Edition Bobbett2. Speeches and statements by Elizabeth F. Bobbett

1938 Knockananna, Meeting of the Irish Farmers’ Federation

Source: Wicklow People, 21.05.1938

Miss Bobbett, in a very instructive and lengthy address, dwelt on organisation amongst the farmers in every district and county. Why should the farmers be prevented from organising in their own interest? said Miss Bobbett. The teachers organised and fought for their own interests, and surely they were as much divided in political outlook as farmers were. The two big political parties were now combined, and it was up to the smaller sections of the people to unite in order to get fair play. In the short time that the Federation had been established it had justified its cause and there was no reason why farmers should not join in. She appealed to the farmers of every district to give over their fireside grousing, come out and let the country see they were alive and not ashamed or afraid of their neighbour to demand their rights. They had all made sacrifices in the last six years, and it was about time they came to the fore and put forward their claims for the losses they had sustained. If the men have not the courage to fight, said Miss Bobbett, the women will have to do it (renewed applause).

About the digital edition

This volume of Elizabeth F. Bobbett’s writings and speeches is divided into four parts. The first section comprises 321 texts written by her. The second part contains 150 speeches and statements by Bobbett, most of which were published in newspapers. Part 3 contains 727 texts written about Bobbett by contemporaries of her or addressed to her. Finally, Part 4 is a collection of 50 source texts that are important for understanding Elizabeth F. Bobbett’s activism. Parts 3 and 4 will be made available online in March 2027.

Suggested citation

Elizabeth Bobbett: Speech in Knockananna, Meeting of the Irish Farmers’ Federation, 1938, in: Peter Moser (ed.), In her own Words. The Writings of Elizabeth F. Bobbett (1898-1971). Farmer, Feminist and Public Figure, Bern, 2026, https://www.histoirerurale.ch/editions/pages/bobbett/1938-05-21-291.html, consulted on .

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