Gender, citizenship and the state in Ireland 1922-1990

Ireland in Proximity surveys and develops the expanding field of Irish Studies, reviewing existing debates within the discipline and providing new avenues for exploration. Drawing on a variety of disciplinary and theoretical approaches, this impressive collection of essays makes an innovative contribution to three areas of current, and often contentious, debate within Irish Studies. This accessible volume illustrates the diversity of thinking on Irish history, culture and identity. By invoking theoretical perspectives including psychoanalysis, cultural theories of space, postcoloniality and theories of gender and sexual difference, the collection offers fresh perspectives on established subjects and brings new and under-represented areas of critical concern to the fore.
This chapter traces the ways that the new Irish State envisaged citizenship for women and how women, as individuals and in groups, campaigned to ensure that their rights as equal democratic citizenship were upheld. Covering the period 1922 to 1990 the chapter uncovers how despite obtaining full citizenship Irish women were compelled to demand their full citizenship rights in what was a conservative and Catholic dominated nation.