“‘Yesteryear’ shines another light on the Trad Wife culture war”

“‘Yesteryear’ shines another light on the Trad Wife culture war”

From Brendan O'Connor by RTÉ Radio 1

May 3, 2026 · 8 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the novel 'Yesteryear' and its commentary on Trad Wife culture through the lens of a modern influencer transported to the past.

The new novel ‘Yesteryear’ imagines what would happen if a modern-day trad wife influencer woke up in 1855, forced to actually live in the era she’s been romanticising on social media. Ellen Coyne, Political Correspondent of the Irish Times, tells Brendan about why it’s striking such a chord and posing wider questions about mothers’ choices.

People in this episode

Host: Brendan O'Connor

Guest: Ellen Coyne

Topics covered

  • Trad Wife culture
  • modern influences
  • historical fiction
  • women's choices
  • social media impact

Keywords

  • Trad Wife
  • Yesteryear
  • Ellen Coyne
  • social media
  • women's choices
  • historical fiction
  • Irish Times

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Irish Times

Books & works: Yesteryear

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