BY JOHN FITZGERALD
Some of Ireland’s bravest women have been honoured at a gathering in Kilkenny.
The men who fought for Irish freedom are lauded in ballads and epic tales, but the sacrifices of women in the revolutionary era receive far less prominence. You don’t hear too many songs sung in pubs or clubs, or at commemorative outings, about their struggle.
To redress the balance a little, the Kilkenny Heritage Walkers arranged a tribute to those women who helped us on the road to nationhood.
Starting outside the castle, they assembled under the old banner of Cumann na mBan, held by women attired in 1920s garb and brandishing weapons.
Marianne Kelly clung to a .303 Lee Enfield rifle of the kind that saw action in the 1916 uprising and the asymmetric war that followed. Wrapped around the gun was a Rosary beads, this gesture symbolizing the devout spirituality of normally peace-loving people forced to take up arms.
Standing to attention on the other side of the banner were Gráinne Quigley-Lambert, who’d proudly donned the uniform of Cumann na mBan, complete with sidearm, and Ailbe Mic Gearailt, symbolically veiled in mourning for that “Other Ireland.” Ailbe had prepared an inspirational talk on the theme to be delivered later.
In the bad old days, the wearing of the banned uniform in public might have drawn a savage response from the Tans or the RIC. But Ireland’s enemies were nowhere to be seen when Ailbe, Marianne and Gráinne took us back in time via their act of remembrance.
Unsung heroism
Cumann na mBan (The Irishwomen’s Council) was founded in April 1914, and from the outset it worked closely with the revolutionaries.
In the 1916 Rising and throughout the War of Indepedence it played a crucial role in the insurgency, aiding wounded Republican fighters, carrying vital dispatches, gathering information on potential targets and troop movements, hiding weapons for the men, as well as assisting with the secret Republican courts.
In Kilkenny, as elsewhere, the organization proved daring and resourceful, inspired by women such as Win De Loughry, Kitty and Mary Teehan, the Luttrells of Garryricken, Maisie and Josie Stallard, Mary-Jo Power, and Hannah Dooley, to cite just a few of the key members.
Apart from its military activities, Cumann na mBan is remembered for its part in the anti-conscription campaign.
When Britain began to run short of cannon fodder for the Western Front, where it had sustained heavy losses (among these thousands of Irishmen), it sought to compel the Irish to fight for the empire
Cumann na mBan joined a broad alliance of groups, including Sinn Fein, the Irish Volunteers, the Gaelic League and the trade union movement in opposition to conscription.
After weeks of protests, women took the campaign to another level: A national day of action was set for St. Columcille’s Day, 9th June 1918. Cumann na mBan was to the forefront of the well-organized expression of outage.
Women from all walks of life rallied to the cause. Each town and city had its own protest, and Kilkenny women gathered on the afternoon of that historic day on the Callan road. From there they marched to the Black Abbey, before diverting to the Tholsel. Crowds cheered as two local bands played patriotic tunes in support of the women.
At City Hall (specially kept open for the occasion) women of all ages and professions from every part of the city queued up to add their signatures to the anti-conscription pledge. Others travelled from around the county to sign.
The pledge read: “Because the enforcement of Conscription on any people without their consent is tyranny, we are resolved to resist the Conscription of Irishmen.
“We will not fill the places of men deprived of their work through refusing the enforcement of Military Service.
We will do all in our power to help the families of men who suffer through refusing enforced military service.”
Riveting talk at the Mayfair Library
Leaving the Parade, the Heritage Walkers visited Rothe House. To its eternal credit, Kilkenny Archaeological Society (KAS) preserved the ledger containing all the names and addresses of the women who signed the anti-conscription pledge locally. The ledger had been donated to the KAS by members of Cumann na mBan.
This precious volume is the only surviving book of signatures nationwide from the 1918 petition. For some unexplained reason all the other records of signatures were discarded or went missing.
In reverential silence the heritage group, including relatives of some of the signatories, viewed the neatly inscribed names in the ledger.
After Rothe House, their tribute continued with a wide-ranging presentation at the Mayfair Library by Ailbe Mic Gearailt.
Ailbe spoke eloquently of the sacrifice, mostly unacknowledged, of the revolutionary women, but also alluded to the achievements and life experiences of so many others, also largely overlooked by historians and balladeers, whose lives of quiet and devoted service, whether in the home, the workplace, or as the guardians of our culture, national sovereignty or civil liberties, made their mark on the country they loved.
She introduced to the large attendance a beautiful tapestry created by local women during the Decade of Commemorations, which availed of symbols, such as a pram, a baby’s bottle, a rifle, and a bike- to tell the women’s side of Ireland’s long and often turbulent and heart rending story- before and after independence.
At Ailbe’s invitation, people spoke of their own relatives who served in Cumann na mBan, including Elizabeth Walsh, granddaughter of the acclaimed Win De Loughry.
Marianne Kelly recounted how she had, just days before, visited “a very special woman” in Tinnypark nursing home. Mary Burke has just celebrated her hundredth birthday. She has lived through many of the changes and upheavals that shaped our nation, but one of her outstanding memories is of a woman she had known briefly in her young days, a nurse and midwife called Elizabeth O’Farrell.
This was the woman who accompanied Padraig Pearse when he formally surrendered to the British. An iconic photo showed the officers facing Pearse, with Elizabeth O Farrell, who had played a crucial and heroic part in the rebellion, partially visible alongside the Republican leader.
But all trace of her was later deleted from the picture, an act that has since been held to represent the callous and mean-spirited “airbrushing” of Cumann na mBan’s hugely important role, as well as the unequal status of Irish women, especially in the opening decades of the Free State.
Elizabeth O’ Farrell used to visit the owners of the house that Mary Burke stayed in on Victoria Avenue in Dublin when Mary was about 23. She remembers them talking politics, and has a clear recollection of the Cumann na mBan woman who is now, paradoxically, “remembered for being forgotten.”
The Heritage Walkers had organized many outings and memorial events and will celebrate their 700th walk later this year…but this must surely rank as one of the most poignant occasions for them.
It was a revealing look-back at a time that shaped all our lives…and the women that people in “high places” wanted us to forget.
