In May 2018 another tranche of pension records were released, bringing the total number of applications for pensions submitted by women released to date to 600. This substantial number far exceeds the amount I expected when I began my own research in this area more than 20 years ago, when the collection was closed and the contents were still secret. The number was surprising to me, especially given the countless times I was told of women who refused to apply for a pension.

In the coming months and years the full extent of women’s contribution in 1919 and beyond will be investigated and evaluated by historians, bringing new insights into their contribution but also an understanding of the silences and suffering of that generation for Ireland over the past 100 years.