Women's Work Association c1937

tuisginideach

Could anyone direct me to some information of the Women's Work Association - operational in 1937 in Dublin certainly but I haven't managed to find (online) anything else about it. Thank you

Peregrinus

In what context did you come across them? There are two similarly-named organisations that might be relevant.

The Dublin Women's Work Association was a lay Protestant group active from the late nineteenth century which engaged in visiting the sick poor in their homes. Essentially, they made the same kind of welfare/support visits that the Sisters of Charity and other religious orders made to Catholic homes. I don't know if it was still active in the 1930s.

Then there's the Irish Women Workers' Union, a trade union set up in the 1910s at a time when most trade unions refused to admit women. Although the other unions later dropped the sex bar, the IWWU continued for many decades, with a focus on representing workers in female-dominated occupations and part-time workers. In the mid-80s it merged into the Federated Workers Union of Ireland, which in turn merged with the ITGWU to form SIPTU. If this is the organisation you're interested in, then SIPTU have their archives.

tuisginideach

Thank you Peregrinus - From your description, I'm sure it's the first one - it's in the context of a Protestant lady who did lots of charitable works and mentions being very busy on the Vegetable Stall of a Women's Work Sale in December 1938 (sorry not 1937).

Is material on the WWA easily available anywhere?

Thanks again

Peregrinus

No idea, I'm afraid.

The Mothers' Union is a similar C of I-affiliated women's organisation. It's possible that the Women's Work Association merged into them, or at least that someone there will have some knowledge of what became of it. You could try them.

Email: allireland.mothersunion@gmail.com

Website: www.mothersunion.ie

pinkypinky

You could try the Representative Church Body Library - their church gazette, which is digitised might mention it.

tuisginideach

Thank you both very much!

Another query - and I have tried to research these myself but failed to come up with definitive answers .... I know Sarah Purser lived in Mespil House, but was there also a Mespil HOME - maybe another charity 'old folks home' type place? I'm sure the handwriting in this diary I am reading (1939 in this case) says Mespil Home v Mespil House. There were at least three ladies/girls' 'schools' on Mespil Road but I imagine it's more of a hospital/convalescent/nursing home type place which is indicated here.