Dissidents: Irish Republican Women 1923-1941

Ann Matthews reveals the story of Irish Republican women in the years following Irish independence, from the divisions caused by the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which led to a fatal splintering of the women's Republican organization Cumann na mBan, through the effects of internment during the Civil War on female prisoners, and the relegation of the majority of women in Irish politics to the margins. She also asks whether by their constant bickering they were responsible for their own demise in the political arena.