Irish Women and the Great War

This talk shows the impact of the Great War on women’s everyday lives in Ireland, focusing on the years of the war and the immediate aftermath. Irish women threw themselves into the war effort, mobilising in various forms, such as nursing wounded soldiers, preparing hospital supplies and producing weapons of war. However, the war’s impact extended beyond direct mobilisation, affecting women’s household management, family relations, standard of living, working conditions and opportunities. Dr Walsh will bring women’s wartime experiences out of history’s shadow as she examines welfare, domestic life, bereavement and employment, and reflects upon the significant impact of the Great War on Irish society.

Dr Fionnuala Walsh is Assistant Professor in Modern Irish History in University College Dublin. She completed her PhD and Postdoctoral Fellowship in Trinity College Dublin. Her first book, Irish women and the Great War, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020. It was shortlisted for the Royal Historical Society Whitfield Prize for the best first book on British or Irish History. Dr Walsh is the Secretary of the Women's History Association of Ireland.