19th Century

Ad for the Irish Distressed Ladies Fund, published in 'The Queen' 4 March 1894. Content provided by The British Library Board. © British Newspaper Archive.

The Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund: Audley Street, London W1

Curiosity about London's connections with Ireland had prompted me to search The London Archives' online catalogue for all entries containing the word "Irish". That led to a file titled "Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund" which I automatically assumed was one of the many philanthropic ventures formed in London over the years in support of Ireland's poor and peasant populations. It turned out to be something very different indeed.

19th Century

N16Breda

8 min read

Photograph of London Fields in Hackney where on 6 July 1886 a massive demonstration was held in support of Irish Home Rule

Irish Home Rule in Hackney: 5 July 1886, London Fields E8.

The day before the General Election of 1886, somewhere between six and ten thousand people gathered in London Fields to support the cause of Home Rule for Ireland.

19th Century

N16Breda

7 min read

1852 cartoon titled ‘A court for King Cholera’ by John Leech, published in Punch magazine 23 (1852), p. 139. Image source: Wellcome Collection, via Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

Death in Irish Whitechapel: Cholera in Blue Anchor Yard E1, 1848

Looking from Cartwright Street towards Blue Anchor Yard, Royal Mint Estate on the site of what was Rosemary Lane, Whitechapel E1....

19th Century

N16Breda

12 min read

The Irish Distressed Ladies' Fund: Audley Street, London W1

Irish Home Rule in Hackney: 5 July 1886, London Fields E8.

Death in Irish Whitechapel: Cholera in Blue Anchor Yard E1, 1848

Finding Ireland in the History of London