NEW work from researchers at the University of Limerick sheds fresh light on attitudes towards the treatment of women and native Irish speakers, as well as the use of the Irish language, in the Irish Free State courts between 1922 and 1932.
Led by historian Dr Helene Haak and Irish scholar Dr Sorcha de Brún, ‘Tá Bean in Éirinn’: Violence against women, the Irish language, and justice in the early years of the Irish Free State: A National Archive Research Project reveals the stories of real Irish women who were involved in violent crimes, and how the Irish language impacted their pursuit for justice in the courts.
The research, which centres on criminal cases from the West of Ireland heard in the circuit courts and Central Criminal Court, focuses on an aspect of modern Irish history and Irish studies that has to date remained under researched.
Dr Haak and Dr de Brún explored the context and circumstances where Irish was used by both victims and defendants in the Irish Free State courts and examined how witness testimonies in Irish described and detailed violence and abuse against women and girls.
Their research reveals how the use of Irish by witnesses in the Irish Free State courts was problematic. Issues such as language comprehension on the side of the court room officials, as well as irregularities with the use of Irish in official court documents, resulted in barriers to the execution of justice for those involved in the cases.