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History and Philosophy

Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley

BA, Ph.D

 
researcher
 

Biography

My main research interests are in the history of child welfare in Ireland and Britian, the history of marginalised groups of women and children, the social history of Ireland in the twentieth century, and more recently the history of youth. I currently teach undergraduate modules on children and the state, twentieth century Britain, British social movements and the family in modern Ireland. I contribute to postgraduate programmes on the same topics and I also teach in Children's Studies.  

My work has looked at the history of child welfare/child protection, gender history, history of family and the history of medicine. In 2012, I published my first book on the history of the Haematology Association of Ireland. My second book The Cruelty Man: Child Welfare, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1889-1956 was published in 2013 with Manchester University Press. I have also published articles and chapters on incest, nurse children, child neglect and the interactions between the NSPCC and the industrial school system in Ireland. . 

Aside from my teaching and research, I am the Chair of the Irish History Student's Association (IHSA), President of the Womens History Association of Ireland  and co-director of the Irish Center for the Histories of Labour and Class. I am very active in the media, and have contributed to a wide range of tv and radio programmes, newspapers and online debates. I completed my PhD at University College Cork, and held the title of College Scholar, the Father Martin Harney Award and the John A Murphy Prize in Irish History. I was funded by the IRCHSS during my doctorate. I recently became a 2015 Charlemont Scholar. 

Research Interests

The history of child protection in Britain and Ireland, social history of Britain and Ireland from the nineteenth century, history of family, history of childhood and more recently, the history of youth culture in Ireland after World War Two. 

Research Projects

  Project Start Date End Date
Sarah-Anne Buckley MF Project 01-OCT-14 31-MAR-18

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2018) 'Interrogating institutionalisation and child welfare: the Irish case, 1939–1991'
Sarah-Anne Buckley and Caroline McGregor (2018) 'Interrogating institutionalisation and child welfare: the Irish case, 1939–1991'. European Journal Of Social Work, [DOI] [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2016) 'Introduction'
Sarah-Anne Buckley, Riona Nic Congail and Marnie Hay (2016) 'Introduction'. Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2016) 'Introduction'
Sarah-Anne Buckley, Brian Hanley and Francis Devine (2016) 'Introduction'. Saothar: Journal Of The Irish Labour History Society, (41) [Details]
(2016) '‘Growing up poor': working-class mothers and child welfare during the First World War’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2016) '‘Growing up poor': working-class mothers and child welfare during the First World War’'. Womens History Review, [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2008) '‘Child neglect, poverty and class: the NSPCC in Ireland, 1889–1939 – a case study’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) '‘Child neglect, poverty and class: the NSPCC in Ireland, 1889–1939 – a case study’'. Saothar: Journal Of The Irish Labour History Society, [ARAN Link] [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2012) History of the Haematology Association of Ireland.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) History of the Haematology Association of Ireland. Dublin: HAI. [Details]
(2013) The Cruelty Man: Child Welfare, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1889-1956.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) The Cruelty Man: Child Welfare, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1889-1956. London: Manchester University Press. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2019) '‘Remembering and forgetting: The Tuam Mother and Baby Home and the Irish Revolution’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley and John Cunningham (2019) '‘Remembering and forgetting: The Tuam Mother and Baby Home and the Irish Revolution’' In: Women and the Irish Revolution: Feminism, Activism, Violence. Indiana: Indiana University Press. [Details]
(2017) ''Men, women and the family: 1730-1880’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2017) ''Men, women and the family: 1730-1880’' In: The Cambridge History of Ireland Volume 3: Ireland, c.1730-c.1880. London: Cambridge University Press. [Details]
(2016) '‘Childhood in Ireland, 1740-present’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley and Susannah O'Riordan (2016) '‘Childhood in Ireland, 1740-present’' In: The Cambridge Social History of Ireland. London: Cambridge University Press. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2016) '‘Parental rights, welfare and the State in Ireland: 1908-1952’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2016) '‘Parental rights, welfare and the State in Ireland: 1908-1952’' In: Raising the Nation: Parenting and the State in Britain and Europe, 1870-1950. London: New York: Palgrave Macmillan. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2014) '‘‘The problem is one not of criminal tendencies, but of poverty’: the NSPCC, John Byrne and the Industrial School System in Ireland”'
Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) '‘‘The problem is one not of criminal tendencies, but of poverty’: the NSPCC, John Byrne and the Industrial School System in Ireland”' In: Locked Out: A Century of Irish Working-class life. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. [Details]
(2011) 'Family and Power: Incest in Ireland, 1880-1950'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) 'Family and Power: Incest in Ireland, 1880-1950' In: Power in History: from Medieval Ireland to the Post-Modern World, Historical Studies XXVII. Dublin, Portland OR: Irish Academic Press. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2012) '“Found in a dying condition”: Nurse children, in Ireland, 1872-1952'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) '“Found in a dying condition”: Nurse children, in Ireland, 1872-1952' In: ‘She said she was in the family way’: pregnancy and infancy in modern Ireland. London, UK: Institute of Historical Research. [ARAN Link] [Details]
(2014) '“Saver of the Children”: The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Ireland, 1889-1900'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) '“Saver of the Children”: The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Ireland, 1889-1900' In: Philanthropy in Nineteenth Century Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [DOI] [Details]

