Unless you've been living in a cave, or are not Irish, or you're Irish and living in a cave, you will know that next year we celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Easter Rising.
So!
I've been off work for the past couple of days. Doing some research! It was like a bus mans holiday for me as I'm 'researching' every day. But it wasn't car specs I was researching this week.
No, something much more interesting!
My cousin Lorraine, the artist (and before you Brennan's reading this think we have suddenly found some talent in the family, forget it, she's on the other side of the family), is hoping to be featured in an exhibition to take place in Limerick next year entitled 'Still the Barbarians'. Her brief for the exhibition is to focus on 'Women in the Rising'.
As I had a few days holidays to take, I volunteered (sorry!) to help her with her research.
Now, before I go any further, I have to say that in all honesty, I didn't know very much about the women involved in this historic event. The only woman I remember learning about in school was Countess Markievicz. There are a couple of other women whom recently I've become aware of. Rosie Hackett for one, as a new bridge was opened in Dublin and named after her for all her efforts in the Rising and her work she did for women's rights. And by a strange co-incidence my Dad had recently given me a booklet with Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell written account of the surrender and the part she played in it. But up to last weekend, I hadn't read it....
Anyway, the best place to start was where all the action took place, so we headed off into town. And here we are doing some very important research, which involved eating lunch and drinking coffee in the sunshine, on the Boardwalk, beside the Liffy. Well it was too nice a day to be in a stuffy old Library, reading.
OK, it wasn't all eating and drinking as we did eventually do some constructive work. And here is the woman herself in action.
She's filming the Rosie Hacket bridge.
I don't understand most art, and in case you are worried about Lorraine reading this and being upset, it's OK, I've had this conversation with her. Apparently you don't have to understand Art, you can just like what you like and leave it at that. Just as well, cos I have no idea what she is doing here at the bridge. She's not so sure that she has either, but it's all part of the bigger picture that we will just have to wait and see!
It wasn't all just wandering around Dublin in the sunshine. We did do some real work too. We checked out all the women involved to see what we could come up with on each of them, as Lorraine is looking for something, 'a hook' she called it, or 'an in' to have as a focal point for her exhibit.
We didn't come up with anything definite that she could use in the short time that we had, but we did come across some very interesting facts about these women, over 100 of them, that fought side by side with the men...
Margaret Skinnider for example. She was from Scotland, but had Irish parents, and on a trip to Ireland prior to the Rising she smuggled in bomb detonators, in her hat! During the Rising she was a scout, despatch-rider and sniper! She tells hair raising stories of cycling past the Shelbourne Hotel with bullets striking the wooden wheels of her bicycle as she rode by and the only thing that save her was the speed that she went at! (Eat your heart out Sandra Bullock, you only had to drive a bus!)
Then there was Rose McNamara, officer in command of the female battalion who insisted that the women surrender alongside the men when they could easily have evaded arrest. Well, equality was part of the Cumann na mBan's (The Irishwomens Council) constitution! Ms McNamara marched her women, four deep, in uniform, to the British commanding officer and explained that they were part of the rebel contingent and were surrendering, and would be with the men to the end, whatever their fate would be. Go Ms McNamara!!
Helena Molony, actress and journalist, smuggled guns into Ireland for the Rising. In her witness account she writes:
I had an Irish tweed costume, with a Sam Browne belt and I had my own revolver and my own ammunition! Sure what more could a girl want...
Elizabeth O Farrell's account the days before during and after the surrender makes fascinating reading. I'm not going to write it all here, you can look it up for yourself, but she was some woman. She was chosen to bring the notice of surrender to the British and also to all the volunteer garrisons around the city. She stood up to the British officers and never backed down. Despite assurances by the British commanding officer that she wouldn't be arrested, eventually she was. Upon her arrest she was placed in a room with eleven other women, just in time for dinner! In her account she states that her contribution to the meal was a barm brack, an apple and some sweets which she produced from her skirts. (I'm wearing skinny jeans, I can barley fit me into them, never mind dinner, and I'm not sure anybody would want to eat dinner if I'd been carrying it round all day...) What a woman, she spent all day going back and forward between rebel strongholds, tending to wounded men, navigating endless road blocks, negotiating with officers, and after that day's work, she was still able to produce dinner.
We best not forget Rosie Hackett. She co-founded the Irish Womens Workers Union and was involved in the lockout in 1913. She, having also trained as a printer, helped to print the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. My favorite story about Rosie was on the anniversary of James Connolly death (he was executed by the British!) she hung a banner from Liberty Hall stating that it was a year since his murder. The police quickly removed the banner. But not to be deterred, Rosie and three female accomplices climbed onto the roof of Liberty Hall nailed the doors shut and rehung the banner. They stayed there all day with it. She later bragged that it took 400 policemen to take down four women and she was delighted by all the trouble she caused them! Now there's a girl you'd like to bring to the pub with you on a Saturday night. Minus the policemen of course.
I shouldn't really jest about these brave women, and the hundreds of others that I haven't mentioned, but it's the only way I know how to show my admiration and appreciation for them. The bravest thing I've ever done is my life is not to run when I see a spider on the floor in my kitchen.
Elizabeth O Farrell also took charge of 13 pounds in gold for a young rebel solider who was surrendering. He explained to her that he was saving to get married and took all his money with him when he left his lodgings to join the fight. She doesn't mention his name. This money was taken from her at her arrest. She fought to have it returned to her, and eventually it was. She doesn't say if it was returned to the young volunteer, or if it was handed over to his fiancee, or if in fact he survived and they eventually got married. I would like to know the end to that story. 100 years later? Now that would make interesting research...
