Show Notes
What have anxieties about Irish men’s masculinity and their masculine strength got to do with how Irish national identity was constructed and created in the 19th and 20th century? And how did that history shape the lives of women in the post-independence Irish Free State of the 20th century? I will admit, that when I began, many years ago, researching the social forces which had impacted women in recent Irish history, the role of something as ‘abstract’ as ideals of masculinity was not something I had ever thought about. But once you start to see the broader psychological and social effects of Britain’s colonial ‘feminising’ of Irish men, and how that informed how Ireland sought to achieve its independence from Britain, so many things begin to fall into place. Not only in terms of what the ramifications of this would be for women in post-independence Ireland, but also why so many of the things we associate with ‘Irish identity’ today—from the Irish language, to Gaelic games, to mythical figures like Cú Chulainn and Fionn MacCumhail—originated in a desire to “reconnect to a lost Irish culture that was very male and very heroic.” This is why I was delighted to have this opportunity to speak with Dr. Aidan Beatty here, who is an expert in that history. There is so much in this conversation that will challenge, alter, or illuminate some aspect of modern Irish history you thought you knew. From Countess Markievicz urging women to “destroy the feminine part of themselves” to Patrick Pearse telling men that they are a “eunuch” if they don’t speak Irish, and why some of Aidan’s college students have likened this history to the ‘Andrew Tate Effect,’ this is most definitely not the history we got taught in school. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it. Belinda xx P.S. Aidan references on several occasions how Irish men were depicted in the Punch Cartoons of the 19th and 20th century. You can access such images here in the Punch Archive Dr. Aidan Beatty, is an historian and the author of Masculinity and Power in Irish Nationalism, 1884-1938 (which I highly, highly recommend reading) Originally from Galway, he is based in the United States where he is a lecturer in the history department of Carnegie Mellon University, where he researches and teaches on quite a diverse array of topics from Irish, British and Jewish history, Capitalism, Socialism, Nationalism, and, of course masculinity. He’s currently editing a book that will be out next year on the history of the Irish far-right (will definitely want to chat with him again when this is out!)
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A conversation about black pudding sounds very niche and possibly even a bit ‘off piste’ for the usual Women of Ireland Project content. However, what really struck me as I read Kate Ryan’s new book, Blood, Guts and Black Pudding: Ireland’s Dying Art of Blood as Food is that food history is really social history—and perhaps, even more importantly for my own interests here, food history is women’s history. As Kate explains, the origin and recipes of one of Ireland’s oldest foods lies with a group of women now largely forgotten. Women who presided over the creation of a highly nutritious food source, ensured nothing went to waste and passed down their own personal recipe, mother to daughter. As I said in the opening of this episode: “When you take something that’s been around as long as black pudding, it can become this incredible vehicle to go back in time and look at some of the macro social changes that were happening, through the micro changes that were happening in how people interacted with food, food production and food consumption.” I learned so much from Kate’s book that surprised me. Not least the fact that part of the reason why Ireland’s 19th century Gaelic Revival (which I draw on often in my research) didn’t include much of a food revival is because, as a domain gendered female, it was mostly overlooked by the male-centred interests of the movement’s nationalist leaders. So, I just had to chat to her about it all. We spoke about seasonal traditions, the role of blood-letting rituals in Ireland’s ancient agrarian calendar and its relevance to the festival of Bealtaine. I shared a personal revelation I encountered in her book from learning how such blood-letting practices informed place-names across Ireland. And we discuss the communal meitheal around slaughtering and food production, the highly gendered—but time and expertise efficient—division of labour involved, and the enormous responsibility that rested with the woman of the house to make sure no food was wasted or spoiled. We also delved into the much older history of blood as food, including the ancient but not old practice of live-bleeding cattle and sheep. Kate describes how blood could be taken from a living animal without killing it; a practice that provided a source of nutrition while allowing valuable livestock to continue producing milk or calves. The earliest written record she discusses takes us back to the Táin, while the practice itself appears to have survived in parts of Ireland into surprisingly recent times. We also discuss how colonisation and, eventually, An Górta Mór, changed people’s relationship to this food source and altered how it was viewed among people for generations to come. And then, of course, I had to ask about the very shocking (to me) revelation that most black puddings are no longer made with fresh, but dried, blood and the modern, commercial food systems that have led to the demise of fresh blood black pudding. Never again will I look at black pudding, a food I consume often, in quite the same way. And more importantly, I will no longer overlook food history in my research—it offers a rich source of the lived experiences and life-ways of women ordinarily written out of formal histories. Enjoy! xx P.S. This conversation is also available wherever you usually find your podcasts (just search The Women of Ireland Project) if you prefer to listen to it on-the-go. Kate Ryan is a multi-award-winning food writer and founder of flavour.ie, a platform dedicated to promoting Irish food. She holds an MA in Food Studies and Irish Foodways and a Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture. Here on Substack, she writes Peckish Times, and as a freelance food writer, has written for the Irish Examiner, Echo and the Business Post on the intersections of food, drink, travel, sustainability and culture. Originally from Bristol in the UK, she’s lived in West Cork for the last two decades. Her new book, Blood, Guts and Black Pudding: Ire
Listen in for stories about soldiers for dowries, women running taverns under Christ Church Cathedral, the first woman to build a castle in Ireland before throwing her architect lover out the window, the life and times of Gráinne O’Malley, and the most detailed and engaging account of what the Brehon Laws really meant for women in medieval Ireland.