Banned: The Hidden History of Contraception in Ireland (Listener Favourite)

Irish History Podcast

Fin Dwyer

Ireland, Irish History, Norman Invasion, Great Hunger, Vikings, Interviews, History, War Of Independence, Great Famine

4.7 • 1.6K Ratings

🗓️ 25 June 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

While we’re on the last week of our summer break, we’re bringing you one of our most popular episodes from the back catalogue.

For over four decades, contraception was not just taboo in Ireland—it was illegal. From 1935 to 1979, selling contraceptives and even accessing information about family planning was strictly banned by the Irish government. These laws reshaped daily life, leaving couples unable to plan their families and forcing many to navigate relationships under the shadow of fear and uncertainty.

In this episode, I talk to Dr. Laura Kelly from the University of Strathclyde, a leading authority on the history of contraception in Ireland. Laura reveals the origins of these bans, the motivations behind them, and the lasting consequences for Irish society.

Next week, I return with the fascinating history exploring why Ireland institutionalised over 1% of its population in psychiatric hospitals and mental asylums.

Find out more about Laura’s research and publications here.

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Transcript

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0:29.9	Hi, we're Jessie and Lenny from our podcast Table Manners and we're currently sponsored by Netflix.
0:34.6	We love Netflix, don't we, mum?
0:35.9	Of course, darling. And this year, Netflix has released some fascinating real stories. That's right. This month, Netflix are releasing a new
0:42.2	feature-length documentary, Gremfell Uncovered. It's from the award-winning team who created
0:47.2	Stephen the murder that changed a nation. And this documentary takes you through what happened
0:51.8	on the 14th of June 2017.
0:58.5	It shines a light on the failings and how 72 lives could have been saved.
1:01.8	Gremfeld uncovered is on Netflix from the 20th of June.
1:10.6	Hey folks, it's Finn. The show is on a summer break at the moment.
1:12.8	There was no new episode last week or the week before.
1:15.1	And this week I have a classic replay,
1:17.3	which is an old episode originally released in 2022,
1:20.8	but is one of my favorites.
1:22.3	It looks at the history of contraception in Ireland
1:24.6	and tries to explain why it was banned for so long in the 20th century.
1:28.8	My guest is Dr. Laura Kelly and her interview is absolutely fascinating.
1:33.4	I think you'll find a both interesting and bewildering in equal measure because life in Ireland
1:39.1	has changed so much since the mid to the late 20th century when a lot of what Laura is talking about took
	...

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