Edited Books

  Year Publication
(2017) Growing up in Galway: Histories and Memories.
Sarah-Anne Buckley and John Cunningham (Ed.). (2017) Growing up in Galway: Histories and Memories. Cork: Eva Books. [Details]
(2017) Literacy in Nineteenth Century Ireland.
Rebecca Barr, Sarah-Anne Buckley and Muireann Ó’Cinnéide (Ed.). (2017) Literacy in Nineteenth Century Ireland. London: Liverpool University Press. [Details]
(2015) Engendering Ireland: New reflections on modern history and literature.
Dr Rebecca Barr, Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley and Dr Laura Kelly (Ed.). (2015) Engendering Ireland: New reflections on modern history and literature Engendering Ireland: New reflections on modern history and literature. London: Cambridge Scholars. [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
(2016) '‘Institutionalised for poverty: women’s rights and child welfare in the Ireland, 1922-1996’'
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2016) '‘Institutionalised for poverty: women’s rights and child welfare in the Ireland, 1922-1996’' Jacobin, . [ARAN Link] [Details]

Conference Contributions

  Year Publication
(2015) 'A Peculiar Society'? Ireland, 1970s-1990s,
Kevin O'Sullivan, Sarah-Anne Buckley, Tomás Finn (2015) Conference co-organiser. [Conference Organising Committee Member], 'A Peculiar Society'? Ireland, 1970s-1990s, NUI Galway , 24-APR-15 - 25-APR-15. [Details]
(2014) Twenty Years A Growing: An International Conference on the History of Irish Childhood from the Medieval to the Modern,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) ‘Boarding out in Galway, 1838-1920’. [Conference Paper], Twenty Years A Growing: An International Conference on the History of Irish Childhood from the Medieval to the Modern, St Patrick's College Drumcondra, Dublin , 09-JUN-14 - 10-JUN-15. [Details]
(2014) Economic and Social History Society Conference of Ireland,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) ‘Desertion and bigamy: an analysis of State and voluntary responses in Ireland, 1922-1987’. [Chaired Session], Economic and Social History Society Conference of Ireland, St Patrick's College, Drumcondra, Dublin , 21-MAR-14 - 22-NOV-14. [Details]
(2014) IHR Lifecycles Seminar,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) 'History of Childhood and Youth in Ireland: the state of the art and the field'. [Invited Lecture], IHR Lifecycles Seminar, Institute of Historical Research, London , 24-JUN-14 - 24-JUN-14. [Details]
(2013) American Conference of Irish Studies 2013,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) ‘Divorce “Irish Style”: An Examination of Separation and Desertion in Ireland, 1937-1997’. [Conference Paper], American Conference of Irish Studies 2013, Chicago , 10-APR-13 - 13-APR-13. [Details]
(2013) Youth Culture in Context,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) ‘Useful citizens: juvenile delinquency and youth unemployment in inter-war Ireland’. [Conference Paper], Youth Culture in Context, Hardiman Building, NUI Galway , 08-NOV-13 - 08-NOV-13. [Details]
(2013) International Federation of Research in Women's History: 'Women's Histories: The local and the global',
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) ‘Separation and migration in Ireland’, 1922-1970’. [Conference Paper], International Federation of Research in Women's History: 'Women's Histories: The local and the global', Sheffield , 29-SEP-13 - 01-SEP-13. [Details]
(2013) Gender and Irish society in the 19th and 20th century: New perspectives and new ideas,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) ‘Gendering blame? An examination of gender in cases involving offences against children in Ireland, 1900-1950’. [Chaired Session], Gender and Irish society in the 19th and 20th century: New perspectives and new ideas, Moore Institute, NUI Galway , 29-MAR-13 - 30-MAR-15. [Details]
(2013) Youth Culture in Context,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) One-day workshop of invited speakers. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Youth Culture in Context, Hardiman Building, NUI Galway , 08-NOV-13 - 08-NOV-13. [Details]
(2012) 50th American Conference of Irish Studies,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) An analysis of deserted wives in Ireland from the nineteenth century. [Chaired Session], 50th American Conference of Irish Studies, New Orleans, USA , 13-MAR-12 - 17-MAR-11. [Details]
(2012) Deviance in Modern Irish History,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) 'Juvenile offenders and delinquent children: deviance in the context of the Irish industrial school system, 1908-1970'. [Conference Paper], Deviance in Modern Irish History, University of Limerick , 23-MAR-12 - 24-MAR-12. [Details]
(2012) National Library of Ireland Lecture Series,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) Childhood and Class: Imagery of a Diverse Experience. [Invited Lecture], National Library of Ireland Lecture Series, NLI, Dublin , 18-APR-12 - 18-APR-12. [Details]
(2011) 2011 Irish History Students Association (IHSA) Conference,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) Organiser. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], 2011 Irish History Students Association (IHSA) Conference, UCC , 25-FEB-11 - 27-FEB-11. [Details]
