Monto
Encyclopedia
Monto was the nickname for a one-time notorious red light district
in Dublin, the capital of Ireland
(roughly the area bounded by Talbot Street
, Amiens Street, Gardiner Street
and Seán McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street)). The name is derived from Montgomery Street (now called Foley Street), which runs parallel to the lower end of Talbot Street towards what is now Connolly Station. It was immortalised as "Nighttown" in the "Circe" chapter of James Joyce
's famous work, Ulysses
, where the central protagonists Leopold Bloom
and Stephen Dedalus
together visit a brothel.
In its heyday from the 1860s - 1900s, there were anything up to 1,600 prostitutes working there at any one time, with all classes of customers catered for. It was reputed to be the biggest red light district in Europe. Its financial viability aided by the number of British Army barracks and hence soldiers in the city, notably the Royal Barracks (later Collins Barracks and now one of the locations of Ireland's National Museum).
Monto was also a hive of IRA
activity, particularly around the time of the war of independence
, with several safe houses for the flying column
s which included Phil Shanahan
's public house.
The then Prince of Wales
, Prince Albert Edward
(later King Edward VII), according to popular legend, lost his virginity there. In the 1880s the Prince, accompanied by his wife Alexandra
and their son Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence strolled unrecognised through the area, having slipped away from their bodyguards and walked through Dublin.
Between 1923 and 1925, missions led by Frank Duff
of the Legion of Mary
, a Roman Catholic organisation, and Fr. R.S. Devane worked to close down the brothels. They received the co-operation of Dublin Police Commissioner, General William Murphy, and the campaign ended with 120 arrests and the closure of the brothels following a police raid on 12 March 1925, its financial viability having already been seriously undermined by the withdrawal of soldiers from the city following the Anglo-Irish Treaty
(December 1921) and the establishment of the Irish Free State
(6 December 1922).
There is also an Irish folk song
, Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
, written by George Desmond Hodnett
and popularised by The Dubliners
. Monto is also twice mentioned in the Irish folk song Waxies' Dargle
.
Red Light District
Red Light District may refer to:* Red-light district - a neighborhood where prostitution is common* The Red Light District - the title of the 2004 album by rapper Ludacris* Red Light District Video - a pornography studio based in Los Angeles, California...
in Dublin, the capital of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(roughly the area bounded by Talbot Street
Talbot Street
Talbot Street is a city-centre street located on Dublin's Northside and is one of the principal shopping streets of Dublin, running from Connolly station and the IFSC at Amiens Street in the east to Marlborough Street in the west. The street is named after Charles Chetwynd, 3rd Earl of Talbot,...
, Amiens Street, Gardiner Street
Gardiner Street
Gardiner Street is in Dublin, Ireland and stretches from the River Liffey at its southern end via Mountjoy Square to Dorset Street at its northern end...
and Seán McDermott Street (formerly Gloucester Street)). The name is derived from Montgomery Street (now called Foley Street), which runs parallel to the lower end of Talbot Street towards what is now Connolly Station. It was immortalised as "Nighttown" in the "Circe" chapter of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
's famous work, Ulysses
Ulysses (novel)
Ulysses is a novel by the Irish author James Joyce. It was first serialised in parts in the American journal The Little Review from March 1918 to December 1920, and then published in its entirety by Sylvia Beach on 2 February 1922, in Paris. One of the most important works of Modernist literature,...
, where the central protagonists Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom
Leopold Bloom is the fictional protagonist and hero of James Joyce's Ulysses. His peregrinations and encounters in Dublin on 16 June 1904 mirror, on a more mundane and intimate scale, those of Ulysses/Odysseus in The Odyssey....
and Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus
Stephen Dedalus is James Joyce's literary alter ego, appearing as the protagonist and antihero of his first, semi-autobiographical novel of artistic existence A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and an important character in Joyce's Ulysses...
together visit a brothel.
In its heyday from the 1860s - 1900s, there were anything up to 1,600 prostitutes working there at any one time, with all classes of customers catered for. It was reputed to be the biggest red light district in Europe. Its financial viability aided by the number of British Army barracks and hence soldiers in the city, notably the Royal Barracks (later Collins Barracks and now one of the locations of Ireland's National Museum).
