The Legend of Lady Betty: Ireland's Executioner

Imagine an executioner. Are they big, strong, cloaked and masked? Are they male? Probably - because most executioners in history have been. Today, though, we're meeting a woman who broke the mould.

Journalist and writer Clodagh Finn joins Kate to explore the life of Lady Betty, the Irish executioner of the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as some other Irish women who have defied the boundaries of their gender for obscure reasons.

Clodagh writes ‘An Irish Woman’s Diary’ for the Irish Examiner and has authored a number of books including ‘Through Her Eyes: A New History of Ireland in 21 Women’.

This episode was edited by Tom Delargy. The producer was Sophie Gee. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

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