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4. Maeve O'Riordan

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Biography

Maeve O'Riordan is lecturer in women's and cultural history at the School of History.

She is interested particularly in nineteenth and twentieth century social history, country house studies material culture, women's history and feminist history. Maeve has maintained her interest in gender equality in higher education and has worked in the Higher Education Authority, the Irish Research Council and Women's Studies at UCC since completing her PhD.

She won an Irish Research Council Scholarship for her PhD in UCC in 2010 and for her postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates at Maynooth University in 2014. 

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Research Interests

My research is focused on Irish gender history, and women's history particularly focused on the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I have written a detailed study on women of the Big House during this period (Liverpool University Press, 2018). At the same time, I curated a multimedia exhibition on the women of Airfield house; a suburban villa in Dublin.  My focus on privileged women has permitted me access to personal archival material. I have a background in Art History as well as history which informs my interest in art and fashion.

I am interested in broader issues of family and culture, as demonstrated by my current research project. I am in favour of a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to research. My most recent work has focused on establishing research networks across the humanities and social sciences, and across national boundaries to develop new approaches to research. Arising from my recent collaboration with Dr Leanne Calvert (University of Hertfordshire) I am co-editing a special issue on the Irish family.

Research Grants

	Project	Funding Body	Start Date	End Date	Award
	Womens Voices and the Decade of Centenaries.	Irish Research Council	01-JAN-17	30-SEP-17	€12,432.00
	Reconstituting the Irish Family (RIFNET)	Irish Research Council	01-MAR-21	25-OCT-22	€11,794.00

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Publications

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Books

	Year	Publication
	(2018)	Women of the Country House in Ireland, 1860-1914. Maeve O'Riordan (2018) Women of the Country House in Ireland, 1860-1914. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press.   [Details]

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Book Chapters

	Year	Publication
	(2022)	'The birth of Brendan O’Brien: a son and heir' O'Riordan, Maeve (2022) 'The birth of Brendan O’Brien: a son and heir' In: Salvadore Ryan (eds). Birth and the Irish: a miscellany. Dublin: Wordwell. [Details]
	(2022)	'Gender and the Ascendancy: The Families Who Owned, and Lost, the Island of Ireland, 1852–1922' O'Riordan, Maeve (2022) 'Gender and the Ascendancy: The Families Who Owned, and Lost, the Island of Ireland, 1852–1922' In: Jyoti Atwal, Ciara Breathnach, Sarah-Anne Buckley (eds). Gender and History: Ireland, 1852–1922. India: Routledge.   [Details]
	(2022)	'The death of May Chichester and the end of her ten-month marriage' O'Riordan, Maeve (2022) 'The death of May Chichester and the end of her ten-month marriage' In: Birth and the Irish: a miscellany. Dublin: Wordwell. [Details]
	(2019)	'Titled Women and Voluntary War Work in Ireland during the First World War: a case study of Ethel, Lady Inchiquin' O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) 'Titled Women and Voluntary War Work in Ireland during the First World War: a case study of Ethel, Lady Inchiquin' In: Irish Women in the First World War Era: Irish Women’s Lives, 1914-18. London: Routledge.   [Details]
	(2019)	'A peer’s daughter marries a Catholic doctor: the Hon. Beryl O’Brien and Pat Gallagher, 9th April 1929' O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) 'A peer’s daughter marries a Catholic doctor: the Hon. Beryl O’Brien and Pat Gallagher, 9th April 1929' In: Marriage and the Irish: a miscellany. Dublin: Wordwell. [Details]
	(2019)	'Lady Castletown’s scrapbook: making memories for leisure' O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) 'Lady Castletown’s scrapbook: making memories for leisure' In: Terence Dooley and Christopher Ridgway (eds). Sport and leisure in the Irish and British country house. Dublin: Four Court's Press.   [Details]
	(2017)	'Childhood in the Country House, Munster, 1860-1914' Maeve O'Riordan (2017) 'Childhood in the Country House, Munster, 1860-1914' In: Mary Hatfield, Jutta Kruse and Ríona Nic Congáil (eds). Historical Perspectives on Parenthood and Childhood in Ireland. Dublin: Arlen House. [Details]
	(2016)	'The purpose of leisure: entertaining in the Big House, c.1860-1914' Maeve O'Riordan (2016) 'The purpose of leisure: entertaining in the Big House, c.1860-1914' In: Leeann Lane and William Murphy (eds). Leisure in nineteenth-century Ireland. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. [Details]
	(2015)	'Elite Courtship: The Case of Mabel Smyly and Dermod O’Brien, 1901-1902' Maeve O'Riordan (2015) 'Elite Courtship: The Case of Mabel Smyly and Dermod O’Brien, 1901-1902' In: Jennifer Redmond, Mary McAuliffe, Sandra McAvoy, Sonja Tiernan (eds). Sexual Politics in Modern Ireland. Dublin: Irish Academic Press. [Details]
	(2013)	'Assuming control: elite women as household managers in late nineteenth century Ireland' Maeve O'Riordan (2013) 'Assuming control: elite women as household managers in late nineteenth century Ireland' In: Ciaran O'Neill (eds). Irish Elites in the Nineteenth Century. Dublin: Four Courts Press. [Details]

