The Wheels of 1917: Countess Markievicz Comes to Cork
Constance Gore-Booth, aka Countess Markievicz, was born on 4 February 1868 in London and was brought up at Lissadell House, County Sligo. She married Polish Count Casimir Dunin Markievicz in 1900. She entered politics in 1907 and in 1909 founded Na Fianna, an organisation for boys, who were taught military drills and the use of arms. During the Easter Rising of 1916 she was second-in-command at St Stephen’s Green. Following the surrender, she was arrested and although initially sentenced to death, this was commuted to life imprisonment. She was released in 1917 and became involved in the ongoing re-organisation of Sinn Fein.
Countess Markievicz arrived in Cork by train on Saturday evening, 11 August 1917 for a Sinn Feiin rally. Large swathes of Sinn Fein members and sympathisers of the movement, foregathered in the vicinity of the railway terminus. With Countess Markievicz travelled Messrs. Herbert Mellows and Joseph Clarke, both members of the Sinn Fein Executive in Dublin. The Cork Examiner of the day highlighted that on arrival they were greeted by the heads of the Sinn Fein movement in Cork consisting amongst others Terence McSwiney and Tomas MacCurtain.
The large procession led by the Pipers’ Band, proceeded along King Street, through the city, and on to the Grand Parade, where a short reception meeting was held. Other sections composing the procession represented ward contingents of the Sinn Fein in organisation, the Boy Scouts, Irish Volunteers Cumann na mBan, whilst in addition to the Brian Boru Pipers’ Band and the Irish Volunteer Pipers’ Band, the Workingmen’s and Butter Exchange Brass Bands also participated.
The public meeting at the National Monument, Grand Parade, was one of the largest kind in Cork for a considerable time. The proceedings connected with the reception were, from start to finish, without incident. The streets were heavily policed and about fifty extra police were drafted in from the county for the occasion.
Tomas MacCurtain, who presided, said it was absolutely unnecessary for him to introduce Countess Markievicz as her name went before her. On behalf of Cork and of Munster he extended to her a very hearty welcome. He noted that such positive support was to show that the “hearts of the citizens of Cork were entirely with the definite aims for which she fought in Easter Week – the putting into operation in this country, instead of the present Government, an Irish Republic”.
Countess Markievicz, who was received with great enthusiasm, addressed the meeting as “Fellow-soldiers and Friends”. She opened by noting that said she was proud to see the brave welcome given her that night because it showed her that Cork City was ready to do as she was pursuing to fight for an Irish Republic. She expressed the view that the welcome given her was not personal, but was a greeting to her as representative of the men who died for Ireland in Easter 1916. She related that the proudest memory of her life was when she worked with them, plotted and planned with them, and her proudest memory of all was that she went, out and planned with them. She compared Easter 1916 to Bunker Hill, which was lost by the Americans in their War of Independence but the national pride amongst the American Continental Army prevailed; “It was that battle gave the idea of nationality to the American nation, and that battle was the first moral victory won by America, and the result was American Independence”. Easter 1916 to Countess Markievicz was the greatest moral victory Ireland ever achieved; she noted that it “welded together the physical forces and the moral forces of the country”. It welded the “policy of Wolfe Tone with that of Parnell”. She highlighted that they were not bloodthirsty rebel or red revolutionists; “They went out in the first battle for an Irish Republic, and to secure that ideal they must show themselves, as their countrymen had done in 1916, ready to die for it”.
Countess Markievicz called on the Cork crowd to rally behind the men who died in Easter Week and that Sinn Fein were re-organising across the country. She wished that Sinn Fein would win every seat for the Westminster Parliament. She spoke about a need for a straightforward Republican policy, a policy for the foundation of an Irish Republic; “we want Irishmen to understand that, and to see that they have a representative candidate put into every position possible. We want them all co organised, to get into the several Republican societies, Sinn Fein Societies, Sinn Fein and Republicanism are the same thing”.
