Introduction

Summary

The introduction outlines the major themes of the book and its scope and rationale. It explains briefly the Irish context upon the outbreak of war in 1914. It sets the scene for the topic of Irish women and the Great War, outlining the involvement of Irish women in the British war effort and the significant impact of the war on women’s lived experience. It contextualises the wartime experience through a brief examination of women’s role in early twentieth-century Irish society, focusing on the social and economic context and women’s political participation in the nationalist, unionist and suffrage movement. The chapter includes a survey of the international and Irish historiography, focusing on concepts such as everyday life and gender emancipation. The analysis of the Irish historiography charts the slow emergence of First World War scholarship in Ireland and the recent transformation in attitudes towards the war in Ireland. The chapter further outlines the methodological approach of the book, with its emphasis on empirical archival research and the use of samples alongside ego documents. It concludes by outlining the structure of the book, situating each chapter within the existing historiography.