Surviving and Thriving in Post-Famine Mohill
Fiona Slevin's PhD thesis, titled 'Money flows and local market dynamics in an Irish rural town and its hinterland, 1850–1875' is now openly available.
Download a pdf
Download an original pdf copy from the UCD research respository at http://hdl.handle.net/10197/27403.
Buy it in book format
The full thesis is also available to buy – at pretty much cost – on Amazon, and is titled Surviving and Thriving in Post-Famine Ireland. The more expensive is a hardback/colour version, and it is also available as paperback/black & white.
I've had a few requests for copies which I really appreciate. For anyone in Ireland, if it's easier, I can order the copies and pass them on directly. Because it’s print-on-demand, the price is €64 for the hardback/colour and €31.50 for the paperback/mono version. Just get in touch with me directly or reply here. (For those outside Ireland, it's probably easier and quicker to order directly from Amazon.)
If you do read the thesis, I would love to hear your thoughts and observations through the contact form here.
About the thesis
Despite the death, disease, displacement caused by the Great Famine, in the following decades, Mohill experienced economic growth and even prosperity. Agricultural prices increased, a retail sector developed, and new opportunities opened for a growing middle-class.
The thesis investigates the market dynamics that underpinned local economic growth. Drawing on a wide range of primary sources, the study systematically tracks the flow of money between sectors of the economy. In doing so, it assesses farm viability, consumerism, shop credit, household income, emigrant remittances, and the role of government and finance in driving local commerce.
The study demonstrates the vitality, ambition and entrepreneurship present in rural Ireland in the aftermath of the Famine. Overall, the research demonstrates the importance of rural towns and their hinterlands in the economic and social development of post-Famine Ireland, and particularly highlights the significant work, agency and economic contribution of women in the period.