Countess Markievicz wanted the Sinn Fein membership to follow the example of the boys of her Na Fianna organisation to drill and be organised, but also called for “physical force and moral force”; “Their thoughts at the moment of waking should be of an Irish Republic, and their resolution to work the day to help it on. That was what was wanting from every man and woman to be ready to step into the shoes of those now working for them when they had vanished, to be ready to follow in the footsteps of Connolly and Pearse”. She ended her speech with the one message: “Get ready, organise, take the country for themselves”.
Kieran’s new book, Secret Cork, is now in Cork bookshops.
Kieran’s remaining Heritage Week historical walking tours are posted under walking tours at www.kieranmccarthy.ie
Captions:
909a. Portrait of Countess Markievicz, with revolver, in the uniform of Commandant in the Irish Citizen Army, c. 1916 (source: South County Dublin Libraries)
909b. National Monument, Grand Parade, c.1910 (Source: Cork City Through Time by Kieran McCarthy & Dan Breen)
Another Cork heritage open day is looming. The 2017 event will take place on Saturday 19 August. For one day only, over 40 buildings open their doors free of charge for this special event. The team behind the Open Day, Cork City Council and building owners, have grouped the buildings into general themes, Steps and Steeples, Customs and Commerce, Medieval to Modern, Saints and Scholars and Life and Learning – one can walk the five trails to discover a number of buildings within these general themes. These themes remind the participant to remember how the city spreads from the marsh to the undulating hills surrounding it, how layered and storied the city’s past is, how the city has been blessed to have many scholars contributing to its development in a variety of ways and how the way of life in Cork is intertwined with a strong sense of place and ambition. For a small city, it packs a punch in its approaches to national and international interests.
The Saints and Scholars route lies to the South side of the city and takes in the birth place of Frank O’Connor and the burial place of Nano Nagle and panoramic views from Elizabeth Fort. The route encompasses places of learning and places of worship finishing up at South Gate Bridge with fabulous views of the magnificent St Fin Barre’s Cathedral.
One of Cork’s most distinctive landmarks, St. Fin Barre’s Cathedral is located where Cork’s Patron Saint founded his first Church and School. It is the diocesan cathedral of the Church of Ireland and the Bishop’s residence is directly opposite the cathedral gate. St Fin Barre’s was designed by the notable architect, William Burges, who also designed the stained glass, the sculptures, the mosaics, the furniture and metal work for the interior. The foundation stone was laid in 1865 and the building was consecrated in 1870. The Cathedral is stylistically late thirteenth century pointed Gothic and is cruciform in shape. It has triple spires with portals to the west front and an abundance of external stone carved detail.
The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Meeting House on Summerhill South was designed by WH Hill and was purpose built in 1938 following a move from the old Meeting House in Grattan Street, which dates back to 1677. It is a simple, unadorned meeting room that is used for Quaker worship, as well as a number of community activities. The burial ground lies to the rear of the building. The plain and nearly identical grave stones are a symbol of the Quaker belief in the intrinsic equality of all. These simple headstones are representative of the form and design of Quaker grave markers and were clearly executed by skilled craftsmen.
The wonderful complex of buildings at Nano Nagle Place form a rich architectural assemblage. The triangular wedge of land upon which it sits appears in early maps of Cork. It is not clear when it came into the possession of the Nagle family. The family passed the land to Nano Nagle and when she in turn passed it to her community, the function and shape of the site were set to prevail. The oldest remaining building is the convent that Nano Nagle built for the Ursuline Sisters in 1771. Recent research has shown that many original design details remain, perhaps specified by Nano herself. The Ursuline sisters thrived here and built extensions to that original building in 1775, 1779, and 1790. When the Ursulines moved to Blackrock in 1825 the buildings passed to the Presentation Sisters.
Elizabeth Fort was first built in 1601 by Sir George Carew, the then president of Munster during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1. The fort was built on a rocky outcrop overlooking the city from the south. Following the death of Elizabeth in 1603, the fort was attacked by the citizens of Cork, however, when the city was re-taken, they were compelled to rebuild it at their own expense. It was replaced in 1624 by a stronger, stone fort, much of which survives today. It is reputed that improvements were also made by order of Oliver Cromwell in 1649.
