This week: The Igoe Gang's pursuit of Michael Collins; The Gaynor sisters' legacy of compassion and care in 19th-century Ireland; and the mysterious case of the Victorian female detective

The Igoe Gang: The Secret War In Dublin 1920-21

There is a very well-known photograph from the War of Independence. It's obviously black and white and depicts a group of eight men in an alleyway. Five are wearing cloth caps, three are sporting hats. Three have cigarettes dangling from their lips. Whoever they are, the one emotion they inspire is relief that you never met any of them in that, or any other alleyway.

For years they were assumed to be members of the legendary but possibly fictional Cairo Gang, some of whom were assassinated by agents of Michael Collins on Blood Sunday, 21 November 1921.

More recently, it’s been suggested that they are members of an equally sinister law enforcement group, the Igoe Gang, RIC undercover policemen who roamed the streets of Dublin during the Anglo Irish War. However, who knows, they could all be members of a male voice choir pretending to be tough and dangerous.

But what exactly was the Igoe Gang? Who was Igoe, and what function did this group of policemen perform in the waning years of British rule?

Here to tell us more is Ultan Courtney, author of The Igoe Gang:The Secret War in Dublin 1920-1921.

Compassion and Care in 19th-Century Dublin

In 19th-century Dublin, sisters Sarah Atkinson and Anna Gaynor devoted their lives to helping the most vulnerable. Though they followed different paths, each made a lasting contribution to the city.

Sarah Atkinson, a writer and social reformer, worked to improve conditions for women and children living in poverty, and supported access to education and healthcare in Dublin.

Her sister Anna - later known as Sister Mary John of the Religious Sisters of Charity - helped establish compassionate end-of-life care at Our Lady's Hospice in Harold’s Cross, becoming a leading figure in the development of this new model of care.

In this report, Ian Kenneally speaks to Sister Catherine Maguire and historian Gearóid O’Brien about the lives and legacies of the Gaynor sisters.

The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective

Early Victorian Britain didn't have a lot of time for detectives. They were busybodies, who should have been out trying to prevent crime - rather than locking the stable door after the horse had bolted, by asking a lot of impertinent questions of decent citizens. That was the perception at least.

It took until the mid to late Victorian period for this attitude to change, and it wasn’t helped by the farcical performance of Scotland Yard in the notorious case of the Whitechapel murders.

However, one thing we could be certain of, beloved, tolerated or loathed, the Victorian detective was always male. Until he wasn’t. Across Britain and Ireland, hundreds of women detectives went to work in the 19th century. Some were employed by the police, others ran private agencies of their own. They investigated thefts and robberies, took part in sting operations, and even infiltrated criminal networks, often at considerable personal risk.

And while real female detectives were operating on the streets, fictional ones were thriving on the stage - heroines who drew huge audiences, decades before Sherlock Holmes ever appeared in print.

This is explored in the book The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective. It's published by Yale University Press. The author is Sara Lodge, Professor of English at the University of Saint Andrews.

Recently, Myles spoke to Sara Lodge at a West Cork History Festival event recorded in Skibbereen. They discuss the real and imagined women who pioneered the detective story.