After the Train

Irishwomen United and a Network of Change

Evelyn Conlon, Rebecca Pelan

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English

University College Dublin Press
01 April 2025

Family & health

A glimpse at the long and winding history of Irishwomen United reminds us how far we've come.

The vast accomplishments of modern Irish feminism would look very different without the courageous, yet often overlooked, efforts of Irishwomen United (IWU) activists in the years following the Contraceptive Train of 1971. This phenomenal collection of nineteen essays offers firsthand, historical accounts of on-the-ground activities during this period, shining a light of neglected truth on the history of how Ireland was changed. In this book, writer and IWU member Evelyn Conlon, with the academic and editorial support of Rebecca Pelan, ensures the impact of the organization will no longer be forgotten.

The collective memories of these women describe everything from pickets to sit-ins, self-questioning to dancing, the development of feminist ideas, and publishing despite the restrictive laws and attitudes surrounding them. Through relentless, difficult discussions, publications, marches, and allyship with the global Feminist and Civil Rights Movement, the ideas of IWU were transformed into action for the sake of reproductive rights, sexuality, representation, and rape crisis work.

A foreword from former Irish President Mary McAleese contextualizes the collective labor of IWU within a not-so-distant past in Ireland. This book also features an archive of original art, flyers, photographs, and memorabilia of the movement, many appearing for the first time in print.

Irishwomen United and their allies set the precedent for change for the next generation. The stories of these women campaigners are not only representative of past movements but also a call to action for future social justice activists in the fight for liberation and equality for all.

Edited by: Evelyn Conlon, Rebecca Pelan
Imprint: University College Dublin Press
Country of Publication: Ireland
Dimensions: Height: 25mm, Width: 18mm,
ISBN: 9781068502309
ISBN 10: 1068502304
Pages: 300
Publication Date: 01 April 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Evelyn Conlon, novelist, short story writer and essayist has published four novels, four collections of short stories, and a compilation of biographical essays titled Reading Rites. She has edited five anthologies. She is an adjunct Professor with Carlow University, Pittsburgh. She was a member of Irishwomen United and a founder member of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre. She is a member of Aosdana. Rebecca Pelan has worked in Ireland, Australia, and America in the fields of English, Women's studies, and Irish studies, and has published extensively on Irish fiction and drama. She was editor of Irish Feminist Review, on the editorial board of Hecate, The Australasian Journal of Irish Studies, and guest editor of ANQ.

Reviews for After the Train: Irishwomen United and a Network of Change

'""Lest they forget,"" and as a blueprint for ongoing social justice transformation, After the Train has been durably designed and produced to weather many decades of reading and rereading: to be passed from hand to hand, and down the generations, with future cultural insurgency in mind.' Adrienne Murphy, Irish Times 'This is an inspiring and exhilarating read, as well as being an important social history, which documents the actions of a small group of women who dared to challenge the stifling conservatism of 1970s Ireland.' Margaret Ward, Belfast Telegraph 'The editors are to be congratulated for assembling so many of these passionate voices, and for recognising that feminist activism has a long history in Ireland, much longer than second wave... This is an invigorating history.' Tinteán Magazine 'Irishwomen United and its allies set the precedent for change for the next generation. The stories of these women campaigners are not only representative of past movements, they also a call to action for future social justice activists in the fight for liberation and equality for all.' Irish Examiner 'One of the more prominent topics in the collection, however, is the history of women’s incursion into the world of mainstream publishing in Ireland, which resulted in a proliferation of creative and political output since the 1980s. Six of the book’s contributors are published authors, three of whom are members of Aosdána. In addition, four more have been directly involved in the development of women’s and community publishing, testimony to the important role of women’s creative pursuits in the politics of changing Ireland.' Co-editor Rebecca Pelan for Books Ireland 'This collection does not claim to give a full picture, but, when added to other work, aims to shed light on actions that, once seen, become hard to ignore.' Sunday Independent