Backwater Artists Group, Cork Printmakers and CIT Wandesford Quay Gallery are located on Wandesford Quay. This three-bay, four-storey warehouse was originally built circa 1840. Its first use was as a grain store, probably for the nearby distillery. It was then used as a timber yard and went on to become Coleman’s Printers. Backwater Artists Group is one of the largest artist-led studio groups in Ireland, with 29 studios and over 40 artists working from the complex. They are open to the public for Cork Heritage Day, Cork Culture Night and for guided tours, artists’ talks and exhibitions during their annual Open Studio Event, in November. There will be an exhibition of members work on view in our exhibition space.
See www.corkheritageopenday.ie for more information on the city’s great heritage open day and then followed by Heritage Week (information at www.heritage week.ie). My tours are posted at www.kieranmccarthy.ie under the walking tours section or follow my facebook page, Cork Our City, Our Town.
Captions:
908a. Stained glass window of St Finbarr, Chapel of Presentation Convent, Douglas Street (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
908b. Recent Medieval Open Day, Elizabeth Fort (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
I welcome the County Council’s proposals- it is a significant shift from previous thinking – it is positive to see the acknowledgement of Cork County Council of the expansion of Cork City. That message has been a long time coming.
My own personal view on their proposal that is that it is too modest – expand their proposals to the north further and south to take in the airport and Glanmire and then I would be happier in getting closer to agreement.
It is important to note that 13.2.7 on p.104 of the Mackinnon Report does allow for the two authorities to negotiate the terms of the boundary change in the first instance and to reach a fair and equitable settlement by mutual agreement as far as possible.
I think the inclusion of that line is very important to our use as well. There is nothing wrong with us coming back to them with a revised proposal. The Mackinnon Report map is also not clear in its delineated geographical detail.
I still have a lot of questions for the Implementation Oversight Group and just because this Council are now getting what we want we shouldn’t just take the first cheque that comes our way -winning a battle – doesn’t mean we have won the overall war – there are many uphill struggles to come.
Testing the Proposals:
I have a lot of concerns of having the millstone over ten years around us of the tenuous figure of half billion euros compensation package that would have to be given towards the County Council -40 million euros a year for ten years – near half a billion euros over a decade – a lifeline to keep the County Council alive -that’s a huge debt to hang over any city authority-we need to send out a strong signal that such a debt is not sustainable over 10 years.
And I do not see any movement by Central Government to suggest a contribution to the compensation package.
We should be very careful that on the basis of stubbornness and competitiveness that we get pulled into signing on that dotted line.
I have many finance questions, I need answered by the implementation oversight body.
A Strong Pitch:
I think we need a v strong convincing argument to pitch why Ballincollig and Blarney should be taken into the city – it’s something that we need to do effectively and immediately – they are possibly two of the stronger County Cork villages/towns, which have seen significant County Council investments over the years. In a sense, both towns are not broken.
Where we are clear in our language it is not a land grab- we need to be very clear about our proposals on what and how we are going to enhance an enlarged City and what are our plans for housing, transport, retail, planning, energy, environment, recreation and amenity.
I think the Council should appoint an official as Director of Local Government arrangements, whose sole purpose is constructing a narrative for expansion weaving with documents such as CASP, European second city thinking, potential European structural funding opportunities for the future to open up the region.
The Mackinnon document needs to be plugged into the submissions of the City and County Councils for the NPF around planning for the next thirty years.
Unbalanced Public Meetings:
And there is also the nature of the public meetings that are going on in the County at present.
Where I welcome an open debate, I condemn the manner of hosting public meetings where only the County side is represented and at that, many lies about the city are being presented.
I attended off my own bat the recent Ballincollig debate hosted by County Councillors there.
