Updated edition with many more biographies and a new introduction by the author.

Spies, snipers, couriers, gun-runners, medics, women played a major role in the fight for Ireland's freedom, risking loss of life and family for a cause to which they were totally committed.

This book highlights a time when vast numbers of Irish women were politicised and imprisoned for their beliefs, with a special emphasis on one prison, Kilmainham Gaol. They came from every class in society and all walks of life: titled ladies and shop assistants, doctors, housewives, laundry workers, artists and teachers. Some were married with children, others widowed and some mere schoolchildren.

These are hidden stories that vividly recreate the characters, personalities and courage of Ireland's revolutionary women.

absolutely riveting

impressive contribution to the decade of centenaries … a fine book and a very worthwhile counterweight to the overwhelmingly male view of the Rising and War of Independence that still prevails

An outstanding book, painstakingly researched, accessibly structured and beautifully presented ... This is a book about who we are, peopled by familiar faces. Its pages are friends. Yes, it is a monument of sorts; certainly a tribute and a rich resource. More than anything, it is a great story waiting too long to be told.

This book is important to the study of the period and to the hidden history of women in Ireland

a remarkable book

'What amazed me was the extraordinary bravery of the women, which would never have been recorded had it not been for this book'