ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to examine the imprisonment of female republicans in Armagh prison during the “Troubles” in Northern Ireland. It sheds light on their living conditions and strip searches which were carried out on a regular basis. It also considers the issues raised by the republican women’s family obligations and highlights how incarceration impacted their lives after imprisonment. It analyses the consequences of incarceration in their lives. This study is particularly illustrated by the testimony of a priest, Raymond Murray, chaplain at Armagh prison, who was present daily with the women and who recounted the events he witnessed. It is also based on out-of-print documents and journals, as well as interviews with former activists. The imprisonment of republican prisoners highlights the political situation in Northern Ireland at the time of the “Troubles” and on the role that women played, both in prison and in their neighbourhoods in everyday life.

Keywords: Northern Ireland; resistance; female imprisonment; strip searches; human rights; oppression

How to cite: Tosser, R. (2023). “Female Republican Prisoners during the ‘Troubles’ 1968‒1998 in Northern Ireland: The Women’s War,” Journal of Research in Gender Studies 13(1): 81–119. doi: 10.22381/JRGS13120236.

Received 24 August 2022 • Received in revised form 26 August 2023
Accepted 29 August 2023 • Available online 30 September 2023