Peg Plunkett courtesan

FINDING PEG

Peg Plunkett lived and worked in Georgian Dublin. She ran the finest brothel in town.

In 2022, I received Arts Council funding to explore Peg's life: discovering why she chose this line of business and the obstacles she overcame to become such a success.

You can read her story below.

How do you like your Peg?

In all good stories, the main character will receive guidance kindly given by friendly helpers. Think Fairy Godmothers or shoe-making...

Sep 10, 20232 min read

the final embrace

After her release from the sponging house, Peg set about writing a third volume of her memoirs. She was extremely organised, consulting...

Jul 22, 20236 min read

debt of gratitude

In 1985, Universal Pictures released a film called 'Brewster's Millions'. The story featured a baseball player challenged to spend $30...

Jun 24, 20235 min read

winds of change

A CHANGE IS AS GOOD AS A REST A change of heart can lead to a change of direction and a change of scene. In 1795 Peg did just that and...

Jun 10, 20233 min read

not quite Mallory Towers...

B O A R D E R S Fans of Enid Blyton may remember her popular boarding school series, Mallory Towers. The series followed a bunch of...

Jun 4, 20237 min read

a night's lodging, a girl and a bottle

Note: There is sexual content in this post which may not be suitable for some readers. It's probably about time we got down to the...

May 28, 20236 min read

So you want to open a brothel...

You will need: a premises in which to operate a selection of pre-coitus entertainments person(s) to carry out the services clients to...

Apr 22, 20235 min read

fifty shades of titillation

Lucy Locket lost her pocket, Kitty Fisher found it; Not a penny was there in it, Only ribbon round it. A childhood nursery rhyme, often...

Apr 10, 20233 min read

weaving past and present

SOURCES When I first started researching historical stories I received some advice from Sarah Foster, an expert in visual culture and the...

Feb 26, 20233 min read