Irish servant girls appeared in popular literature often stereotypically called “Bridget” or “Biddy.” These names became so closely linked to domestic service in America that some Irish immigrants changed their name in an effort to escape the negative connotations.
The interactions between the Irish Bridgets and the middle-class Americans who hired them as domestic servants had a significant impact on Irish American life. The Irish Bridget was often the only Irish people with whom middle-class Americans had direct and ongoing contact. [Read more…] about Irish Bridget: Irish Immigrant Women in Domestic Service