Hard lives: A History of Irish Childhood
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What does the episode reveal about the hidden hardships of Irish childhood in the 18th‑19th centuries?
Childhood in the past was undoubtedly hard, but how children were treated and what their lives were worth is a story that's often left out of Irish history. We focus on the 1916 rising, the Great Hunger, the War of Independence, and children rarely feature Now in this episode I am joined by the historian Frank Hopkins to look at some of the darkest corners of Irish childhoods in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the small boys who were sold to master chimney sweeps, the trade in stolen children's clothes, and the poverty that could lead to infanticide. Along the way we ask what a child was actually worth to Irish society at the time and Why people sold and indeed bought children, and how the courts treated child criminals as adults.
But we also look at how reformers eventually fought their way to improve the lives of Irish children in the 19th century. It's an intriguing chapter in our past, but the episode isn't really suitable if there are younger listeners around, as it does contain references to violence against children and sexual. Violence.
Hello and welcome to the Irish History Podcast. My name is Finn Duir. Now, my guest today is a longtime friend of the show and a legendary figure in Irish history circles, Frank Hopkins. Frank has a great interest in social history, and his latest book, A Motley Crue, is an essential for Irish history fans the world over. In his trademark, inimitable style, Frank explores people who are on the wrong side of the law. But one of the chapters in particular stood out for me, and that was Suffer the Children, which, as I alluded to in the introduction, was explores the history of children in Ireland's past. But whether you consider yourself a history bof or you just have a passing interest in Ireland's history, this book is an essential read.
If you're a planner and thinking ahead of what to get the awkward history fan in your life for Christmas, this would be my top recommendation. Now you'll find links to the book in the show notes below, but as I say, it's a really great read. I'd recommend getting your hands on a copy. Finally, if you're coming on the supporters tour, which is happening this Saturday, you should have received an email from me today. That's Tuesday, September the 22nd. Make sure you do respond because we are heading this Saturday, the 26th of September. I can't wait for it. But for everyone else who can't make it, I'll report back. on what happened the week after next because there won't be an episode next week. Sound on the episode is by Kate Dunley.
Oh Frank, I've been really looking forward to having this conversation ever since I read the book and as I mentioned to you before, the section on children really stood out to me because you really capture an interesting perspective on childhood in the eighteenth and nineteenth century because on one level there's the absolute hardships and we're gonna talk about that, like some of the unbelievably tough jobs really young children had to do. But at the same time there is a degree of compassion maybe that comes across in some of the stories. But maybe we'll start at the tough end because You know, I think you open up that chapter with a discussion on child sweeps and these were children who worked in cleaning chimneys.
But can you explain what that is? 'Cause I kind of feel today You know, a lot of houses now have been built without chimneys, but back in the eighteenth, nineteenth century, you would have houses with labyrinthine chimney systems that would go you know, every room might have a chimney so they'd feed into each other. Can you maybe start by explaining, you know, the cleaning out of those and then bring us into like how such young children were involved in this job?
It was mainly a thing seen in cities uh in our cities and towns, with increasing industrialization, our towns are and cities were getting bigger, bigger houses, people were more prosperous. But they there were big, big, big white chimneys. But it you're too narrow for a man to climb up.
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