Women and Philanthropy in Nineteenth-Century Ireland

This book examines the involvement of women in charity work in nineteenth-century Ireland. The author claims that sectarianism dominated women's philanthropic activity, and analyzes the work of women in areas of moral reform, such as prostitution and prison work. The book concludes that the most progressive developments in the care of the poor were brought about by nonconformist women who were later to become pioneers in the cause of suffrage.