Historical Perspectives on Parenthood and Childhood in Ireland

The essays in this collection focus on aspects of parenthood and childhood in Ireland from the 1700s to the 1950s. They provide new insights into parent–child relations in the past and pursue new areas of research, including the family life of Theobald Wolfe Tone; childhood in the country house in Munster; the treatment of Irish mothers sent to the State Inebriate Reformatory, Ennis; and a detailed study of the BCG vaccination campaign to combat childhood tuberculosis in the twentieth century. These essays highlight the complex role played by parents and other adults in the emotional, educational, cultural, social, spiritual, and physical well-being of children.