The Workhouse System in Ireland

This free talk provides historical context for the current Downpatrick Workhouse exhibition in Down County Museum.

It explains how and why workhouses were introduced to Ireland, what life was like in the workhouse and how the system faced the crisis of the Great Famine in the late 1840s. The people running the workhouses will be introduced along with stories of the people forced to turn to the workhouse as a last resort.

Dr Robyn Atcheson is a social historian who specialises in workhouses in the nineteenth century. Robyn teaches at Queen's University Belfast as well as running tours and events on medical history and women's history. She is currently working on a project to commemorate the burial ground of the Belfast workhouse and researching workhouses across Ulster.

Also check out other Exhibitions in Downpatrick.