Throughout the twentieth century, many women in Ireland and Britain endured shame and institutionalisation for becoming pregnant outside of marriage. In Single Mothers in Twentieth-century Ireland and Britain: Pregnancy, Migration and Institutionalization (Bloomsbury, 2025), Dr. Lorraine Grimes examines the journeys made by hundreds of pregnant Irish women to Britain as they fled to escape their local communities.

Their experiences in Britain, however, were not free of stigma and Dr. Grimes's book analyses the nuances of the institutional networks both in Britain and Ireland which these women utilised.

Single Mothers in Twentieth Century Ireland and Britain focuses on the experiences of women from 1926-1973 in cities with high Irish emigrant populations, including London, Liverpool, Birmingham and Glasgow. Unlike official narratives such as Ireland's Commission of Investigation into the Mother and Baby Homes, this book prioritises the experiences of the survivors and ensures that women's experiences are central to the narrative. It also incorporates original interviews with children born in institutions and for the first time, interviews with religious and medical staff are also included in the historiography.

From extensive archival research, this book reveals cases of Irish single mothers seeking assistance in Britain as well as cases of rape, incest and domestic violence within the institutional records. In addition, archival cases expose prejudice towards women from other colonial countries in institutions in Britain, particularly from the 1960s.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts.

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