The top table made several sweeping statements about the city;
Ranging from
“Cork City is a dying a death; just look at the death of community life in Bishopstown, it will spread here to Ballincollig”
“this is a land grab, every penny of the property tax will go into Docklands”
“this is on par with Brexit and Trump as nonsense”
“pursuing retail is untenable in Cork, the city is closed for business”
“Cork City has been catapulted down a large path of decline”
“the city is a ghost town, the plague is only coming this way”
“the Mackinnon Report is worse than the dictatorship of British rule”
“Ballincollig will just become another ward of the city”
I could go on with my notes but I won’t; clearly the people of Ballincollig present at the meeting had genuine concerns about the nature of the green belt, industrial development, pay parking, public liability insurance, rate fees, maintenance of amenity areas, the social housing expansion areas
I am calling clearly for all public debates to be balanced and rhetoric and political spin to be dispanded with – So my messages this evening are that we need to have a real think about the compensation package – and the unbalanced public debate needs to end.
Cork Independent, 10 August 2017
Kieran’s Heritage Week Tours, 19-26 August 2017
National Heritage Week is upon us again at the end of next week (19 – 26 August). It is going to be a busy week. For my part I have organised seven tours. These are all free and I welcome any public support for the activities outlined below. There are also brochures detailing other events that can be picked up from Cork City Hall and City libraries. If you are up the country on holidays, check out www.heritageweek.ie for the listings of national events.
Saturday 19 August 2017 – Historical Walking Tour of Cork City Hall with Kieran, 11am, ticketed (free, duration: 75 minutes; details at www.corkheritageopenday.ie)
Learn about the early history of Cork City Hall and Cork City Council, learn about the development of the building and visit the Lord Mayor’s Room The current structure, replaced the old City Hall, which was destroyed in the ‘burning of Cork’ in 1920. It was designed by Architects Jones and Kelly and built by the Cork Company Sisks. The foundation stone was laid by Eamonn de Valera, President of the Executive Council of the State on 9 July 1932.
Sunday, 20 August 2017, Cork Through the Ages, An introduction to the historical development of Cork City with Kieran; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)
Cork City possesses a unique character derived from a combination of its plan, topography, built fabric and its location on the lowest crossing point of the river Lee as it meets the tidal estuary and the second largest natural harbour in the world. Indeed, it is also a city that is unique among other cities, it is the only one which has experienced all phases of Irish urban development, from circa 600 AD to the present day. This tour explores the city’s earliest historical phases.
Monday 21 August 2017, Blackpool: A Living Heritage, historical walking tour with Kieran; meet at the gates of North Mon School, Gerald Griffin Avenue, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)
The walking tour weaves its way from the North Mon into Blackpool, Shandon and Gurranbraher highlighting nineteenth century life in this corner of Cork from education to housing to politics, to religion, to industry and to social life itself. Blackpool was the scene of industry in Cork in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for industries such as tanning through big names such as Dunn’s Tannery and distilling through families such as the Hewitts. The leather industry at one vibrant in Blackpool with no fewer than 46 tanyards at work there in 1837 giving employment to over 700 hands and tanning on average 110,000 hides annually.
Tuesday 22 August 2017, The Victorian Quarter; historical walking tour with Kieran of the area around St Patrick’s Hill – Wellington Road and McCurtain Street; meet on the Green at Audley Place, top of St Patrick’s Hill, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)
This is a tour that brings the participant from the top of St Patrick’s Hill to the eastern end of McCurtain Street through Wellington Road. The tour will speak about the development of the Victorian Quarter and its hidden and beautiful architectural heritage. All are welcome and any old pictures and documents that people have of these areas, please bring along.
Thursday 24 August 2017, The City Workhouse, historical walking tour with Kieran; meet at the gates of St Finbarr’s Hospital, Douglas Road, 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)
The Cork workhouse, which opened in December 1841, was an isolated place – built beyond the toll house and toll gates, which gave entry to the city and which stood just below the end of the wall of St. Finbarr’s Hospital in the vicinity of the junction of the Douglas and Ballinlough Roads. The Douglas Road workhouse was also one of the first of over 130 workhouses to be designed by the Poor Law Commissioners’ architect George Wilkinson.
