Women and Girls in Jacob's Biscuit Factory, c.1911-1977
A free public talk by Dr Deirdre Foley, hosted by Dublin City Council's Heritage Office. Part-funded by the Heritage Council.
About the talk
Jacob’s is remembered by many Dubliners as a benevolent employer. The firm’s concern with welfare, while relatively innovative, was nevertheless paternalist and profit-driven, with a view to forging a loyal and healthy workforce in a city where housing and sanitation were notoriously poor. One of Ireland’s top three manufacturing firms for some time after independence, women and girls consistently made up two-thirds of its staff.
This talk will explore the female experience of work at Jacob’s, covering issues of social class, gendered discipline, and discrimination in preference of the male breadwinner. The experience of republican women in the factory in 1916 and beyond is also explored.
About the speaker
Dr Deirdre Foley is a historian of modern Ireland with a particular interest in the legal and social status of women in twentieth-century Ireland. She is a former Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and has previously held Research Ireland postdoctoral awards at University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin. Currently she is Principal Investigator of the Research Ireland Pathway Project, 'TÚS: Pregnancy and Giving Birth in Ireland, 1950-2020' at the Department of History, Trinity College Dublin.
About the series
The Dublin City Heritage Series is a free public lecture series which aims to showcase heritage projects, topics and new research across Dublin city, and is an action of the Dublin City Strategic Heritage Plan 2024 - 2029.
The series has received grant support from the Heritage Council.
This talk will be recorded and made available online at a later date.
ISL interpretation will be provided.
Image Credit:
'Three female workers packing boxes of ginger nut biscuits', c.1960-1969. Courtesy of Valeo Foods & Dublin City Library and Archive, via the Digital Repository of Ireland.
A free public talk by Dr Deirdre Foley, hosted by Dublin City Council's Heritage Office. Part-funded by the Heritage Council.
About the talk
Jacob’s is remembered by many Dubliners as a benevolent employer. The firm’s concern with welfare, while relatively innovative, was nevertheless paternalist and profit-driven, with a view to forging a loyal and healthy workforce in a city where housing and sanitation were notoriously poor. One of Ireland’s top three manufacturing firms for some time after independence, women and girls consistently made up two-thirds of its staff.
This talk will explore the female experience of work at Jacob’s, covering issues of social class, gendered discipline, and discrimination in preference of the male breadwinner. The experience of republican women in the factory in 1916 and beyond is also explored.
About the speaker
Dr Deirdre Foley is a historian of modern Ireland with a particular interest in the legal and social status of women in twentieth-century Ireland. She is a former Roy Foster Irish Government Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and has previously held Research Ireland postdoctoral awards at University College Cork and Trinity College Dublin. Currently she is Principal Investigator of the Research Ireland Pathway Project, 'TÚS: Pregnancy and Giving Birth in Ireland, 1950-2020' at the Department of History, Trinity College Dublin.
About the series
The Dublin City Heritage Series is a free public lecture series which aims to showcase heritage projects, topics and new research across Dublin city, and is an action of the Dublin City Strategic Heritage Plan 2024 - 2029.
The series has received grant support from the Heritage Council.
This talk will be recorded and made available online at a later date.
ISL interpretation will be provided.
Image Credit:
'Three female workers packing boxes of ginger nut biscuits', c.1960-1969. Courtesy of Valeo Foods & Dublin City Library and Archive, via the Digital Repository of Ireland.
Good to know
Highlights
- 1 hour
- all ages
- In person
- Doors at 5:30 PM
Location
The Wood Quay Venue
Wood Quay
D08 RF3F Dublin 8
How do you want to get there?
