This book examines the provision of poor relief in Ireland from the immediate aftermath of the
Famine in the mid-nineteenth century to the onset of the Great War in 1914 by which time the
Poor Law had been replaced by a range of other policy measures such as the old-age pension and
national insurance. The study establishes an empirical basis for studying poor relief in this
period analysing over time the provision of indoor and outdoor relief and expenditure levels
and charts regional variations in the provision of poor relief. The author goes on to examine a
number of issues that highlight political and social class struggles in relation to the
provision of poor relief and also considers in fascinating detail the broader role of the Poor
Law and the Boards of Guardians within local communities.
