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History and Philosophy

Dr Shannon Devlin

BA, MA, PhD

Contact Details

Lecturer - Contract Type A
School of History and Philosophy
University of Galway
E: shannon.devlin@universityofgalway.ie
 
researcher
 

Biography

I'm a social and gender historian of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Ireland. My research interests lie in the Irish family, particularly the often-overlooked sibling relationship. Taking a horizontal approach, my research uses innovative genealogical methodology to explore the gendered expectations placed on brothers and sisters in middle-class Irish society. My first monograph, entitled Siblinghood and Sociability in Nineteenth-Century Ulster, is due to be published in January 2025. This book explores how family shapes personal identity and social networking. More broadly, I'm interested in Irish sexuality, failed courtship, friendship, social networking, and the role of family in the Irish diaspora. My next project hopes to explore attitudes to consensual incest and cousin relationships in nineteenth-century Ireland. 

I completed my PhD at Queen's University Belfast in 2020 and was a Balch Fellow at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in 2022. I convene the 'Lifecycles, Families, and Communities' strand of the Social History Society and I am an Executive Member of the Women's History Association of Ireland.

Peer Reviewed Journals

  Year Publication
(2024) 'Fraternal friendships: brotherhood, leisure, and socialising in nineteenth-century Ireland'
Devlin, Shannon (2024) 'Fraternal friendships: brotherhood, leisure, and socialising in nineteenth-century Ireland'. Cultural And Social History, [Details]
(2022) '`The role of the governess in nineteenth-century Ulster households¿'
Devlin, Shannon (2022) '`The role of the governess in nineteenth-century Ulster households¿'. Womens History Review, 31 (5):826-847 [DOI] [Details]

Books

  Year Publication
(2025) Siblinghood and Sociability in Nineteenth-Century Ulster.
Shannon Devlin (2025) Siblinghood and Sociability in Nineteenth-Century Ulster. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. [Details]

Book Chapters

  Year Publication
(2021) 'Hope for happier days¿: happiness in the letters between siblings in nineteenth-century middle-class Ulster families¿'
Shannon Devlin (2021) 'Hope for happier days¿: happiness in the letters between siblings in nineteenth-century middle-class Ulster families¿' In: Happiness in Nineteenth-Century Ireland. :141-158 Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. [Details]

Other Journals

  Year Publication
(2024) '`Glad to the heart to see any of my brothers¿: exploring Irish family life through sibling relationships'
Shannon Devlin (2024) '`Glad to the heart to see any of my brothers¿: exploring Irish family life through sibling relationships' The History of the Family, 29 (1) :38-61. [DOI] [Details]

Article

  Year Publication
(2024) BBC History Magazine: Antrim Castle.
Devlin, Shannon (2024) BBC History Magazine: Antrim Castle. Article [Details]

Blog

  Year Publication
(2022) Queens¿ First Women.
Devlin, Shannon (2022) Queens¿ First Women. Blog [Details]

Electronic Source

  Year Publication
(2022) Documents from the Trial of the ¿Islandmagee Witches¿ at Carrickfergus Assizes, County Antrim, Ireland, 1711.
Sneddon, Andrew; Devlin, Shannon (2022) Documents from the Trial of the ¿Islandmagee Witches¿ at Carrickfergus Assizes, County Antrim, Ireland, 1711. Electronic Source [Details]

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2022 Balch Fellowship in Immigration and Ethnic History The Historical Society of Pennsylvania

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Social History Society Member 01-SEP-22 /
Royal Historical Society ECR Member 01-MAY-21 /
Irish Association of Professional Historians Member 01-SEP-21 /
Society for the Study of Nineteenth Century Ireland Member 01-SEP-19 /
Women's History Association of Ireland Member 01-OCT-16 /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Women's History Association of Ireland Executive Committee Member 01-JAN-24 /
Social History Society: Lifecycles, Families & Communities Strand Convenor 01-SEP-22 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
Ulster University Lecturer in Irish Gender History 01-SEP-22 / 01-SEP-24

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2021 Queen's University Belfast PhD History

Teaching Interests

My teaching interests lie in modern Irish social and cultural history, rural and urban Ireland, Irish migration, the history of the family, gender and family politics in nineteenth-century Ireland and Britain. 

I currently convene and teach on:
HI2160 - Ireland Since Independence
HI3197 - The Irish Family (Topics in Irish History)
HI3198 - Gender, Sexuality, and Society in Ireland, 1780-1922 (Themes in Irish History)