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Edited Books

	Year	Publication
	(2018)	Women and the Country House in Ireland and Britain Terence Dooley, Maeve O'Riordan, Christopher Ridgway (Ed.). (2018) Women and the Country House in Ireland and Britain Dublin: Four Courts Press.   [Details]

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Peer Reviewed Journals

	Year	Publication
	(2022)	'Review: Diane Urquhart, Irish Divorce: a history (Cambridge, 2020), Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 9781108493093, 285pp, £74.99 (hb), £22.99 (pb)' O'Riordan, Maeve (2022) 'Review: Diane Urquhart, Irish Divorce: a history (Cambridge, 2020), Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 9781108493093, 285pp, £74.99 (hb), £22.99 (pb)'. Saothar: Journal of The Irish Labour History Society,   [Details]
	(2021)	'‘We … galloped hard and straight over some big stone gaps’: Freedom of the Hunt for Elite Women in Ireland, 1860-1914' O'Riordan, Maeve (2021) '‘We … galloped hard and straight over some big stone gaps’: Freedom of the Hunt for Elite Women in Ireland, 1860-1914'. Studies in Arts and Humanities, [Details]
	(2021)	'Editorial' K. Liston, H Bynre and M.O'Riordan (2021) 'Editorial'. Studies in Arts and Humanities, [Details]
	(2021)	'Growing up in nineteenth-century Ireland: a cultural history of middle-class childhood and gender by Mary Hatfield, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019, 279 pp., £60 (hardback), ISBN 9780198843429' O'Riordan, Maeve (2021) 'Growing up in nineteenth-century Ireland: a cultural history of middle-class childhood and gender by Mary Hatfield, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2019, 279 pp., £60 (hardback), ISBN 9780198843429'. Cultural and Social History: The Journal of the Social History Society, [DOI] [Details]
	(2020)	'Monksgrange: portrait of an Irish house and family, 1769–1969. By Philip Bull,. Pp 269. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2019. €50' O'Riordan, Maeve (2020) 'Monksgrange: portrait of an Irish house and family, 1769–1969. By Philip Bull,. Pp 269. Dublin: Four Courts Press. 2019. €50'. Irish Historical Studies, [DOI] [Details]
	(2018)	'Titled Women and Voluntary War Work in Ireland during the First World War: a case study of Ethel, Lady Inchiquin' Maeve O'Riordan (2018) 'Titled Women and Voluntary War Work in Ireland during the First World War: a case study of Ethel, Lady Inchiquin'. Womens History Review, 27 (3: Irish women in):360-378   [Details]

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Published Reports

	Year	Publication
	(2016)	Enhancing student engagement in decision making. Tom Collins et al. (2016) Enhancing student engagement in decision making. HEA, Dublin.   [Details]
	(2016)	HEA National Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutions. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn et al. (2016) HEA National Review of Gender Equality in Irish Higher Education Institutions. HEA, Dublin.   [Details]

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Exhibition

	Year	Publication
	(2015)	Lives Less Ordinary: The Women of Airfield House. O'Riordan, Maeve (2015) Lives Less Ordinary: The Women of Airfield House. Exhibitions [Details]

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Journal Volume Edited

	Year	Publication
	(2021)	Women in Sport. Liston, Katie, Helena Byrne and Maeve O'Riordan (2021) Women in Sport. Journal Volume Edited   [Details]
	(2020)	Women's History Journal: Women and the Family in Ireland. Calvert, Leanne and O'Riordan, Maeve (2020) Women's History Journal: Women and the Family in Ireland. Journal Volume Edited   [Details]

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Web Page

	Year	Publication
	(2021)	The Big House and the War of Independence. O'Riordan, Maeve (2021) The Big House and the War of Independence. Web Page   [Details]

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Professional Activities

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Honours and Awards

	Year	Title	Awarding Body
	2022	Elected fellow Royal Historical Society	Royal Historical Society
	2021	UCC Returner's Scheme	UCC
	2019	CACSSS Impact Funding Scheme	UCC
	2020	Reconstituting the Irish Family Research Network (with Leanne Calvert)	Irish Research Council/ Economic and Social Research Council
	2018	Small Grants Award (with Dr Leanne Calvert, University of Hertfordshire)	Women's History Network
	2018	CACSS Research Support Fund	College of Arts Celtic Studies and Social Sciences
	2018	Research Support Fund	School of History, UCC
	2016	New Foundations Award	Irish Research Council
	2015	Anna Parnell Travel Prize	Women’s History Association of Ireland
	2015	Scheuerle-Zatlin International Travel Award	Nineteenth Century Studies Association
	2014	Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship	Irish Research Council
	2011	Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship	: Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences (Now Irish Research Council)
	2011	Michael Joseph McEnery Prize	School of History, UCC
	2010	School of History Tutorial Scholarship	School of History, UCC
	2004	College Scholar	University College Cork

