Carlile opened a successful drapery shop in their home at Bailieborough to supplement the family's income.
[2] She lived there for the next 15 years, drawing an income from renting properties that belonged to her husband, which would keep her financially independent for the rest of her life.
[3] It was these prison visits that convinced Carlile that alcohol was the cause of many social problems, leading to her becoming involved in the temperance cause.
At first she found public speaking very stressful, but by addressing Sunday school groups and women's associations, she became more confident.
It was in 1840 she made her first visit to Scotland, speaking to a Glasgow temperance rally and convicts in awaiting transportation in Edinburgh.
In 1847 she founded the children's temperance association the Band of Hope in Leeds with the Baptist minister, the Rev.
She frequently visited Belfast, founding the Victoria Temperance Society in 1841, and she was influential in the closure of one of the most notorious public houses in the city in 1854.