Irish Social History

The early sixties in Britain told as only David Kynaston ('the most entertaining historian alive' Spectator) can. Running from 1962 to 1965, A Northern Wind is the anticipated new volume in the landmark 'Tales of a New Jerusalem' series. How much can change in less than two and a half years? In the case of Britain in the Sixties, the answer is: almost everything.

A Year of Glory and Gold is an energetic biography of a bright year in Ireland’s history, combining deep archival research with spirited storytelling by one of Ireland’s best-loved social historians.

Carefully weaving together political, social, cultural and sporting history, No Foreign Game tells the story of Association Football in Ireland – a story not just of division and conflict, but also one of solidarity and celebration.

Have you ever wondered where your town or townland name came from? Do you want to know more about an Irish locality? Well if so this is the book for you.

A Genealogical Guide. This is the lavishly illustrated and fascinating account of one of the most powerful families in Irish history, the Butlers, whose lives were defined by astounding opulence.

When Maureen Sullivan was just twelve years old, she confided in her teacher that she was being physically and sexually abused by her stepfather. Never, in her darkest imaginings, could she have dreamt that she would be the one who would face harrowing punishment.

Contraception was the subject of intense controversy in twentieth-century Ireland. Banned in 1935 and stigmatised by the Catholic Church, it was the focus of some of the most polarised debates before and after its legalisation in 1979. This is the first comprehensive, dedicated history of contraception in Ireland from the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 to the 1990s.

Drawing on the experiences of Irish citizens through a wide range of archival sources and oral history, Laura Kelly provides insights into the lived experiences of those negotiating family planning, alongside the memories of activists who campaigned for and against legalisation. She highlights the influence of the Catholic Church's teachings and legal structures on Irish life showing how, for many, sex and contraception were obscured by shame. Yet, in spite of these constraints, many Irish women and men showed resistance in accessing contraceptive methods.

The divided but interconnected waters of the Irish Sea - from the narrow North Channel through St George's Channel to where the Celtic sea opens out into wide Atlantic - have a turbulent history to match the violence of its storms.

Ireland – The Land of Saints & Scholars. But how many of them were women?

Ireland in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was not a good place to be a woman. Among the wave of emigrants from Ireland to North America were many, many young women who travelled on their own, hoping for a better life. Some lived lives of quiet industry and piety.