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Professional Associations

	Association	Function	From / To
	Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Ireland	Executive Committee Member	01-JUL-19 /
	Irish Association of Professional Historians	Member	01-JAN-14 /
	Royal Historical Society	Fellow	06-MAY-22 /
	Women also know history	Listed Scholar	01-JAN-18 /
	Women's History Association	Book Reviews Editor	01-JUL-17 /

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Conference Contributions

	Year	Publication
	(2019)	WHN Women and the Family in Ireland, 1550-1950, O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) So one becomes an old maid': the position of the unmarried woman in elite families’, WHN Women and the Family in Ireland, 1550-1950. [Oral Presentation], WHN Women and the Family in Ireland, 1550-1950, University of Hertfordshire . [Details]
	(2019)	Secret societies and societies with secrets: Youghal History Conference, O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) Doneraile House and Elizabeth St.Leger, the first female Freemason. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], Secret societies and societies with secrets: Youghal History Conference, Youghal . [Details]
	(2019)	TCD, O'Riordan, Maeve (2019) ‘A woman's domain? women as employers in the nineteenth-century country house’. [Oral Presentation], TCD, Trinity College Dublin . [Details]
	(2018)	UCC History Seminar Series, O'Riordan, Maeve (2018) Women of the Irish Country House, 1860-1914. [Invited Lectures (Conference)], UCC History Seminar Series, UCC . [Details]
	(2018)	Economic and Social History Society of Ireland Annual Conference, O'Riordan, Maeve (2018) Guano, coral necklaces and French olives: the buying network of Mary, Viscountess Doneraile. [Oral Presentation], Economic and Social History Society of Ireland Annual Conference, QUB . [Details]
	(2018)	Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates Annual Conference, O'Riordan, Maeve (2018) Going in for Art’: Women as objects, consumers and practitioners of art in the Irish Country House, 1860-1914. [Oral Presentation], Centre for the Study of Historic Irish Houses and Estates Annual Conference, Maynooth University . [Details]
	(2016)	European University Association 11th European Quality Assurance Forum: Quality in context – embedding improvement, O'Riordan, Maeve (2016) Embedding Improvement through Student Engagement. [Oral Presentation], European University Association 11th European Quality Assurance Forum: Quality in context – embedding improvement, Ljubljana, Slovenia . [Details]

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Committees

	Committee	Function	From / To
	Mná UCC	Committee member	2021 /
	Academic Council	Committee member	2021 /
	Mná UCC	Founding member and Vice Chair Academic	2019 /
	Teaching and Learning Committee	Vice Chair	2018 /
	Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Ireland	Committee member	2018 / 2021
	Women's History Association of Ireland	Book Reviews Editor	2016 / 2018

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Employment

	Employer	Position	From / To
	Maynooth University	Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow	01-OCT-14 /
	UCC	Lecturer in Women's and Cultural History	18-MAR-18 /
	Irish Research Council	Programme Manager	10-JUL-17 / 18-MAR-18
	UCC	Lecturer/Coordinator, Women's Studies	01-SEP-16 / 09-JUL-17
	Higher Education Authority	Postdoctoral Fellow	01-APR-15 / 30-JUN-16
	UCC	Head Tutor/Hourly Lecturer	01-SEP-12 / 30-AUG-14
	UCC	Tutor/ hourly lecturer	01-OCT-09 / 20-AUG-12

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Education

	Year	Institution	Qualification	Subject
	2007	University College Cork	BA	History (major) History of Art (minor)
	2018	UCC	Digital Badge in Postgraduate Training	Postgraduate Training
	2018	Fistral Training	Introduction to project management	Project Management
	2019	UCC	Teaching & Learning in Higher Education Certificate	Teaching and Learning
	2019	Advance HE	Aurora Programme	Leadership
	2014	University College Cork	PhD	History

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Consultancy

	Client	Description
	Higher Education Authority	Consultant on Gender Equality Review

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Teaching Activities

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Teaching Interests

I teach a range of modules on women's and cultural history. 

I currently coordinate or co-coordinate the following:

• HI1012 Women in Europe since 1800
• Second-year core: Sex, Gender and Power in History
• HI2105 Case Study: Researching the Big House and its people
• HI3135 The Female Body and British Culture 1800-1918
• HI3001 Seminar: Women, Society and Class in Ireland, 1850 to 1980

I also teach on the following modules:

Postgraduate modules:

• MA Women’s Studies:  Women and Society 
• MA Local History 
• MA History: Public History 

Undergraduate modules:

• HI1115: Irish  History for International Students Women in Post-famine Ireland
• HI3001: Historical Debate Gender History

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Research Information

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External Collaborators

	Name	Organisation / Institute	Country
	Leanne Calvert	University of Hertfordshire	UNITED KINGDOM