Dr. Conor Reidy is a specialist in Irish penal and criminal history. He holds a BA in History and Political Studies and Sociology from NUI Galway. He also holds a Higher Diploma in Education from UCD and an MA in History (taught) from the University of Limerick. In 2007 he was awarded a Ph.D in History from the University of Limerick. His thesis was titled Becoming ‘a useful member of society’: an analysis of policy approaches and treatment of the young offender in the borstal system in Ireland, Clonmel 1906-1956.

 

He has lectured at the University of Limerick on family history, Australian history, the history of education, and Irish history. He has held a lectureship at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick teaching modern Irish and European history. Between 2006 and 2014 he worked as a distance learning tutor on the Oscail programme at Dublin City University. From July 2015 to August 2016 he worked as a Senior Historical Researcher with the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes in Ireland. Between 2013 and 2016 he served as Secretary of the Women’s History Association of Ireland. He has also written and researched a number of memoirs and genealogies for private clients. In 2017, Conor founded Silverview Editing, a freelance copy-editing, proofreading and indexing business.

In 2009 his first monograph, Ireland’s ‘moral hospital’: the Irish borstal system 1906-1956 was published by Irish Academic Press. This was followed in 2014 by Criminal Irish Drunkards: the inebriate reformatory system 1900-1920 (The History Press Ireland, 2014). His third book, Mutiny or Murder: the Bloodsoaked Voyage of the Chapman Convict Ship was published by The History Press in 2018. He has also contributed chapters to several edited volumes on gender history. His work has been published on The Journal.ie, History Ireland, and Ireland’s Own. He has been interviewed by or contributed to multiple radio programmes on RTE Radio One, Newstalk, Tipp FM and Clare FM, and on TG4 (Irish language television).