Ireland’s Hidden Diaspora: the ‘abortion
trail’ and the making of a London-Irish underground, 1980-2000, By Ann
Rossiter
published by IASC Publishing House.
'Every year, approximately 5,000 women from the Republic
of Ireland and 1,500 from Northern Ireland cross the Irish Sea to have an
abortion in a British clinic. They come and go in secret, like women ‘on
the run’, bearing a terrible burden of shame for two societies in denial.
In fact, much pride is taken in the island being seen as a
‘pro-life’ sort of place. We have been constantly reminded over
recent years that Ireland has changed, changed utterly, since the establishment
of the Peace Agreement in the North, and the emergence of the Celtic Tiger in
the Republic. But, when it comes to the right of a woman to choose, it is a
place that is still in the dark ages, north and south of the Border.
This book is not an account of the experience of abortion
seekers by the women themselves – we still wait to hear them speak out in
their own names. However, an equally important part of this hidden story is
told here by London-Irish women who supported many such individuals before,
during, and after their lonely, and often frightening journey ‘across the
water’. It is also a record of their campaigns for a change in the law in
both parts of the island. The supporters and campaigners were members of the
Irish Women’s Abortion Support Group (IWASG) and the Irish Abortion
Solidarity Campaign (Iasc). The book is a testament to their tireless work,
over a twenty year period from the early 1980s, much of which was conducted
undercover. In offering new first-hand evidence of such activities, this oral
history presents a vivid and timely contribution to debates about the Irish
feminist movement in Britain in the late twentieth century.'
The cover price is £8 and orders could be placed by
sending an email to [log in to unmask].
Ann Rossiter, a long-standing Irish feminist who has been
involved in IWASG and Iasc for many years, is from Bruree, Co. Limerick and has
lived in London for nearly half a century. She has also been an activist in
feminist groups concerned with women and the Irish National Question, such as
Women and Ireland and the London Armagh Group. The latter was set up to oppose
the treatment of republican women prisoners, in particular the practice of
strip searching. She has written a number of articles and essays on these
subjects and holds a doctorate in the history of the encounter between English
and Irish feminism during the years of 'the Troubles'. She taught Irish
Studies for over a decade at various institutions, including Kilburn Polytechnic
(now the College of North West London), Birkbeck, London Metropolitan, and
Luton universities.
Joanne O'Brien
Photography
++44 (0) 207 4857308 landline
++44 (0) 7973 326942 mobile
www.joanneobrien.co.uk