In this examination of the cultural production of critically acclaimed women novelists, filmmakers, non-fiction writers and dramatists in Northern Ireland, Megan Sullivan insists that their work demonstrates that the Irish political struggle takes place in the material conditions of women's lives - in the home, within the family and on the street. While writers about Northern Ireland traditionally discuss public events, Sullivan argues that no permanent solution to the troubles will be possible until the public deals with such issues as housing, poverty, unemployment and domestic violence. Because the plight of Northern Irish prisoners has been an important component of the peace process, she uses prison as a metaphor and as a point of departure to discuss patriarchy in general.