Though Ireland embraced the mechanised cotton trade with great enthuisasm during the 1780s, it did so in ways that were often strikingly different from those found in England. The largest ventures were started withthe aim of helping the poor and received government support, but in spite of the large investments, the philanthropists soon found themselves on the road to disappointment and disaster. Their stories form the core of Chris Aspin's study, which also describes the other Irish mills that used the water-frame to spin fine cotton.