Philanthropy in nineteenth-century Ireland

Laurence M. Geary & Oonagh Walsh editors

‘This book is a useful and interesting collection of recent work on different forms of philanthropy and charity, as well as government aid, in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Ireland … Its aim is to extend the range of studies of philanthropy beyond the previous emphasis on religion and women and the variety of approaches to the topic is one of the volume’s chief attractions … All in all, the variety of topics covered in this volume makes it well worth reading for anyone interested in nineteenth-century philanthropy in general or in Ireland’s approach to a range of social and economic problems in the period before the welfare state’, Dorice Williams Elliott, Irish Economic & Social History (2015). 

‘Well-presented and produced. Tables, graphs and photographs are present in a number of essays while a full and comprehensive index is also provided … overall [this is] an enlightening work on various aspects of philanthropy in the nineteenth century … [it is] a useful collection which has the potential to open a wider view of philanthropy in the nineteenth century, especially if the less well-researched area of cultural philanthropy and the provision of non-material aid is pursued’, Daragh Curran, Irish Literary Review (Spring 2016).

‘Reflects recent advances in the historiography of poverty and philanthropy in nineteenth-century Ireland. This volume offers new and challenging perspectives on the history of philanthropy, including state and voluntary philanthropy, relief under the poor law, formal and informal systems of assistance on landed estates, workers’ housing and public amenities, and cultural philanthropy … Each of the essays provides a wealth of information for the local and social historian through the extensive research undertaken by the authors’, Michael Merrigan, Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (February 2015).