ABSTRACT
Traditionally, honour was deemed a masculine concept. Honour codes were meant to protect men’s individual reputations for honesty, fairness, courage, and loyalty. By the beginning of the twentieth century, honour had also been nationalised. Men were responsible for ensuring the masculine reputation of the nation. In Ireland, many considered the nation to be less than honourable. British colonisation had reduced the once proud ancient Irish nation to its current shameful and dejected state. This chapter examines how and why Irish women felt justified in appropriating men’s duty to reverse the shame of colonisation. Patriotic Irish women adopted two approaches. On the one hand, they attempted to inspire their menfolk to actively fight for Ireland’s liberty and therefore its honour. On the other hand, they were openly hostile towards Irish feminists who colluded with the source of Ireland’s shame, Britain, in their attempt to gain voting rights in a British parliament. The chapter investigates how women deployed shame in the quest to restore national honour.
