A fascinating account of an aspect of the diaspora that is rarely given attention . . . Farrell and McCormick have created a captivating account of lives previously ignored * Sunday Independent *
This book not only shows Farrell and McCormick's dedication to original historical research, but also their respect for the women they studied as complex individuals who were often placed in difficult situations. * RTE Culture Guide *
An important, impeccably researched though eminently readable book that charts new territory . . . this could yet be the book of 2023 -- Clodagh Finn * Irish Examiner *
Fascinating * Irish Times *
I just loved it . . . this is a book that will enrich any bookshelf around the country -- Ryan Tubridy
The emigration story we mostly tell ourselves is a bright, shiny one to which
Bad Bridget now adds invaluable corrective shading. Its haul of previously underused primary source material will ... allow us to tell it with more nuance and complexity, and truth. -- Vona Groarke * Irish Times *
'
Bad Bridget is rich in detail and thorough in research. By giving a voice to these Irish women history has neglected, Farrell and McCormick disrupt the romanticised narrative of Irish immigration to North America that is prominent in popular culture today.' -- Christina Bishop * New Statesman *
A lively, entertaining, if also at times incredibly sobering read, Bad Bridget provides a richly evocative account of the experiences of Irish female emigrants who found themselves on the wrong side of the law in nineteenth-century North America.
Bad Bridget deftly handles its archival material to create a remarkably accessible social history.
... this is a valuable work of social history that offers a vibrant reconstruction of a familiar terrain - Irish immigration to North America - from a fresh and enlightening perspective, that of Irish female criminals.
-- Christina Morin * Women's History Association of Ireland *
At the heart of this riveting book, though, there are insightful glimpses into the lives of Irish women who were criminalised for trying to survive. -- Caelainn Hogan * Irish Independent *