Cumann na mBan
Encyclopedia
Cumann na mBan (ˈkʊmˠən̪ˠ n̪ˠə mˠan̪ˠ; Irishwomen's Council) is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers
. Although it was otherwise an independent organisation, its executive was subordinate to that of the Volunteers.
. A meeting led by Kathleen Lane-O'Kelley (née Shannahan) in Wynne's Hotel, Dublin on 2 April 1914 marked the foundation of Cumann na mBan. Branches,which pledged to the Constitution of the organization, were formed throughout the country and were directed by the Provisional Committee. The first branch was named the Ard Chraobh, which held their meetings in Brunswick Street, before and after the 1916 Easter Rising
.
. The primary aims of the organization as stated in its constitution were to "advance the cause of Irish liberty and to organize Irishwomen in the furtherance of this object", to "assist in arming and equipping a body of Irish men for the defence of Ireland" and to "form a fund for these purposes, to be called 'The Defence of Ireland Fund'".
s and professional women, but with a significant proportion also from the working class. In September 1914, the Irish Volunteers split over John Redmond
’s appeal for its members to enlist in the British Army
. The majority of Cumann na mBan members supported the rump of 2-3,000 volunteers who rejected this call and who retained the original name, the Irish Volunteers.
finalised arrangements for the Easter Rising
, it integrated Cumann na mBan, along with the Irish Volunteers
and Irish Citizen Army
, into the ‘Army of the Irish Republic’. Patrick Pearse
was appointed overall Commandant-General and James Connolly
Commandant-General of the Dublin Division.
On the day of the Rising, Cumann na mBan members, including Winifred Carney
, who arrived armed with both a Webley revolver
and a typewriter, entered the General Post Office
on O'Connell Street in Dublin with their male counterparts. By nightfall, women insurgents were established in all of the major rebel strongholds throughout the city - bar one. Éamon de Valera
steadfastly refused, in defiance of the orders of Pearse and Connolly, to allow women fighters into the Boland's Mill
garrison.
The majority of the women worked as Red Cross workers, were couriers, or procured rations for the men. Members also gathered intelligence on scouting expeditions, carried despatches and transferred arms from dumps across the city to insurgent strongholds.
Constance Markievicz for example - armed with a pistol - during the opening phase of the hostilities shot a policeman in the head near St Stephen's Green. Later, Markievicz along with other female fighters - after a day of carrying out sniper attacks on British troops in the city centre - demanded that they be allowed to bomb the Shelbourne Hotel. Helena Moloney
was among the soldiers who attacked Dublin Castle
, where she worked with the wounded.
A number of Cumann na mBan members died in the Rising, including volunteer Margaretta Keogh who was shot dead outside the South Dublin Union.
At the Four Courts
they helped to organise the evacuation of buildings at the time of surrender and to destroy incriminating papers. This was exceptional; more typical was the General Post Office
(GPO), where Pearse insisted that most of them (excluding Carney, who refused to leave the injured James Connolly
) leave at noon on Friday, 28 April. The building was then coming under sustained shell and machine-gun fire, and heavy casualties were anticipated. The following day the leaders at the GPO decided to negotiate surrender. Pearse asked Cumann na mBan member Elizabeth O'Farrell
(a mid-wife at the National Maternity Hospital) to act as a go-between. Under British military supervision she brought Pearse’s surrender order to the rebel units still fighting in Dublin. Over 70 women, including many of the leading figures in Cumann na mBan, were arrested after the insurrection, and many of the women who had been captured fighting were imprisoned in Kilmainham; all but 12 had been released by 8 May 1916.
in the 1918 general election
, in which Countess Markievicz was elected Teachta Dála. Jailed at the time, she became the Minister for Labour
of the Irish Republic
from 1919 to 1922.
During the Anglo-Irish War, its members were active. They hid arms and provided safe houses for volunteers, helped run the Dáil Courts
and local authorities, and in the production of the Irish Bulletin
, official newspaper of the Irish Republic
.
