In this Book

Eva Gore-Booth: Irish radical poet, rebel and reformer: Anniversary edition

Book
Sonja Tiernan
2026
summary

An acclaimed biography of poet, pacifist and political firebrand Eva Gore-Booth.

The Irish poet and activist Eva Gore-Booth (1870–1926) led a life defiantly at odds with her aristocratic origins. Choosing to live and work among the poor of Manchester, she campaigned on behalf of barmaids, circus performers, flower sellers and pit-brow lasses, her partner, Esther Roper, at her side.

Gore-Booth was tireless in her pursuit of justice. She was a militant pacifist during the First World War, a champion of Irish independence and a pioneering thinker on gender and sexuality. She was also a prolific author, publishing nineteen volumes of poetry and prose that reflect the full force of her radical convictions.

Featuring a new preface that situates Gore-Booth’s life and work in the context of our current political climate, this biography reclaims her place as a significant figure of Anglo–Irish letters and an unsung hero of LGBT+ history.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page, Copyright, Dedication

pp. i-vi

Contents

pp. vii-viii

List of illustrations

pp. ix-x

Preface to the anniversary edition

pp. xi-xviii

Preface

pp. xix-xxii

Acknowledgements

pp. xxiii-xxiv

Abbreviations

pp. xxv-xxvi

Introducing the Gore-Booth family

pp. 1-9

Life in the big house: childhood and Lissadell

pp. 10-27

A pair of oddities: meeting Esther Roper

pp. 28-44

The birth of a rebel: social reform in Manchester

pp. 45-67

Sadder and wiser women: Lancashire trade unions

pp. 68-90

Women who kick, shriek, bite and spit: suffragists and suffragettes

pp. 91-110

Defending barmaids: legislative proposals and Winston Churchill

pp. 111-134

World War One: from trade unionism to peace movements

pp. 135-154

Conscientious objectors and revolution: world war and an Irish rebellion

pp. 155-178

Roger Casement and the aftermath of the Easter Rising

pp. 179-202

Prison reform and military conscription in Ireland

pp. 203-223

Radical sexual politics and post-war religion

pp. 224-245

Final years

pp. 246-254

Afterword

pp. 255-264

Archival sources

pp. 265-266

Major publications by Eva Gore-Booth

pp. 267-270

Index

pp. 271-277
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