Wrong Women: Selling Sex in Monto, Dublin's Forgotten Red Light District

by Caroline West

'I found it fascinating - it's an integral part of the history of Dublin that has been lost to time for too long' - Rick O'Shea

A feminist history of Europe's largest red-light district and an examination of the lives of the women who worked there.

Tucked away in Dublin's north inner city, Monto - purported to be Europe's biggest red-light district from 1860 to 1925 with up to 1600 sex workers at any one time - made headlines for wild tales of debauchery. However, what happened to the women and girls within its brothels in life and death is less clear.

This account balances the historical origins of Monto's rise and fall with an investigation into the inhumane and heartbreaking reality of the treatment of the women that worked there, while delving into the impact of class, sexual violence and British colonialism on the women's survival. West explores the stigma and violence the women and girls of Monto endured, and investigates the shocking claims surrounding their treatment by medial professionals.

Weaving together oral histories, historical records, fashion trends and family memories, this book brings the women of Monto to life within its pages as it explores how they lived, worked, loved, dressed, mourned and built a tight-knit community.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Irish Literature, Feminism

288 pages, Paperback

Published August 12, 2025

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some reason the Monto has fascinated me for a long time. My Dad knows the song and I remember hearing him sing it ,very occasionally, when I was little. We did the tour of it together a few years ago with Terry who is mentioned in this book. I find the juxtaposition of seeing my daughter and other little ballet dancers going into Ballet Ireland, right in the middle of where the Monto would have been a bit mad and fabulous.

As I age I am becoming even more feminist so this book spoke to that side of me. It details a fascinating, grim and appalling piece of history. Brilliantly researched and told. Felt a little like I was reading a thesis at times hence the 4 stars, but I’d highly recommend this and the tour of the Monto!

[Aisling · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important book providing a voice to the stigmatised and victimised. At times I felt it could have been more succinct.

[Niamh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An insightful and fascinating read which explores an area of Dublin I’ve walked through dozens of times. It speaks of the trauma, violence, horror, and also the community, friendship and humour of the Monto.

[Catalina Vieru · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such an interesting topic, this book was such a dissapointment in delivery. It's like docufiction: a few pieces of research enveloped in 300 pages of supposition and poetry. I think if West would have leaned into fiction completely and just wrote a novel about Monto, the result would have been much better. As it stands, many of the stories are lacking facts and the gaps are being filled with 'cobblestone symphony' and 'things in brothels in america were this way, so we can assume dublin's monto was the same'. Also, what's with the photos? The ones related to actual characters from Monto, donated by families were welcomed, but what was the point of having a black and white photo of some random person with a bottle of booze and caption 'People would resort to alcohol' - that person could be from any historical period and country.

So, overall, I was expecting research-based non-fiction and didn't feel like the book delivered. Would love better recommendations on the topic of sex work, if anyone has them!

[Mia Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful book which explores the women of Monto, their bodily autonomy (or lack thereof), as well as the characters that passed through the brothel (including James Joyce and Prince Albert!) Perfectly balances the hardships and humours of Monto life through a nuanced lens. Loved!

[Ceara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is amazing to help uncover a side of Irish history that should not be forgotten. It gives great insight into a world to was so visible at the time, yet so hidden to. I think the ending is very powerful as well. It reminds us that the past is more than just an echo, it still lives with us.

The reason why I am not giving this book 4 stars is that there was some repetition of points that I felt like I was reading the same lines just a few chapters ago.

I also approached this book as if it was like an academic piece - expecting references and such. Now, that was my fault and if you’re not approaching this the way I did, I think it would suit you better. However, I did feel like there were things being quoted and not directly laid out. There were quite a few jumps too between points. To be fair to West, there’s not a lot of resources or evidence left from this time and about Monto. So, there was quite a bit of guess work, but West does highlight this.

Overall, it is definitely worth a read to learn something and remember the women that definitely shouldn’t be forgotten.

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a tedious read. A lot of "this is what things were like in Monto but also there is no actual evidence so who knows even??" There were a lot of names dropped without context or relevance and quotes that vaguely alluded to the author's interpretation of events. There were random photos of Monto women dropped here and there for like seemingly no reason. There was a LOT of content about syphilis and a lot of graphic medical descriptions that it really didn't need so if you're squeemish you could probably skip the chapters about the lock hospital. I was more interested in depictions of Irish society of the time and it should have been more of an anchor or reference of framing for this book but the layout was so convoluted that it didn't allow for that. I really didn't see how describing American brothels of the era was relevant to Monto given the divergent cultures between America and Ireland. I appreciated the author giving a voice to modern day sex workers but again the layout of the book meant this wasn't utilised effectively. Overall a disappointing take on a fascinating topic.

[Vanessa (Nessreadsalot) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of the history of Monto and the women who lived there.
I had never heard of Monto before this book was released but it sounded interesting so I had to give it a go. It's a tough read, these women lived in often horrific conditions and experienced acts of violence from other residents, customers, police and medical staff.

Taking information from archives, maps, oral histories and literature available we get an insight into the community that lasted from the 1860s to 1920s. I especially loved the stories from the great grandchildren of the women themselves who spoke proudly of the women that came before them and how they supported each other.

"When people are objectified, it becomes easier to commit acts of violence against them because they aren't seen as victims."


"Many historical records have predominantly been written by men wanting to represent their morals, their social norms, their truth, at the expense of women's truths, their humanity, and in some cases their lives."


"Ethical remembrance means learning from the mistakes of the past so the people of the present and future don't have to suffer in the same way."

[Karen Gunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit hard.

I knew going in that this would be an emotional read, but I wasn’t quite prepared for just how raw and harrowing parts of it would feel. Chapter 12 especially was brutal — the kind of chapter you carry with you even after you close the book. And chapter 15 nearly broke me. The horrors these women endured were unflinchingly portrayed, and I appreciated how the story gave them voice, dignity, and space to be heard.

What really worked for me was how the characters’ pain wasn’t used for shock value — it was grounded in reality and treated with care. I admired the way the story wove together past trauma and present determination. Watching the threads come together was powerful.

Was it an easy read? Absolutely not. But it was a necessary one — and ultimately hopeful, even if not in a neatly packaged way. I’m glad I read it.

[TJ]

“With the vigil we're not just remembering people. We honour the outcast. That's the outcast in the outside world, but of course, it honours the outcast within us as well.
We've all got our secret places that we don't want to show anybody. The things that we don't like about ourselves.
And so the difference is the honouring, as opposed to just creating a physical space. The difference between remembering and memorialising is that in remembering we put them back together again. We turn them into people.” P 271

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I thought the subject matter was very interesting, a LOT of conclusions were jumped to. Which is unfortunate, as there just aren’t many first hand accounts of what actually went on in the Monto. But just because something used to happen in a New Orleans brothel for example, doesn’t automatically assume that it happened in Ireland. The writing style could have been more concise also, the similar points were stated multiple times.

[Sinéad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super interesting topic and an area of Irish history I knew very little about before reading, however the book itself was tedious. I often felt like I was reading an early draft of a very long academic paper. The flow of topics felt disjointed at times, with chapters often veering off on tangents, this disrupted the overall coherence and I found it very jarring.

[Ciara McGarry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read!!!

[Niamh Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the book, just not the writing style

[May Dinneen · Rating 5 out of 5]

so well written and compassionate, informative and warm and human and also just absolutely fascinating!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting to begin with, but I found it a bit too long. The stories about Monto were interesting and also to understand more about sex workers in general.

[Donal Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent! Very interesting work with a lot of new insights.