Irish Women’s Speeches Volume II

The second volume in a series that showcases Irish women’s oratorical contributions to the world.
 
There’s no scarcity of collected volumes of speeches from Ireland’s political orators, yet unsurprisingly, nearly all of these collections focus on the words of male politicians. Irish Women’s Speeches resets this historic imbalance and delivers some much-deserved space to examine and appreciate speeches delivered by Irish women.

In Volume II, Sonja Tiernan brings together speeches that exemplify how women have shaped and continue to shape Irish culture, language, literature, theater, and art at home and abroad. As well, a number of speeches highlight the array of social and political reforms led by creative women and writers abroad including Margaret Cousins, who helped found the Irish National Theatre and later moved to India where she was arrested for supporting Gandhi’s call for a Civil Disobedience Movement. Other speeches showcase well-remembered figures such as Hollywood icon Maureen O’Hara and investigative reporter Veronica Guerin. Less well-known figures include Charlotte Stoker who is credited with greatly influencing the work of her son Bram. The wide range of topics gathered here speaks to the impressive contributions that Irish women have made to the development of Irish and global society and culture.