In the Irish elections of May 1921
, Markievicz was joined by fellow Cumann na mBan members Mary MacSwiney
, Dr. Ada English
and Kathleen Clarke
as Teachtaí Dála.
was approved by the Second Dáil
by a close vote of 64-57. On 5 February a convention was held to discuss this, and 419 Cumann na mBan members voted against as opposed to 63 in favour. In the ensuing Civil War
, its members largely supported the anti-Treaty Republican forces. Over 400 of its members were imprisoned by the forces of the Provisional government which became in December 1922 the Irish Free State
. Some of those who supported the Treaty changed the name of their branches to Cumann na Saoirse, while others retained their name but gave allegiance to the Free State Government.
and other groups) part of the Irish republican milieu. The government of the Irish Free State
banned the organisation in January 1923 and opened up Kilmainham Jail as a detention prison for suspect women.
Its membership strength was adversely affected by the many splits in Irish republicanism, with sections of the membership resigning to join Fianna Fáil
, Clann na Poblachta
and other parties. Máire Comerford
, a life-long member from 1914, reflected in later years that it became a 'greatly weakened organisation' that 'gathered speed downhill' from the founding of Fianna Fáil in 1926.
was killed by loyalists in 1976. In Northern Ireland
Cumann na mBan was integrated into the mainstream Irish Republican Army during the conflict, although they continued to exist as a separate organisation in the South of Ireland.
In 1986, the Cumann na mBan opposed the decision by the IRA and Sinn Féin to drop the policy of abstentionism and aligned itself with Republican Sinn Féin
and the Continuity IRA. In 1995, RSF general secretary and Cumann na mBan member Josephine Hayden
was jailed for six years on charges relating to the possession of a shotgun and a revolver.
The U.K.
Terrorism Act 2000 currently lists Cumann na mBan as a "Domestic Terrorist Group". However it is not so listed in 2008 by the U. S. State Department.
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
. Although it was otherwise an independent organisation, its executive was subordinate to that of the Volunteers.
Foundation
In 1913, a number of women decided to hold a meeting in Wynn's Hotel, Dublin, for the purpose of discussing the possibility of forming an organisation for women who would work in conjunction with the recently formed Irish VolunteersIrish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
. A meeting led by Kathleen Lane-O'Kelley (née Shannahan) in Wynne's Hotel, Dublin on 2 April 1914 marked the foundation of Cumann na mBan. Branches,which pledged to the Constitution of the organization, were formed throughout the country and were directed by the Provisional Committee. The first branch was named the Ard Chraobh, which held their meetings in Brunswick Street, before and after the 1916 Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
.
Aims
The constitution of Cumann na mBan contained explicit references to the use of force by arms if necessary. At the time the Government of Ireland Bill 1914 was being debated, and might have had to be enforced in UlsterUlster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
. The primary aims of the organization as stated in its constitution were to "advance the cause of Irish liberty and to organize Irishwomen in the furtherance of this object", to "assist in arming and equipping a body of Irish men for the defence of Ireland" and to "form a fund for these purposes, to be called 'The Defence of Ireland Fund'".
Membership
In addition to their local subscriptions (i.e. involvement in other nationalist associations or organizations), members of Cunamm na mBan were expected to support the Defence of Ireland Fund, through subscription or otherwise. Its recruits were from diverse backgrounds, mainly white-collar workerWhite-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
s and professional women, but with a significant proportion also from the working class. In September 1914, the Irish Volunteers split over John Redmond
John Redmond
John Edward Redmond was an Irish nationalist politician, barrister, MP in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and leader of the Irish Parliamentary Party from 1900 to 1918...
’s appeal for its members to enlist in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
. The majority of Cumann na mBan members supported the rump of 2-3,000 volunteers who rejected this call and who retained the original name, the Irish Volunteers.
Role in 1916 Easter Rising
On 23 April 1916, when the Military Council of the Irish Republican BrotherhoodIrish Republican Brotherhood
The Irish Republican Brotherhood was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland during the second half of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century...
finalised arrangements for the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
, it integrated Cumann na mBan, along with the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
and Irish Citizen Army
Irish Citizen Army
The Irish Citizen Army , or ICA, was a small group of trained trade union volunteers established in Dublin for the defence of worker’s demonstrations from the police. It was formed by James Larkin and Jack White. Other prominent members included James Connolly, Seán O'Casey, Constance Markievicz,...
