The Kirwan murder case, 1852

A glimpse of the Irish Protestant middle class in the mid-nineteenth century

Suzanne Leeson

This book relates the story of the controversial trial, conviction and imprisonment of William Burke Kirwan, a Dublin artist, for the murder of his wife, Sarah, in 1852. His trial and the extensive and divisive social commentary it provoked provide a representation of the strata of society to which he belonged, the Protestant middle class of the mid-nineteenth century, allowing an examination of many of the attitudes and values that they subscribed to.

Suzanne Leeson lives with her family in Baldoyle in Dublin. Due to a keen interest in history she returned to Dublin City University as a mature student, gaining an undergraduate degree in history and psychology. This is her first book.