(2011) Seminar delivered to the Masters class in Historical Research,,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) ‘Social History and our understanding of the past’. [Invited Lecture], Seminar delivered to the Masters class in Historical Research,, UCC , 25-JAN-11 - 25-JAN-11. [Details]
(2011) Looking Back-Looking Forward, Women’s History Network, anniversary conference to celebrate the feminists of the second wave in Britain,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) ‘Deserted wives and deserting husbands: an analysis of State, press and voluntary responses to desertion in Ireland'. [Oral Presentation], Looking Back-Looking Forward, Women’s History Network, anniversary conference to celebrate the feminists of the second wave in Britain, Womens History Library, London , 09-SEP-11 - 11-SEP-11. [Details]
(2010) Ireland and Victims: recognition, Reparation, Reconciliation?,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2010) “Imprisoned for poverty: the NSPCC, the State and the industrial school system in Ireland, 1900-1950”. [Chaired Session], Ireland and Victims: recognition, Reparation, Reconciliation?, Université Rennes 2, France , 09-SEP-10 - 11-SEP-10. [Details]
(2010) Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2010)  ‘“SAVER OF THE CHILDREN”: the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Ireland 1889-1900’. [Chaired Session], Society for the Study of Nineteenth-Century Ireland, University College Cork , 17-JUN-10 - 19-JUN-10. [Details]
(2010) Centre for Contemporary Irish History Research Seminar,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2010) ‘Institutionalisation, the NSPCC and the State in Ireland, 1922-56’. [Invited Lecture], Centre for Contemporary Irish History Research Seminar, Trinity College Dublin , 24-NOV-10 - 24-NOV-10. [Details]
(2010) The History of Families and Households: Comparative European Dimensions,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2010)  ‘“There is a soul in question”: the NSPCC, the State, the Catholic Church and the Industrial School System in Ireland, 1900-1950’. [Chaired Session], The History of Families and Households: Comparative European Dimensions, Institute of Historical Research, University of London, , 24-JUN-10 - 26-JUN-10. [Details]
(2009) Masters class in Social Work,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2009) ‘The NSPCC and the history of social work in Ireland, 1880-1956’. [Chaired Session], Masters class in Social Work, NUI Galway , 28-AUG-09 - 28-AUG-09. [Details]
(2009) 'Family and Power: Incest in Ireland, 1880-1950',,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2009) 29th Irish Conference of Historians. [Oral Presentation], 'Family and Power: Incest in Ireland, 1880-1950',, University of Limerick , 18-JUN-09 - 20-JUN-09. [Details]
(2008) Inaugural Postgraduate Conference of the Graduate School, CACSSS,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) ‘The NSPCC and the Irish working class, 1890-1940’. [Oral Presentation], Inaugural Postgraduate Conference of the Graduate School, CACSSS, University College Cork , 08-NOV-08 - 08-NOV-08. [Details]
(2008) Inaugural Postgraduate Conference of the Graduate School, CACSSS,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) Organised the conference, the first of the CACSSS. [Conference Organising Committee Chairperson], Inaugural Postgraduate Conference of the Graduate School, CACSSS, Graduate School, University College Cork , 08-NOV-08 - 08-NOV-08. [Details]
(2008) Postgraduate Seminar, Moore Institute, NUI Galway,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) ‘Cruelty Man’ or ‘Children’s Man’? The NSPCC and child neglect in Ireland, 1889-1939. [Invited Lecture], Postgraduate Seminar, Moore Institute, NUI Galway, NUI Galway , 03-DEC-08 - 03-DEC-08. [Details]
(2008) 2008 IHSA,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) ‘Violence and the family in the Irish Free State: 1922-1945’,. [Chaired Session], 2008 IHSA, NUI Galway , 29-FEB-08 - 02-MAR-08. [Details]
(2008) Inaugural Postgraduate Forum of the Centre for Historical Research,,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) ‘‘Protective’ or merely ‘Prohibitive’? An examination of British and Irish legislation surrounding women and children, 1880-1940’. [Oral Presentation], Inaugural Postgraduate Forum of the Centre for Historical Research,, University of Limerick , 07-MAY-08 - 07-MAY-08. [Details]
(2007) Postgraduate Conference in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Commerce and Law,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2007) ‘Putting the family first? The position of the family in the Irish Free State: 1922-1945’. [Oral Presentation], Postgraduate Conference in the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Commerce and Law, UCC , 11-DEC-07 - 11-DEC-07. [Details]
(2007) Inaugural conference of the Postgraduate History Association,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2007) ‘To hell with you and the child’: women and children as victims of family violence in Ireland, 1922-1939’. [Chaired Session], Inaugural conference of the Postgraduate History Association, University of Limerick , 10-OCT-07 - 10-OCT-07. [Details]
(2007) History of the European Family Conference,
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2007) ‘Family Values’: Violence in working-class families in the Irish Free State, 1922-1939’. [Oral Presentation], History of the European Family Conference, University of Limerick , 21-JUN-07 - 21-JUN-07. [Details]

