View Full Version : Prostitutes in Irish Literature
Hi,
What prostitute characters have their been in Irish literature?
Thanks
Lucy Chambers
28-03-11, 00:11
Lola Montez is about the only famous non fictional one I can think of. If you want to get controversial, Mary Magdalene :)
carlos marvado
28-03-11, 00:20
Well you're really in luck here because this lady is revered in Dublin by the fans of the Dublin GAA teams and those of Leinster Rugby also and there's a nice statue to her at the bottom of Grafton Street and rumour has it that it was'nt only fish that she sold:
Irish Historical Mysteries: Molly Malone (http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/irhismys/molly.htm)
Molly Malone - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Malone)
carlos marvado
28-03-11, 00:24
Lola Montez, as mentioned by Lucy, was more along the lines of a courtesan or mistress:
Lola Montez - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Montez)
Carlos, you really are a legend you know that! (Well I guess you do!):)
Hands down you are the most suitable bloke to be on the TOBL committee.
Lucy Chambers
28-03-11, 00:37
Lola Montez, as mentioned by Lucy, was more along the lines of a courtesan or mistress:
Lola Montez - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_Montez)
So, can I be a courtesan please? Posh prozzies are so now :D
carlos marvado
28-03-11, 00:48
So, can I be a courtesan please? Posh prozzies are so now :D
Of course you can Lucy. You find yourself a fabulously wealthy admirer, he sets you up in a penthouse pad, gives you a stipend per month to enjoy life on, showers you with prezzies, expensive meals and takes you on exotic holidays.........and after a while you'll probably forget all your old friends here.
An important thing is to keep an diary as you will probably have to remind him when it's his wife's or children's birthdays. :D:D:D
A courtesan was different from your average street walker. She usually was a lady of some noble birth or the other, who due to some situation had fallen on hard times, but still having social connections was able to bater that for a sort of living which would but not necessarily included sexual encounters. It was a special place between being a wife and a mistress(not the domination kind). With the freedom not customarily enjoyed by either. Usually these women were quite well educated, witty, and shrewd business women.
Hi,
What prostitute characters have their been in Irish literature?
Thanks
Can't remember the name but there was a prostitute in Sean O'Caseys "The Plough and the Stars".....little bit o culture for youse!
Peter-Dublin
29-03-11, 18:29
Can't remember the name but there was a prostitute in Sean O'Caseys "The Plough and the Stars".....little bit o culture for youse!
Her name was Rosie Redmond, and O'Casey gave her a very sympathetic treatment; she got to make a speech defending her profession and giving out to the hypocrites that criticised her.
There is a large section of James Joyce's Ulysses set in a brothel in "Monto".
sweethomes
29-03-11, 19:26
Laura Bell
in "From whoredom to evangelism " , by J.F.Burns
Laura Bell - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Bell)
Her name was Rosie Redmond, and O'Casey gave her a very sympathetic treatment; she got to make a speech defending her profession and giving out to the hypocrites that criticised her.
There is a large section of James Joyce's Ulysses set in a brothel in "Monto".
Ahh Sweet Rosie.....saw the production in the Abbey last year and could kinda understand why there were riots when is was first produced. How times have changed.
Quarterpoundher
30-03-11, 03:42
Sometimes it pays for the escort to invest in the client.... big time
Tombstone, Arizona - Painted Ladies (http://www.jcs-group.com/oldwest/tombstone/ladies.html)
"One prostitute, Irish Mag, was much more fortunate than most of the Tombstone ladies of joy. While entertaining a customer one night, she was quite surprised when the man unexpectedly asked her to grubstake him so he could go prospecting.
Mag had never seen the man before, but on an impulse she dug into her meager savings to loan him the money. The prospector took the money and left neglecting to pay for her favors. She berated herself for some time for lending money to a complete stranger. After awhile she decided that the money was gone and that was that.
Several months passed and one day the stranger returned. Mag was stunned when he told her that he had struck it rich and that a half million dollars now rested in Wells Fargo, deposited in her name. Irish Mag quit the business, took her money and returned to Belfast, Ireland to live respectably the rest of her life."
carlos marvado
30-03-11, 09:56
Sometimes it pays for the escort to invest in the client.... big time
Tombstone, Arizona - Painted Ladies (http://www.jcs-group.com/oldwest/tombstone/ladies.html)
"One prostitute, Irish Mag, was much more fortunate than most of the Tombstone ladies of joy. While entertaining a customer one night, she was quite surprised when the man unexpectedly asked her to grubstake him so he could go prospecting.
Mag had never seen the man before, but on an impulse she dug into her meager savings to loan him the money. The prospector took the money and left neglecting to pay for her favors. She berated herself for some time for lending money to a complete stranger. After awhile she decided that the money was gone and that was that.
Several months passed and one day the stranger returned. Mag was stunned when he told her that he had struck it rich and that a half million dollars now rested in Wells Fargo, deposited in her name. Irish Mag quit the business, took her money and returned to Belfast, Ireland to live respectably the rest of her life."
That's a great story Qph. Back in the days when I was out and about on the town, I always tried a similar strategy. I used to produce my lottery ticket and ask the ladies if they would care to go into partnership with me on the basis of sexual favours for a 50/50 split of anything I might win. I never won a life changing amount of money.......but God bless the national lottery anyway. :D:D:D