Historical Perspectives on Parenthood and Childhood in Ireland

The essays in this collection focus on aspects of parenthood and childhood in Ireland from the 1700s to the 1950s. They provide new insights into parent-child relations in the past and pursue new areas of research, including the family life of Theobald Wolfe Tone; childhoods in the country house in Munster; the treatment of Irish mothers sent to the State Inebriate Reformatory, Ennis; elite and gentry female education; the role of dress and gender in childhood boy's brigade and scouting organizations; the health of poor children in Dublin; and other topics. These essays exemplify the most recent research strands in the history of Irish childhood and they highlight the often complex role played by parents and other adults in the emotional, educational, cultural, social, spiritual, and physical well-being of children. -- Publisher description