Friday 25 August 2017, The Lough and its Curiosities; historical walking tour with Kieran; meet at green area at northern green of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough; 6.45pm (free, duration: two hours)
This new walking tour circles the Lough and explores the area’s origins and histories. In such a corner of the city, stories abound ranging from duels, ice-skating, market gardening, Victorian nurseries and legend making as well as housing and church sites.
Saturday 26 August 2017, Fitzgerald’s Park: The People’s Park; historical walking tour with Kieran, meet at band stand, 1pm, note the afternoon time (free, duration: two hours)
Looking at the physical landscape of the Park, there are clues to a forgotten and not so familiar past. The entrance pillars on the Mardyke, the Lord Mayor’s Pavilion, the museum, the fountain in the middle of the central pond dedicated to Fr Mathew and timber posts eroding in the river were once parts of one of Cork’s greatest historical events, the Cork International Exhibitions of 1902 and 1903. Just like the magical spell of Fitzgerald’s Park, the Mardyke exhibitions were spaces of power. Revered, imagined and real spaces were created. They were marketing strategies where the past, present and future merged. The entire event was the mastermind of Cork Lord Mayor Edward Fitzgerald, after which the park got it name.
Captions:
907a. Group on Kieran’s historical walking tour of Sunday’s Well (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
907b.Group on Kieran’s historical walking tour of the Lough (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
The first week of August 1917 coincided with the third anniversary of the declaration by Germany of war against Russia, France and Germany. The 16th (Irish) Division and 36th (Ulster) Division both spent the war on the Western Front and sustained enormous casualties. Large numbers of Corkmen served in the 16th (Irish) Division. The 16th Irish Division was subject to a terrible gas attack in Easter Week 1916 that killed 550 mostly Irish soldiers at Hulluch, in northern France. The 36th (Ulster) Division had substantial casualties on the first day of the Somme offensive, the worst day in the history of the British army. The division sustained about 5,500 casualties on that day, 1 July 1916.
The 16th Irish Division and 36th Ulster Division were involved in the successful Battle of Messines, at Ypres, in May 1917. Their actions are marked by the Island of Ireland Peace Park, at Messines, which was opened by President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth II in 1998. Both divisions suffered terrible casualties at Passchendaele in August 1917. The battle took place on the Western Front, from late July to November 1917, for control of the ridges south and east of the Belgian city of Ypres in West Flanders. Passchendaele lay on the last ridge east of Ypres, eight kilometres from a railway junction at Roulers, which was vital to the supply system of the German 4th Army.
As at the Somme the previous year Passchendaele proved a highly costly failure. The 16th Irish Division and 36th Ulster Division were completely exhausted after 13 days of moving weighty equipment under heavy shelling. The battalions advanced through deep mud towards well-fortified German positions. By mid-August, the 16th had suffered over 4,200 casualties, the 36th almost 3,600, or more than 50% of their numbers. Papers such as the Cork Examiner, counted the human cost of World War I as they spread the pictures of dead soldiers across its pages.
There were also media supplements on the effects on shipping, exports and imports. The ocean-going, vessels on the United Kingdom register, before the War represented between 17 and 18 million tons gross. Of this tonnage over 15 million tons were regularly employed in trade with the United Kingdom, the remainder being engaged in trades between foreign countries, the various parts of the British Dominions. A large amount of this distant trading was cut and brought home to deal with war need. By 1917 the ocean-going shipping on the United Kingdom register was a little over 15 million tons, of which 14 million tons were employed in the home service. Of the 14 million tons employed, however, only about one half was available for the trade of the country. About 6 ½ million tons was allocated entirely to the needs of the Navy, the Army, the Allies, and the Dominions overseas. A further million tons was available for imports.