Book Review

  Year Publication
(2008) Review of James M. Smith, Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries and the Nation’s Architecture of Containment.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2008) Review of James M. Smith, Ireland’s Magdalen Laundries and the Nation’s Architecture of Containment. Book Review [Details]
(2011) Review of Moira Maguire, Precarious Childhoods in Post-independence Ireland.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) Review of Moira Maguire, Precarious Childhoods in Post-independence Ireland. Book Review [Details]
(2012) Review of Pauline Prior's 'Asylums, Mental Health Care and the Irish, 1800-2010'.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) Review of Pauline Prior's 'Asylums, Mental Health Care and the Irish, 1800-2010'. Book Review [Details]
(2012) Review of Christina Quinlan, Inside: Ireland's Women's Prisons, Past and Present.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2012) Review of Christina Quinlan, Inside: Ireland's Women's Prisons, Past and Present. Book Review [Details]
(2013) Review of Francis Devine, A Unique History: A History of the Medical Laboratory Scientists’ Association, 1961-2011.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2013) Review of Francis Devine, A Unique History: A History of the Medical Laboratory Scientists’ Association, 1961-2011. Ireland: Book Review [Details]
(2014) Review of Catherine Cox, Negotiating Insanity in the Southeast of Ireland, 1820-1900.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2014) Review of Catherine Cox, Negotiating Insanity in the Southeast of Ireland, 1820-1900. Dublin: Book Review [Details]