Monto was also a hive of IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
activity, particularly around the time of the war of independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
, with several safe houses for the flying column
Flying column
A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ad hoc unit, formed during the course of operations....
s which included Phil Shanahan
Philip Shanahan
Philip Shanahan was an Irish Sinn Féin politician, who was elected to the United Kingdom House of Commons in 1918 and served as a Teachta Dála in Dáil Éireann from 1919 to 1922....
's public house.
The then Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, Prince Albert Edward
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
(later King Edward VII), according to popular legend, lost his virginity there. In the 1880s the Prince, accompanied by his wife Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...
and their son Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence strolled unrecognised through the area, having slipped away from their bodyguards and walked through Dublin.
Between 1923 and 1925, missions led by Frank Duff
Frank Duff (religious worker)
Servant of God Francis Michael "Frank" Duff was a native of Dublin, Ireland, the eldest child of a wealthy family. He is best known for bringing attention to the role of the laity during the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church, and for founding the Legion of Mary.-Early life:Frank...
of the Legion of Mary
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is an association of Catholic laity who serve the Church on a voluntary basis. It was founded in Dublin, Ireland, as a Roman Catholic Marian Movement by layman Frank Duff. Today between active and auxiliary members there are in excess of 10 million members worldwide making it...
, a Roman Catholic organisation, and Fr. R.S. Devane worked to close down the brothels. They received the co-operation of Dublin Police Commissioner, General William Murphy, and the campaign ended with 120 arrests and the closure of the brothels following a police raid on 12 March 1925, its financial viability having already been seriously undermined by the withdrawal of soldiers from the city following the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
(December 1921) and the establishment of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
(6 December 1922).
There is also an Irish folk song
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Monto (Take Her Up To Monto)
Monto is an Irish folk song, written by George Desmond Hodnett, music critic of the Irish Times, and popularised by the Dubliners.-Lyrics:Well, if you've got a wing-o, Take her up to Ring-o...
, written by George Desmond Hodnett
George Desmond Hodnett
George Desmond "Hoddy" Hodnett was an Irish musician, song-writer and long-time jazz and popular music critic for the Irish Times.-Life:...
and popularised by The Dubliners
The Dubliners
The Dubliners are an Irish folk band founded in 1962.-Formation and history:The Dubliners, initially known as "The Ronnie Drew Ballad Group", formed in 1962 and made a name for themselves playing regularly in O'Donoghue's Pub in Dublin...
. Monto is also twice mentioned in the Irish folk song Waxies' Dargle
Waxies' Dargle
"The Waxies' Dargle" is a traditional Irish folk song about two Dublin "aul' wans" discussing how to find money to go on an excursion. It is named after an annual outing to Ringsend, near Dublin city, by Dublin cobblers...
.
Further reading
- Story of Monto (Mercier mini book) by John Finegan (Author), Mercier Press (Feb 1978) ISBN 0853425159
- Monto: Madams, Murder and Black Coddle by Terry Fagan and the North Inner City Folklore Project (2000)
- Sex in the City: The Prostitution Racket in Ireland by Paul Reynolds (Author), Pan (7 Nov 2003) ISBN 978-0717136889
- Prostitution and Irish Society, 1800-1940 by Maria Luddy, Cambridge University Press (Nov 2007) ISBN 978-0521709057
External links
- Madams and Murder
- The miracle of Monto? A chequered history, from prostitution to pilgrimages
- Dublin Folklore - Monto Stories from Dublin, James Joyce, Night Town,Ireland Researched by Terry Fagan, historian and tour guide.
- Montgomery Street , Dublin (Irish Place and Street Names)
- Dublin brothel faces bulldozer (2003)
- "Abandoned Women and Bad Characters": prostitution in nineteenth-century Ireland by Maria LUDDY, Journal Article (1997) (PDF)
- An Outcast Community: the "wrens" of the Curragh by Maria LUDDY, Journal Article (1992) (PDF)