From the beginning of the war, British ships were steadily being requisitioned by the Government and run in the National instead of in the private interest. The rates paid to shipowners soon became lower than the freights, which could be earned by their own trade. The situation reached a stage where it was necessary to take complete control of all British shipping. All British liners were requisitioned and were run on Government accounts. The owners received hire fees at Government rates, and the profits derived from private freight carried at market rates went to the Government, and not to the shipowner. In many instances, the trades built up by the shipowners suffered severely from the depletion of shipping caused by the diversion of the steamers from their usual routes.
A considerable number of the fastest and most efficient vessels of the mercantile marine was converted into auxiliary cruisers, and others into floating hospitals. A whole fleet was engaged in raking coal and oil to the Navy; many of the mercantile ships were converted into transports, and were constantly carrying troops from Great Britain and the British Dominions to all fields of war: many were occupied in taking supplies from all parts of the world to the Navy and to the Armies at the various fronts; others in mind-sweeping and patrol work in all seas. A very substantial number were assigned to the Allies to supply their urgent needs for munitions and other imports, and a large number have been sold off to carry wheat and other essential foodstuffs to the Allies. With regard to personnel, the total numbers moved across the seas up to Spring 1917 were 8 million men, over 9 million of supplies and explosives, one million sick and wounded, over one million horses and mules with petrol alone amounting to 47.5 million gallons.
The diversion of liners from long distance to short distance trades inflicted injury on many British export trades (particularly to India and the Far East). A very far-reaching programmes of restriction of imports was put into effect. Luxuries (including many commodities produced by Colonies and Britain’s Allies) were excluded, and the import even of essential articles was reduced to the lowest level compatible with national security. The restriction of coasting facilities created inevitable hardship for coastal towns up and down Britain’s and Ireland’s coastline, which traditionally rolled out sea-borne supplies.
Kieran’s historical walking tours for National Heritage Week in August (19-27) are now posted at www.kieranmccarthy.ie and will appear here next week.
Captions:
906a. Commemorative Round Tower at the Island of Ireland Peace Park, at Messines, Belgium, which was opened by President Mary McAleese and Queen Elizabeth in 1998 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
906b. Menin Gate Memorial Ypres, Belgium; it is dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. It was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and built and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; it was unveiled on 24 July 1927 (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
The Wheels of 1917: Revolutionary Women of Cork’s Northside
The Spirit of Mother Jones Festival and Summer School will be held in the Shandon area of Cork City from Tuesday, 1 August to Saturday, 5 August 2017. The programme is now online at www.motherjonescork.com. The Cork Mother Jones Commemorative committee was established in 2012 to mark the 175th anniversary of the birth of Mary Harris / Mother Jones in Cork, Ireland. After a highly successful festival marking that anniversary it was decided to make the festival an annual event marking the life and legacy of Mother Jones.
Although famous in other parts of the world, especially in the United States of America where she was once labelled “the most dangerous woman in America”, Cork born Mary Jones (née Harris) – or Mother Jones as she is perhaps more widely known – was virtually unknown and certainly not recognised as yet in her native city. The aim of the festivals and activities of this committee has been to get better recognition for Mother Jones in Cork and beyond.
On Wednesday evening, 2 August at the Mother Jones Festival, Anne Twomey of the Shandon Area History Group will speak on the topic of Revolutionary Women of Cork’s Northside, 1916-1923. The Shandon Cumann Na mBan group after 1916 provides a touchstone for many of the women. Below is an abstract from the notes the festival committee and Anne Twomey.
At the centre of the Cumann Na mBan group was Lil Conlon and her sisters. Lil was an unrelenting worker who carried out varied tasks during the troubled period. She later wrote a book Cumann Na mBan and the Women of Ireland 1913-1925 in which she pitched the question “What did the women of Ireland do anyway?”
