Women and Music in Nineteenth-Century Dublin

The nineteenth century saw Dublin begin to develop as a musical city, with women involved in increasing numbers. Because music was a field that allowed women to seek employment and defy the social norms of the time, it was an appealing profession and a means of making a good salary. One of the reasons women managed to gain a level of equality in Dublin was that at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Dublin lacked an adequate system of music education. With the opening of the RIAM, the community was eager to create a center of music similar to the established institutions in England and Europe, and the school employed anyone, male or female, who could aid in the success of that venture.