Filthy Queens: Women in Dublin’s Brewing Trade

In this episode, Dr Christina Wade will speak to presenter Ciarán Murray about the history of women and beer alongside some of the biggest events in the story of Ireland.

Dr Wade will provide some fascinating stories of an 18th-century courtesan who had a wicked streak of beer snobbery, and of medieval brewing women who defied regulations to make ale their own way. She will tell the audience about the hidden histories of brewing women.

Dr Christina Wade is a multi-award-winning author, historian, podcaster, and speaker who has travelled around Ireland, UK, and Europe sharing tales of ale. A BJCP Certified Beer Judge, she teaches people about beer history on her blog and substack Braciatrix. Presenting at festivals like Electric Picnic, speaking on shows like Newstalk, and writing for publications like BEER Magazine, she combines folklore, history, and modern beer, to tell the story of Ireland and the UK. She has written two books on this topic, The Devil in the Draught Lines: 1,000 Years of Women in Britain’s Beer History (2024) and Filthy Queens: A History of Beer in Ireland (2025). She received her doctorate in History from Trinity College Dublin in 2017.

This talk will be subsequently broadcast on Near FM. You can listen to Near FM online www.nearfm.ie/livestream or on 90.3FM.

Performances by An Góilín Traditional Singing Club.

These events and subsequent radio series are supported by Coimisiún na Meán with the Television licence fee.

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Host or Publisher Trinity College Dublin; Centre for Contemporary Irish History, Trinity College Dublin; The Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute, Trinity College Dublin; Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.