Editorship of Journals

  Year Publication
(2016) Introduction to an Irish special edition of the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth.
Sarah-Anne Buckley, Riona Nic Congail and Marnie Hay (2016) Introduction to an Irish special edition of the Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth. United States: Editorship of Journals [Details]

Newspaper Articles

  Year Publication
(2009) Child neglect, poverty and class: the NSPCC in the context of the Ryan Report, irish Examiner.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2009) Child neglect, poverty and class: the NSPCC in the context of the Ryan Report, irish Examiner. Newspaper Articles [Details]
(2011) History of abuse shows powerful institutions always trump rights of the child, Irish Examiner Opinion piece.
Sarah-Anne Buckley (2011) History of abuse shows powerful institutions always trump rights of the child, Irish Examiner Opinion piece. Newspaper Articles [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2015 Charlemont Scholar Royal Irish Academy
2014 Millennium Fund NUI Galway
2013 Millennium Fund NUI Galway
2007 Government of Ireland Scholar, awarded by the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) IRCHSS
2006 John A. Murphy Prize in Irish History University College Cork
2007 Joseph Michael McEnery prize in Irish history University College Cork
2010 Outstanding Postgraduate of the Year University College Cork

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Irish Center for the Histories of Labour and Class Co-founder and current treasurer /
Irish History Students Association Chair 26-JAN-14 /
Womens History Association of Ireland (WHAI) Treasurer 01-JUN-12 / 07-APR-18
Irish Historical Society Member /
Irish Labour History Society Member 01-JUL-09 /
Economic and Social History Society of Ireland Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
WHAI Treasurer 12-APR-14 /
Cobh Musuem Director /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
School of History, University College Cork (UCC) Assistant lecturer, Head tutor /

Community Engagement

  Title Type From / To
Outreach Merriman Summer School 2014 13-AUG-14 / 17-AUG-14
Outreach Seminars on Cyberbullying 16-MAY-12 / 17-MAY-12
Advocacy Launch of the artist Marie Brett's Amulets Exhibition, Galway Art Center 01-AUG-14 / 01-MAR-14

Reviews

  Journal Role
Irish Times Reviewer
Saothar: Journal Of The Irish Labour History Society Reviewer
The Irish Review Reviewer

Other Activities

  Description

Radio contributions to Newstalk on mother and baby homes, Eucharistic Congress and industrial schools

Appearance on RTE Six One News regarding the 2014 Tuam Mother and Baby Home story.

Appearance on German television talk show 'Agenda' regarding the 2014 story of the Tuam Mother and Baby Home. 

Peer reviewer for Social and Cultural History. Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, Saothar and an edited collection on literacy and learning in Ireland.  

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests include nineteenth and twentieth-century Irish and British social, political, and social policy history; women and gender; institutional histories; welfare history and the history of childhood and the family in Ireland. Here is a list of taught modules over the past 3 years and those I contribute to. 

Modules Taught

  Term/Year Module Title Module Code Subject / Desc
Semester 2 The Family in Modern Ireland, 1922-2014 HI3117
Semester 1 Exploring Irish Childhoods: History and Culture CCSS1100 Children's Studies
Semester 1 Children and the State in Ireland, 1838-2011 HI578
Semester 2 "British Social Movements since 1945: Sex, Colour, Peace and Power" HI494
Semester 1 From Beveridge to Thatcher: Politics, Society, Economy and Welfare in Britain 1948-1992 HI579
2013/14 The Family in Modern Ireland HI492

Internal Collaborators

  Name Description of Collaboration
Internal Collaborators
1) Dr Kevin O'Sullivan and Dr Tomas Finn - co-organisers of conference 'Ireland: A Peculiar Society, 1970s-1990s' to be held the 24-25 April 2015.2) Dr John Cunningham - co-founder of the Irish Center for the Histories of Labour and Class which run regular internal and external events.3) Dr Rebecca Barr and Dr Muireann O'Cinneide - Co-organisers of the 2015 SSNCI conference 'Literacy in Nineteenth-century Ireland' to be held from the 11-12 June 2015.