Covering the pivotal period from just after the Act of Union to the establishment of the Irish Free State, this compelling book offers eleven fascinating portraits drawn from unpublished diaries, letters, and contemporary records.

In the nineteenth century, Irish women lived extraordinary lives yet their testimonies are rarely heard. Using original manuscripts — diaries, memoirs, letters and signed witness statements — historian Nellie Ó Cléirigh brings us the authentic voices of a diverse range of women, from society hostesses planning dinner parties for prime ministers, to women such as novelist Maria Edgeworth trying to bring relief to famine victims, to post-Famine émigrés and to the destitute women enduring harsh and brutal regimes in workhouses.

Hardship and High Living provides fascinating new insights into the reality of women's lives from 1808 to 1923, a period during which Irish society underwent a complete transformation.