Sonja Tiernan

An acclaimed biography of poet, pacifist and political firebrand Eva Gore-Booth. The Irish poet and activist Eva Gore-Booth (1870–1926) led a life defiantly at odds with her aristocratic origins. Choosing to live and work among the poor of Manchester, she campaigned on behalf of barmaids, circus performers, flower sellers and pit-brow lasses, her partner, Esther Roper, at her side. Gore-Booth was tireless in her pursuit of justice. She was a militant pacifist during the First World War, a champion of Irish independence and a pioneering thinker on gender and sexuality. She was also a prolific author, publishing nineteen volumes of poetry and prose that reflect the full force of her radical convictions. Featuring a new preface that situates Gore-Booth’s life and work in the context of our current political climate, this biography reclaims her place as a significant figure of Anglo–Irish letters and an unsung hero of LGBT+ history.

Irish Women's Speeches (Vol. II): A Rich Chorus of Voices follows on from the ground-breaking, best-selling Voices that Rocked the System. Related to arts, culture and heritage this compilation of Irish women's speeches, includes those of authors, journalists, actors, artists and women who have influenced arts and culture more broadly. The speeches chosen identify how women have shaped and continue to shape Irish culture, language, literature, theatre and art at home and abroad. Related topics include Sarah Purser's founding of a stained-glass cooperative, An Tur Gloine which ensured that churches and formidable buildings in Ireland and further afield now house Irish produced stained glass. Edna O'Brien's speech showcases how one female author persisted despite her condemnation by the Catholic Church and suppression by the Irish censorship board to have her literary classics The Country Girls trilogy named One Dublin One Book in 2019. A number of speeches chosen highlight the array of social and political reforms led by creative women and writers abroad including Margaret Cousins, who helped found the Irish National Theatre and later moved to India where she was arrested for supporting Gandhi's call for a Civil Disobedience Movement. While journalist Norah Dacre Fox became a key member of a militant suffragette organisation in England and was imprisoned for the cause. Other speeches showcase well-remembered figures such as Hollywood icon Maureen O'Hara and investigative reporter Veronica Guerin. While less well known figures include Charlotte Stoker who is credited with greatly impacting on the literature of her son Bram. The wide range of topics identify the impressive contributions that Irish women have made to the development of Irish society and culture as well as internationally. A must have alongside its sister volume.

Thirty-two inspiring speeches by women of Ireland from the nineteenth century to the present. Rallying cries for trade union action, denunciations of apartheid, calls for independence, unionism, peace and gender equality: Irish women have eloquently expressed their demands from platforms in America to podiums at the United Nations. This anthology showcases the stirring contributions that Irish women have made both to modern Irish society and to global development. Arm yourselves with weapons to fight your nation's cause. Arm your souls with noble and free ideas. Countess Markievicz There is no place in society for us, the ordinary "peasants" of Northern Ireland. Bernadette Devlin Travellers are not just statistics. We are people with faces, names and voices . . . Nan Joyce In Kerry you're better off to be a greyhound than a woman, at least that's what I was told . . . Mamo McDonald Any woman voting for divorce is like a turkey voting for Christmas. Alice Glenn The Ireland I will be representing is a new Ireland, open, tolerant, inclusive. Mary Robinson

Ireland is the first country in the world to extend civil marriage to same sex couples through a public vote. The marriage equality referendum saw record numbers turn out to register their votes including Irish emigrants who returned from around the world to ensure an impressive majority in favour of this constitutional amendment. The overwhelming positive result marked a clear separation of church and State for possibly the first time in Ireland. The Yes Equality campaign ignited a social revolution across Ireland, witnessed more recently with further referenda decriminalising abortion and introducing a less punitive regime for obtaining a divorce.Utilising published reports, newspaper articles, marriage equality papers and extracts from Dáil debates, this book traces the key legislative and social changes surrounding Irish marriage equality, from the establishment of the advocacy group in 2008 to the referendum on the extension of civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in Ireland in 2015. With a foreword by Ivana Bacik, a Senator and Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin, best known for her tireless work defending human rights, this book offers a concise historical record of the momentous referendum on marriage equality.

Ireland is the first country in the world to extend civil marriage to same sex couples through a public vote. The marriage equality referendum saw record numbers turn out to register their votes including Irish emigrants who returned from around the world to ensure an impressive majority in favour of this constitutional amendment. The overwhelming positive result marked a clear separation of church and State for possibly the first time in Ireland. The Yes Equality campaign ignited a social revolution across Ireland, witnessed more recently with further referenda decriminalising abortion and introducing a less punitive regime for obtaining a divorce.Utilising published reports, newspaper articles, marriage equality papers and extracts from Dáil debates, this book traces the key legislative and social changes surrounding Irish marriage equality, from the establishment of the advocacy group in 2008 to the referendum on the extension of civil marriage rights to same-sex couples in Ireland in 2015. With a foreword by Ivana Bacik, a Senator and Reid Professor of Criminal Law, Criminology and Penology at Trinity College Dublin, best known for her tireless work defending human rights, this book offers a concise historical record of the momentous referendum on marriage equality.

This is the first biography of the extraordinary Irish woman, Eva Gore-Booth. Gore-Booth rejected her aristocratic heritage, choosing to live and work amongst the poorest classes in industrial Manchester. Her work on behalf of barmaids, circus acrobats, flower sellers and pit-brow lasses is traced in this book. During one impressive campaign Gore-Booth orchestrated the defeat of Winston Churchill. Gore-Booth published volumes of poetry, philosophical prose and plays, becoming a respected and prolific author of her time and part of W.B. Yeats’s literary circle. The story of Gore-Booth’s life is captivating. Her close bond with her sister, an iconic Irish nationalist, provides a new insight into Countess Markievicz’s personal life. Gore-Booth’s life story vividly traces her experiences of issues such as militant pacifism during the Great War, the case for the reprieve of Roger Casement’s death sentence, sexual equality in the workplace and the struggle for Irish independence.

This is the first dedicated biography of the extraordinary Irish woman, Eva Gore-Booth. Gore-Booth rejected her aristocratic heritage choosing to live and work amongst the poorest classes in industrial Manchester. Her work on behalf of barmaids, circus acrobats, flower sellers and pit-brow lasses is traced in this book. During one impressive campaign Gore-Booth orchestrated the defeat of Winston Churchill. Gore-Booth published volumes of poetry, philosophical prose and plays, becoming a respected and prolific author of her time and part of W.B. Yeats’ literary circle. The story of Gore-Booth’s life is captivating. Her close bond with her sister, an iconic Irish nationalist, provides a new insight into Countess Markievicz’s personal life. Gore-Booth’s life story vividly traces her experiences of issues such as militant pacifism during the Great War, the case for the reprieve of Roger Casement’s death sentence, sexual equality in the workplace and the struggle for Irish independence.