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08th Mar 2016

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Women of the 1916 Easter Rising

Carl Kinsella

The women of the Easter Rising.

Sympathy swelled for the rebels of the 1916 Rising after 14 of the movement’s most prominent figures were executed following their surrender.

Amongst the men who were put to death, there was one woman, Constance Markeivicz, who was saved from the firing squad by virtue of nothing but the fact that she was a woman.

Markievicz, perhaps the best-known embodiment of the role played by women during the Easter Rising, was disappointed not to have died for country – telling the court that she wished they had the decency to shoot her.

Here is a collection of six women who were willing to fight and die for Ireland’s freedom in 1916.

1. Margaret Skinnider

Born in Scotland to Irish parents, Margaret Skinnider bore the scars of her commitment to the cause of a free Ireland.

At the age of only 23, she served in the St. Stephen’s Green garrison as a scout, dispatch rider and sniper. She was shot three times as she attempted to halt the retreat of British soldiers, becoming the only woman to be wounded in active service over the course of the Easter weekend.

She lay suffering for three days before her garrison surrendered, allowing her to receive medical treatment.

After the Rising, Skinnider spent seven weeks in hospital recovering from her gunshot wounds and was adjudged too ill for imprisonment.

When she was released, she evaded arrest and returned to her native Scotland before journeying to America to write her book, entitled ‘Doing my bit for Ireland’, which was published in 1917.

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2. Constance Markievicz

At St. Stephen’s Green, Skinnider fought under the command of Michael Mallin and one Constance Markievicz, also known as Countess Markievicz. Markievicz is recognised by many as having played a pivotal role in Irish history – not least during the Easter Rising.

Markievicz was instrumental in James Connolly’s Irish Citizen’s Army, designing the uniforms and composing the anthem. She is best known, however, for being heavily involved in the fighting – supervising the erection of barricades, and wounding a British soldier.

She, Mallin, Christopher Poole and the men and women beneath them held out for six days – only surrendering when presented with a copy of Pearse’s own surrender. Markievicz was sentenced to death for her part in the rising, but escaped execution on account of her “sex.”

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3. Madeleine ffrench-Mullen

Madeleine ffrench-Mullen was the daughter of a Royal Navy officer who came to live in Ireland after her father retired there. She rose through the ranks of Cumann na mBan and the ICA, and was eventually made a Lieutenant.

During the Easter Rising, ffrench-Mullen had 15 women directly under her command. She was specifically tasked with overseeing the commandeering of vehicles, keeping civilians from the danger and guarding the entrance to St. Stephen’s Green.

She performed her duties with such competency that she was made Sergeant as a result.

4. Winnie Carney

Winnie Carney, who was born in Bangor, Co. Down, holds the distinction of being the only woman in the GPO at the outset of the rising. Other women joined the cause throughout the weekend, but by the time the GPO was evacuated, she was still one of just three remaining female fighters.

She was arrested for her part in the taking of the GPO and moved from prison to prison, including Kilmainhan, Mountjoy and Aylesbury.

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5. Helena Molony

Helena Molony’s career as a nationalist began in 1903, after she joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann (Daughters of Ireland) at the age of 20. She shared the pro-worker values of James Connolly, and in 1915 she rose to the rank of Secretary of the Irish Women Worker’s Union.

Helena Molony was a prominent figure in Cumann na mBan, and was tasked with taking Dublin Castle during the Rising. Her commanding officer, Sean Connolly, was killed in action.

Helena Molony, whose parents owned a grocery off Henry Street, was also a great friend to several of the seven signatories of the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. She was godmother to the daughter of Thomas McDonagh (Patrick Pearse himself was the child’s godfather).

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6. Dr. Kathleen Lynn

The women’s contribution to the Easter Rising was not confined solely to violence. Dr. Kathleen Lynn, a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and acclaimed doctor, rose the ranks of the ICA to become the organisations Chief Medical Officer.

As such, she didn’t take part in any of the drilling.

Nevertheless, she took her place in the City Hall garrison in 1916, and upon her arrested she described herself as ‘a red cross doctor and a belligerent.’

Topics:

1916