IRISH BURDENS: HOW NINETEENTH CENTURY POVERTY INSPIRED NATIONALIST WOMEN

In the year 1900, a woman named Maud Gonne established a group called Inghinidhe na hEireann — the Daughters of Erin. This group, made entirely out of women, aspired to bring independence to the Irish nation by advancing cultural and political nationalism in a number of different ways. This thesis investigates how nineteenth century poverty and attempts to mitigate it served as an avenue to bring middle-class women into the nationalist movement. It explores how the three themes of nationalism, poverty, and female political activism interacted with one another to uncover the roots of the Daughters of Erin, who would later help advance Ireland’s fight for independence against Great Britain.