Reformation Women in Ireland, 1660-1760 - by Phil Kilroy (Hardcover)

About the Book

This
book illuminates the often-overlooked story of early modern Irish women who were
shaped by the religious and intellectual currents of the Reformation and
Counter-Reformation. Through detailed biographical accounts, the book restores
these women to their rightful place in history, offering a nuanced
understanding of their contributions and the broader social and religious
contexts in which they lived. Researchers and general readers with an interest
in women's history, gender studies, and early modern Irish history will find something
of interest here.

Book Synopsis

This book illuminates the often-overlooked story of early
modern Irish women, particularly those from the Protestant colonial community.
Drawing from aristocratic, gentry, farming, business, and trade families, these
women were shaped by the religious and intellectual currents of their time.
Raised within the Church of Ireland or the Church of England, as adults they
were enriched by European influences of the Reformation and
Counter-Reformation: Swiss and Dutch Calvinism, Gallicanism, Jansenism
and the spirituality of Port Royal.

The book explores how these women engaged with Renaissance
Humanism, the early French Enlightenment, and cultural discussions on topics
such as pre-existence, 12th-century Arabic culture, Judaism, and the Lurianic
Kabbala. Central to their lives was Reformation spirituality, which fostered
literacy, critical thinking, and personal faith through vernacular Bible
readings and church services.

Despite living in patriarchal societies that largely relegated
women to subordinate roles, these women demonstrated remarkable resilience and
intellectualism. The book highlights their struggles and triumphs, showing how
they navigated and sometimes resisted the constraints imposed on them. By
focusing on their narratives and voice, the book reveals the courage and agency
these women exhibited in shaping their own destinies and laying out their
legacies.

Through detailed biographical accounts, the book
restores these women to their rightful place in history, offering a nuanced
understanding of their contributions and the broader social and religious
contexts in which they lived. Researchers and general readers with an interest
in women's history, gender studies, and early modern Irish history will find
this a useful addition to those fields.

Review Quotes

Drawing on a rich range of archival sources the author provides an insightful and scholarly study of some Reformation women in Ireland. The book reveals how they negotiated the tensions between private and public spheres, while adding enormously to our understanding of the inner lives of women from different faith traditions.

--Deirdre Raftery

This incredible book offers compelling insights into the life and spiritual journeys of some remarkable women as they negotiated the patriarchy and misogyny that defined the seventeenth century. Carefully crafted and drawing exclusively and comprehensively on their own writings, this book makes these women visible like never before. This is a must read for anyone interested in learning more about women in the early modern period.--Jane Ohlmeyer

This is an engrossing study which details the lives of a diverse array of women as they negotiated their own routes to survival and salvation in 17th and 18th-century Ireland. Armed with the assurance of equality before God which was a legacy of the Reformation, they laid claim to an astonishingly wide range of spiritual and intellectual influences. In their different ways each succeeded in charting their own course, primarily in terms of their religious faith, but also in their personal and family lives and in the public sphere.--Rosemary Raughter