Books on the Irish Hellfire Club

If you wish to learn more about the Irish Hellfire Club members, and 18th century Ireland here are some recommended books:

James Kelly & Martin Powell (eds). 2010. Clubs and Societies in Eighteenth-Century Ireland (Four Courts Press)

Evelyn Lord, 2008. The Hell-Fire Clubs. Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies (Yale University Press)

David Ryan, 2012. Blasphemers and Blackguards. The Irish Hellfire Clubs. (Irish Academic Press)

Thomas Whaley, 1980 (reprint) Buck Whaley’s Memoirs  (The History Press) – (Although Buck Whaley was a generation or so later than the original Dublin Hellfire Club, his attitudes and riotous escapades provide a good (and fun) sense of the prevalent world view and activities of the more dissolute young men of the period, his father, Richard ‘Burn Church’ Whaley was also linked with the club).

The following sources were consulted for this web article.

1. Gilbert, J.T. 1861. A History of the City of Dublin. Volume III. Dublin: James Duffy Publisher.
2. Ibid
3. Ibid
4. Milne, N. 2014. Libertines and Harlots. Bath: Parragon Publishing.
5. Lord Oxmantown. 1963. ‘The Irish Hell-Fire Club’. in The Irish Times. Wednesday, September 25, 1963.
6. Gilbert, J.T. 1861. A History of the City of Dublin. Volume III. Dublin: James Duffy Publisher.
7. Clarke, N. 2009. Laetitia Pilkington (c. 1709-50): Scandalous Woman. in History Ireland. Vol. 17, No.2. pp. 26-29.
8. Ryan, D. 2010. ‘The Dublin Hellfire Club’. In: Kelly, J., and Powell, M.J. (eds). Clubs and Societies in Eighteenth-Century Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
9. Ibid
10. Gilbert, J.T. 1861. A History of the City of Dublin. Volume III. Dublin: James Duffy Publisher
11. Ryan, D. 2010. ‘The Dublin Hellfire Club’. In: Kelly, J., and Powell, M.J. (eds). Clubs and Societies in Eighteenth-Century Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
12. Lord Oxmantown. 1963. ‘The Irish Hell-Fire Club’. in The Irish Times. Wednesday, September 25, 1963.
13. Ryan, D. 2010. ‘The Dublin Hellfire Club’. In: Kelly, J., and Powell, M.J. (eds). Clubs and Societies in Eighteenth-Century Ireland. Dublin: Four Courts Press.
14. Garnham, N. 1999. ‘The Trials of James Cotter and Henry, Baron Barry of Santry: Two Case Studies in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Early Eighteenth-Century Ireland’. in Irish Historical Studies. Vol. 31. No.123. pp.328–342. Cambridge University Press.
15. Lord, E. 2008. The Hell-Fire Clubs. Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies. New Haven: Yale University Press.
16. Jenkison, C. 1769. Life, History and Remarkable Pedigree of the Right Honourable Simon, Lord Irnham. London: Fell & Caldecot.
17. Gilbert, J.T. 1861. A History of the City of Dublin. Volume III. Dublin: James Duffy Publisher.