Roman Catholic women religious in Ireland, 1849-1907: self representations and public perceptions

Each chapter takes the form of a case study investigating a different facet of the Irish public sphere in which women religious were visible.<br><br><br>This thesis reveals that representations of women religious permeated many aspects of the public sphere, from the landscape of Irish towns to parliamentary debates. Their public image was not monolithic, but rather shifted depending on the context and intended audience.

Nuns both influenced and were themselves shaped by contemporary ideas about femininity and middle-class culture, encouraging the behaviours and attitudes that came to define female respectability. Their religious practice was affected by post-Tradentine Roman Catholicism, which in turn helped to promote and reinforce these beliefs in the laity. By examining public perceptions of women religious, this thesis sheds new light on both the role of women and the reputation of the Catholic Church in nineteenth-century Ireland.