Bad Bridget: Criminal and Deviant Irishwomen in North America, 1838-1918

The current vogue expressions of loathing for immigrant neighbours no more than repeat commonly-held historical views of native Protestants about living beside what they perceived to be poor, feckless, dirty, drunken, criminal, immoral and, worse still, Catholic, Irish immigrants. Stories of social and psychological hostility and isolation litter the historical record. Small wonder the Irish fell on hard times, misfortune and what were viewed as deviant paths. 'Bad Bridget' is an exciting study of deviant Irish-born women in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in three North American cities, New York, Boston and Toronto, key destinations on the Irish emigrant landscape. The proposed project focuses for the first time on Irish migrants who failed to conform to expectations of chastity, morality and good motherhood, namely women who engaged in sex outside marriage, neglectful mothers and criminals.
Between 1838 and 1918, more than 5.65 million emigrants departed Ireland for North America. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, females outnumbered males among the passenger figures. These Irish women were predominantly unmarried, between the ages of eighteen and thirty, and from rural backgrounds. Their experiences would be as diverse as their personalities and aspirations. While some migrants saw the inside of middle-class homes as servants, others saw the inside of brothels as prostitutes. While some stood in line to purchase food for their husbands and children, others stood in courtrooms as defendants. While some Irishwomen voluntarily entered religious convents, others were forced to enter prison cells. A focus on Irish migrant women who engaged in sex outside marriage, neglectful mothers, and criminals will thus provide a fresh perspective on the familiar narrative of Irish female migration to North America. This analysis will highlight the multifaceted experiences of the 'American dream'.
Single-authored research by the investigators on female sexuality and criminality in Ireland has highlighted the rich insights that can be gained from a detailed study of such topics. Through an analysis of the intimate lives of migrant women, much can be revealed about courtships, marriage and extra-marital relationships (theme 1). The proposed project will also shed much light on the fascinating nature of immigrant networks and survival strategies. A study of 'bad' motherhood (theme 2) uncovers attitudes towards illegitimacy, expectations of parental roles and responsibilities, and indicates the state, church, private and familial support (or lack thereof) available to pregnant women or mothers. An exploration of criminality (theme 3) will highlight the economic vulnerability of some migrants, the strengths of criminal networks in particular regions, especially among migrant groups, and attitudes towards non-native suspects who engaged in illegal activity. An analysis of crime and police sources will also reveal whether Irish migrant women were more likely to be suspected of criminality, more likely to be brought to court, or more likely to be sentenced to terms of imprisonment than their American-born or non-Irish counterparts.
Studies of unmarried Irish women in the US have frequently focused on the domestic servant, the child-minder or the religious sister. Other studies of Irish migrants have concentrated on marriage, reproduction and fertility rates. An examination of the three intertwined strands of the sexually active woman, the deviant mother, and the criminal will offer an alternative account of the Irish female migrant experience than has hitherto been attempted. While employment and other opportunities in North America attracted the Irish throughout the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, the characteristics and cultures of the three specifically selected cities also facilitate a fruitful comparative approach

The project will provide a fresh perspective on the Irish immigrant experience, in particular that of women who contravened societal norms and engaged in criminal activity. It is anticipated that the main non-academic beneficiaries will be history consumers such as local historians and genealogists as well as media professionals and by extension the general public. The 3 public lectures will be advertised widely through libraries/archives, local history societies, relevant mailing lists, and our dedicated website and Twitter feed. The first lecture at the Mellon Centre for Migration Studies at the Ulster American Folk Park (Omagh) will be source-based. It will appeal directly to local historians and genealogists and highlight ways that individuals can be traced from one side of the Atlantic to the other. A travel exhibition will be developed in advance of the lectures. Three free-standing banners on deviant sexuality (theme 1), 'bad' mothers (theme 2) and criminality (theme 3) will combine textual information and illustrations such as drawings, mugshots and images of documents and registers, to bring tales of individual women to public attention. Our Twitter account and dedicated project website will similarly draw attention to interesting and engaging vignettes and stories from the project. As well as a general audience at home, the findings will generate interest within the Irish- American and Canadian diaspora.
The second public lecture, on the topic of misbehaving adolescent girls in North America at PRONI (Belfast), will have a broad appeal. In recent years, the Ryan Report on child abuse and McAleese Report on Magadelen Asylums have generated popular and media interest in the fate of girls and women who defied expectations. This public lecture will thus contribute a new facet to the narrative. The Tower Museum (Derry/Londonderry) will host the third public lecture on the topic of migration from Ulster.
The proposed documentary will encompass various themes from the project, including alcoholism, prostitution and child neglect. Working with a production company, a documentary treatment based on the project will be developed and pitched to broadcasters. Given contemporary concerns with immigration and the behaviour or immigrants, as well as the long tradition of emigration from the island of Ireland, the experiences of 'Bad Bridgets' have the potential to generate considerable interest from the viewing public. The emotive topic of migration has touched many families directly and the project offers a new and exciting perspective.
Engagement with contemporary statutory and voluntary agencies will take the form of a Witness-type workshop. This will involve representatives from statutory agencies including the PSNI, Probation Service, National Health Service, as well as voluntary agencies such as the Temperance League and Salvation Army. We will offer a historical account while practitioners will highlight contemporary developments and persistent concerns on issues relating to female offending, reform and alcohol abuse. The workshop will allow for historical and contemporary perspectives to be discussed together, determining change and continuity over time. Both historians and contemporary practitioners will be able to learn from the experiences of others and how attitudes and strategies have changed.
Since the project will be of public interest, we will use the press offices of both UU and QUB to target local historians, genealogists and the interested general public, and to maintain a general pitch to newspapers, radio, and television. The frequent references in the media to misbehaving Irish immigrants and to historical attitudes towards Irish women offer sustained opportunities to engage with contemporary discussions and debates relating to immigration and female offending. This will allow for a wider historical dimension to be brought to modern dialogues and to provide new perspectives.