Conclusion

Abstract

Belfast in the first two decades of the twentieth century was perhaps the most ‘industrialised’ city in the British empire. Its mix of industries, giving employment to both men and women, created high levels of employment. A larger proportion of Belfast’s population was employed, in non-white collar jobs, than in such centres as Glasgow or Newcastle. Women formed a major element of the labour force employed in the manufacturing sector rather the domestic service.¹ Yet Belfast was an Irish city, located in a region normally presented as under-industrialised or even rural in character. In an attempt to explain this anomaly it has often been stated that Belfast was ‘different’ simply a deviation from the Irish ‘norm’. Certainly if compared to Dublin, and if Dublin is accepted as typical of Irish urban conditions, Belfast was very different indeed. However, was Dublin really a suitable comparison for the industrial city on the banks of the Lagan?