Author: Marian Broderick
Genre: Adult Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Orla
Irish women are known to be formidable and this book confirms it. This book is a riveting account of women who were brave enough to pave the way for others. The timeline spans from the earliest of records of Irish women to the present day. Often scoffed and called rebels most of the women mentioned were often ahead of their time. Forward thinking and feisty some earned the title suffragettes.
They were stubborn, determined and strong willed and achieved what they set out to do They refused to be suppressed and oppressed. Not being tied to the kitchen sink meant that they had opposition and hostile receptions for their manifestos. They had a fresh exhilarating new way of thinking and brought their ideas to the forefront inspiring many other Irish women around them.
All the women in this book can’t be pigeon- holed into the same box. They came from all walks of life and accomplished a wide range of successes. The book opens with a chapter of women who were the first in the world do things such as design, build and fly an aircraft and pioneer mountaineering photography and film.
Other chapters include sporting champions, women on the wrong side of the law, poets and writers, gifted musicians, scientists, lawyers, socialists and politicians. Due to circumstances such as poverty and lack of opportunity many of the women mentioned in this book travelled abroad to make their mark. 120 women are included in this book and there is a representation for every county in Ireland. The author sums it up in the introduction when she says ‘Some of our women were brilliant and some were bad – but they were all bold in their own way’
Check out or reserve the author’s other book ‘Wild Women’ on BorrowBox
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