Hardship and High Living - Book Launch

Originally published in 2003, this important work is being reintroduced to a new generation of readers. Through vivid storytelling and meticulous research, the book brings to life the experiences of women across Irish society during a period of profound historical change.

Join us for an evening celebrating Nellie Ó Cléirigh’s legacy and the enduring relevance of her work.

Drawing on diaries, letters, and contemporary accounts, Nellie Ó Cléirigh gives voice to women whose stories have too often been overlooked, offering a powerful and deeply human perspective on Ireland’s past.

Step back in time and explore the starkly contrasting realities of nineteenth and early twentieth-century Ireland.

Covering the pivotal period from just after the Act of Union to the establishment of the Irish Free State, this compelling book offers eleven fascinating portraits drawn from unpublished diaries, letters, and contemporary records.

Experience the vast divide between the social classes of the era. The book vividly captures the high living of women like Selina Crampton, a successful Dublin surgeon's wife hosting lavish parties, and Lady Aberdeen, the Viceroy's wife residing in the Viceregal Lodge. In sharp contrast, it documents the unimaginable hardships endured by the destitute, exploring the grim, regimented realities of the Poor Law Workhouses and the poignant struggles of emigrants like Margaret McCarthy forging a new life in America after the Great Famine.

Through these pages, readers will meet courageous figures who defied the odds:

• The Nuns: Irish Sisters of Mercy battling pestilence and war in the Crimea.
• The District Nurse: A lone medical pioneer fighting fierce storms and deep-rooted superstition on the Aran Islands.
• The Industrious Women: Lace-makers and Donegal farm women whose meticulous handiwork kept their families from starvation.
• The Activists: From the 79-year-old novelist Maria Edgeworth organizing Famine relief, to Cecilia Saunders Gallagher, a political prisoner jailed during the Civil War.

Richly researched and deeply moving, the book illuminates the human face of Irish social history. It is an essential read for anyone interested in the resilience, restrictions, and triumphs of the women who lived through Ireland's most distressful and transformative century.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Oscar Wilde House, 1 Merrion Square North, Dublin 2, Ireland

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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