artist and activist, and now she's one of the subjects of a new documentary. In this entry from the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, Frances Clarke tells the story of Grace Gifford.

Forgotten Widows of the Revolution: Maud Gonne MacBride

She was the radical who was hailed as one of the most beautiful women in the world. In this entry from the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, Margaret O'Callaghan & Caoimhe Nic Dháibhéid tell the story of Maud Gonne Mac Bride.

How a new documentary pays tribute to the widows of 1916

Lindsey Earner-Byrne explains how her new documentary pays tribute to the women left behind after the executions of 1916

Forgotten Widows of the Revolution: Kathleen Clarke

She was a 1916 widow who became a formidable politician in her own right, including a stint as Dublin's first female Lord Mayor. In this entry from the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Irish Biography, Frances Clarke tells the story of Kathleen Clarke.

The Famine Monologues: explore the podcast drama series

The Famine Monologues: explore the podcast drama series

Good character: female Workhouse emigration to Australia

Thousands of single female "orphans" emigrated to Australia from Famine-ravaged Ireland in the late 1840s. But who were those women, and what were their lives like when they got there? Perry McIntyre explains

"Most Effective Women": The story of Eileen McGrane

Academic, intelligence officer and prisoner - Marika MacCarvill tells the story of her extraordinary grandmother Eileen McGrane

Portraits and Pamphlets: A Cumann na mBan Gallery

From their founding in 1914 through the War of Independence and into the Civil War, the work of Cumann na mBan can be seen in photographs, handbills and more