Kate “Birdie” Conway, whose early career was as a professional operatic singer, later became a founder member in Cork of Cumann Na mBan and afterwards Shandon Branch president. She played a huge role from 1914 to 1922. Kate was born in Carrigaline and studied at the Cork School of Music under its principal A Teur, and took elocution lessons from J W Flynn. She developed a great soprano voice and gained the attention of the Cork Operatic Society with whom she performed. She embarked on a professional operatic career under the stage name Mlle Del Rita. One of her first professional leading roles was in Sir Charles V Stanford’s Shamus O’Brien (1896) in which she co-starred with Joseph O’Mara. She appeared at venues in Europe and North America before retiring prematurely from the professional circuit around 1900. Her last public appearance was in 1914 at the old Cork City Hall at a charity concert. She was involved in Conradh na Gaeilge in Cork from its foundation and was a pioneer of the Cumann na mBan movement, being president of the Shandon Branch at the time of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in 1921. She chose the pro-Treaty side in the civil war and dedicated much time to the well-being of the Free State army in the 1920s. She also devoted much of her time to the Magdalen Asylum, Sunday’s Well. Bridie died at Golden Grove, Douglas Road, Cork on 21 February 1936 and is buried in Carrigaline. Today she is remembered by a very colourful stain glass window in the entrance portal at the Ballinlough Church in Cork city. This was presented by her brother Maurice Conway in her memory. The window depicts the Little Flower to whom the deceased lady had a lifelong and enduring devotion.
Across in Blackpool, Peg Duggan and her sisters Sarah and Annie, living at 49 Thomas Davis Street, operated an escape network for those on the run for years. Her flower shop on Parliament Street was a centre of Volunteer/IRA activity until closed by order of the British authorities. She was among the first on the scene of the murder of Lord Mayor Tomas MacCurtain in Blackpool on 20 March 1920. She rendered first aid and comfort for his widow, children and extended family.
Emma Hourigan who lived nearby at 45 Maddens Buildings was very active, running intelligence, putting up posters, campaigning and organising.
In the very heart of Cork City in St Augustine Street stood the innocent paper shop run by the Wallace sisters who were members of the Irish Citizen Army. This unassuming premises was effectively the intelligence post office for the volunteers and the IRA for 5/6 years. Nora and Sheila Wallace’s heroic and invisible contribution to the revolution is only now surfacing from the shadows.
Other Cumann na mBan members included Margaret Lucey who typed drafts of Terence MacSwiney’s book Principles of Freedom. MacSwiney’s sisters Mary and Annie spent their entire lives working for the achievement of a Republic.
Young Kitty Daly was very active; she took part in the burning of Macroom Railway Station and was involved in the ambush of a British officer near the present St John’s School.
Geraldine Sullivan (Neeson), was Muriel Murphy’s bridesmaid at her marriage to Terence MacSwiney on 9 June 1917. She transported explosives on her person around the city.
Nora O’Sullivan was actively involved and bravely hid and carried weapons for volunteers, who were subject to constant searches.
To learn more, check out the details of Anne Twomey’s talk on Wednesday 2 August, 7.30pm, Maldron Hotel, Shandon.
Captions:
905a. Mary Harris, aka Mother Jones (source: Cork City Library)
905b. Centre glass panel is Kate “Birdie” Conway Memorial Window, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Ballinlough, present day (picture: Kieran McCarthy)
Kieran’s Our City, Our Town Article, 20 July 2017
The Wheels of 1917: Jubilation and Commemoration
July 1917 was an eventful month for Cork City with important happenings being listed in the Cork Examiner. The Cork Improvement Bill or the Ford Plant project finally received Royal Assent and became law. The solicitor of Cork Corporation Mr Galvin made the official announcement at a Corporation meeting on 12 July. The Lord Mayor, Thomas Butterfield led the congratulations and heralded a new era of industrialisation. Officials and Councillors present called for the works to start as soon as possible.
By Saturday 21 July at the Cork City Assizes, Mr Justice Pim noted that the work in the old Cork Park had started and that men were actually at work preparing the site. Judge Pim hoped for increased prosperity in Cork; “I live in the hope that this enterprise is only the forerunner of others, which the present project will call into existence, and that the old and famous city of Cork will become more prosperous and famous. Gratitude and honour is given to the man in a foreign country in the time of his success and fortune had not forgotten his old motherland and the country, which gave his father birth”.
