ABSTRACT
Ireland was one of the English empire’s first and nearest colonies; Irish immigrants have settled in England and contributed to English society in a number of ways for over two hundred years; Northern Ireland is directly ruled from Westminster and the possibility of a peaceful future there is a central concern of both the English and Irish governments at present. The colonized in Ireland were largely white and, unlike most colonies, Ireland is located geographically within Western Europe. Irish people are currently the largest ethnic minority group in England. In view of these facts, how can Irish affairs and Irish women’s experiences not be relevant to understanding Englishness, English affairs and English feminisms?