, into the ‘Army of the Irish Republic’. Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
was appointed overall Commandant-General and James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
Commandant-General of the Dublin Division.
On the day of the Rising, Cumann na mBan members, including Winifred Carney
Winifred Carney
Maria Winifred Carney, known as Winnie Carney, was a suffragist, trade unionist and Irish independence activist. Born in Bangor, County Down, her family moved to the Falls Road in Belfast when she was a child...
, who arrived armed with both a Webley revolver
Webley Revolver
The Webley Revolver was, in various marks, the standard issue service pistol for the armed forces of the United Kingdom, the British Empire, and the Commonwealths from 1887 until 1963.The Webley is a top-break revolver with automatic extraction...
and a typewriter, entered the General Post Office
General Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
on O'Connell Street in Dublin with their male counterparts. By nightfall, women insurgents were established in all of the major rebel strongholds throughout the city - bar one. Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera
Éamon de Valera was one of the dominant political figures in twentieth century Ireland, serving as head of government of the Irish Free State and head of government and head of state of Ireland...
steadfastly refused, in defiance of the orders of Pearse and Connolly, to allow women fighters into the Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill
Boland's Mill is located on the Grand Canal Dock in Dublin, Ireland at the corner of Pearse Street and Barrow St. The majority of the complex consists of silos built in the 1940s. The mill stopped production in 2001 and the site is now derelict...
garrison.
The majority of the women worked as Red Cross workers, were couriers, or procured rations for the men. Members also gathered intelligence on scouting expeditions, carried despatches and transferred arms from dumps across the city to insurgent strongholds.
Constance Markievicz for example - armed with a pistol - during the opening phase of the hostilities shot a policeman in the head near St Stephen's Green. Later, Markievicz along with other female fighters - after a day of carrying out sniper attacks on British troops in the city centre - demanded that they be allowed to bomb the Shelbourne Hotel. Helena Moloney
Helena Moloney
Helena Moloney was a prominent Irish republican, feminist and labor activist. She fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trade Union Congress....
was among the soldiers who attacked Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle off Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland, was until 1922 the fortified seat of British rule in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland...
, where she worked with the wounded.
A number of Cumann na mBan members died in the Rising, including volunteer Margaretta Keogh who was shot dead outside the South Dublin Union.
At the Four Courts
Four Courts
The Four Courts in Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's main courts building. The Four Courts are the location of the Supreme Court, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit Court. The building until 2010 also formerly was the location for the Central Criminal Court.-Gandon's Building:Work based on...
they helped to organise the evacuation of buildings at the time of surrender and to destroy incriminating papers. This was exceptional; more typical was the General Post Office
General Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
(GPO), where Pearse insisted that most of them (excluding Carney, who refused to leave the injured James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
) leave at noon on Friday, 28 April. The building was then coming under sustained shell and machine-gun fire, and heavy casualties were anticipated. The following day the leaders at the GPO decided to negotiate surrender. Pearse asked Cumann na mBan member Elizabeth O'Farrell
Elizabeth O'Farrell
Elizabeth O'Farrell was an Irish nurse and member of Cumann na mBan, best known for delivering the surrender in the Easter Rising of 1916.-Background:...
(a mid-wife at the National Maternity Hospital) to act as a go-between. Under British military supervision she brought Pearse’s surrender order to the rebel units still fighting in Dublin. Over 70 women, including many of the leading figures in Cumann na mBan, were arrested after the insurrection, and many of the women who had been captured fighting were imprisoned in Kilmainham; all but 12 had been released by 8 May 1916.
After the Rising
Revitalized after the Rising and led by Countess Markievicz, Cumann na mBan took a leading role in popularising the memory of the 1916 leaders, organizing prisoner relief agencies and later in opposing conscription, and canvassing for Sinn FéinSinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
in the 1918 general election
Irish (UK) general election, 1918
The Irish general election of 1918 was that part of the 1918 United Kingdom general election that took place in Ireland. It is seen as a key moment in modern Irish history...