Of political significance was the election of Éamon de Valera as an MP in East Clare. This was a by-election caused by the death of the previous incumbent Willie Redmond, brother of the Irish Party Leader John Redmond who had died fighting in World War I. De Valera joined the Irish Volunteers at their first meeting in 1913. He took part in the landing of guns from the Asgard in July 1914. He commanded the Boland’s Mills garrison in Dublin during the 1916 rising. After the surrender, he was sentenced to death, but later it was decided to sentence him to life imprisonment instead. In prison, de Valera began to show his leadership qualities. He was released from prison in June 1917.
Late on Wednesday evening, 11 July 1917 many sub-agents and representatives of the two MP candidates returned to Ennis after the close of the poll to determine with any accuracy the chances of the opposing candidates. It was quite clear from the outward signs, that de Valera’s supporters considerably outnumbered those of his opponent Patrick Lynch, the Irish Parliamentary Party Home Rule candidate. De Valera won his seat gaining over 5,000 votes.
On the front steps of the courthouse the High Sheriff made his second formal announcement of the return of Mr de Valera. It was received by sustained public cheering and the waving of many Republican flags. De Valera spoke a few words in Irish first, and as then continuing in English crying out “England has her answer”. This was part of his continued call to abandon constitutional agitation in the form of the Irish Convention (which was due to begin in late July 1917) and to turn to physical force.
De Valera expressed his gratitude to the electors of East Clare for returning him and his pleasure at being elected for such an historic constituency. There were a number of personal encounters, but the force of police, around the town of Ennis acted as a powerful deterrent against anything in the shape of a general outbreak. Bands of Sinn Féin representatives in organised formation marched through the streets at intervals, all carrying substantial sticks or cudgels. At the Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis in October 1917, De Valera was elected President of the party and at the end of the same month he was elected President of the Irish Volunteers. His first arrival to a Sinn Féin rally in Cork was on 8 December 1917.
This month, 100 years ago, a discussion also began on the commemoration on the executed Easter Rising leaders. On 16 July 1917 the Round Room in the Mansion House, Dublin was filled to capacity as the leaders of Sinn Féin demanded that the bodies of the Easter Rising leaders so that they can be given a Christian burial. Fifteen leaders of the Rising were shot in the fortnight after the Easter Rising. Fourteen were executed in Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin whilst Thomas Kent was executed in his native Cork. The bodies of the 14 were taken to Arbour Hill military prison in Dublin for burial. The remains of Thomas Kent remained in Cork Prison. The manner in which their burials were conducted caused widespread anger at the time, with Bishop Thomas O’Dwyer stating that the British had denied the men a Christian burial by burying them in unconsecrated ground. No compromise emerged.
OPW historic records outline that from 1928, the Department of Defence suggested that the OPW erect a suitable memorial in Arbour Hill Cemetery to commemorate the leaders of the Easter Rising buried there. Finally, in 1937, T J Byrne, then principle Architect at the OPW, relented. The matter was delayed until 1948, when the Department of Defence eventually passed responsibility for the plot to the OPW. By this time, Arbour Hill Cemetery was a place of pilgrimage, although it was not officially open to the public. In 1949 extensive re-landscaping took place and the present design was submitted by the Department of Defence, the government, the Arts Council and by the OPW. It was approved in January 1954, the memorial park opened in 1955, and the memorial wall by Michael Biggs was completed in 1964.
July Historical Walking Tours:
Thursday, 27 July, The Friar’s Walk, with Kieran; discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Callanan’s Tower and Greenmount area; meet at Red Abbey tower, 6.45pm (free)
Friday 28 July, The Lough and its history, with Kieran; meet at the green on northern end of the Lough, Lough Church end, 6.45pm (free)
Captions:
904a. Éamon de Valera, 1916 (source: Waterford Museum)
904b. Cadets stand to attention around the plot of the 1916 Leaders in Arbour Hill, Dublin, present day (source: Irish Defence Forces)