, in which Countess Markievicz was elected Teachta Dála. Jailed at the time, she became the Minister for Labour
Minister for Labour (Ireland)
The Minister for Labour was originally the name of a government department in the Government of the Irish Republic, the self-declared state which was established in 1919 by Dáil Éireann, the parliamentary assembly made up of the majority of Irish MPs elected in the 1918 general election. Constance...
of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
from 1919 to 1922.
During the Anglo-Irish War, its members were active. They hid arms and provided safe houses for volunteers, helped run the Dáil Courts
Dáil Courts
During the Irish War of Independence, the Dáil Courts were the judicial branch of government of the short-lived Irish Republic. They were formally established by a decree of the First Dáil Éireann on 29 June 1920, replacing more limited Arbitration Courts that had been authorised a year earlier...
and local authorities, and in the production of the Irish Bulletin
Irish Bulletin
The Irish Bulletin was the official gazette of the government of the Irish Republic. It was produced by the Department of Propaganda during the Irish War of Independence. and its offices were originally located at No. 6 Harcourt Street, Dublin. The paper's first editor was Desmond FitzGerald,...
, official newspaper of the Irish Republic
Irish Republic
The Irish Republic was a revolutionary state that declared its independence from Great Britain in January 1919. It established a legislature , a government , a court system and a police force...
.
In the Irish elections of May 1921
Irish elections, 1921
Two elections in Ireland took place in 1921, as a result of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 to establish the House of Commons of Northern Ireland and the House of Commons of Southern Ireland. The election was used by Irish Republicans as the basis of membership of the Second Dáil...
, Markievicz was joined by fellow Cumann na mBan members Mary MacSwiney
Mary MacSwiney
Mary MacSwiney was an Irish politician and educationalist.-Early life:Born in London, to an Irish father and English mother, she returned to Ireland with her family at the age of six and was educated in Cork...
, Dr. Ada English
Ada English
Ada English was an Irish revolutionary politician and psychiatrist.English was born in Caherciveen, County Kerry, to Patrick and Nora of Mullingar, County Westmeath. She had four siblings, including two brothers, Pierce and Frank...
and Kathleen Clarke
Kathleen Clarke
Kathleen Clarke, née Daly was a member of Cumann na mBan, and one of very few privy to the plans of the Easter Rising in 1916. She was the wife of Tom Clarke and sister to Ned Daly, both of whom would be executed for their part in the Rebellion...
as Teachtaí Dála.
The Treaty
On 7 January 1922 the Anglo-Irish TreatyAnglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
was approved by the Second Dáil
Second Dáil
The Second Dáil was Dáil Éireann as it convened from 16 August 1921 until 8 June 1922. From 1919–1922 Dáil Éireann was the revolutionary parliament of the self-proclaimed Irish Republic. The Second Dáil consisted of members elected in 1921...
by a close vote of 64-57. On 5 February a convention was held to discuss this, and 419 Cumann na mBan members voted against as opposed to 63 in favour. In the ensuing Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, its members largely supported the anti-Treaty Republican forces. Over 400 of its members were imprisoned by the forces of the Provisional government which became in December 1922 the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
. Some of those who supported the Treaty changed the name of their branches to Cumann na Saoirse, while others retained their name but gave allegiance to the Free State Government.
After the Treaty
Cumann na mBan continued to exist after the Treaty, forming (alongside Sinn Féin, the Irish Republican Army, Fianna ÉireannFianna Éireann
The name Fianna Éireann , also written Fianna na hÉireann and Na Fianna Éireann , has been used by various Irish republican youth movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries...
and other groups) part of the Irish republican milieu. The government of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
banned the organisation in January 1923 and opened up Kilmainham Jail as a detention prison for suspect women.
Its membership strength was adversely affected by the many splits in Irish republicanism, with sections of the membership resigning to join Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
, Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was an Irish republican and social democratic political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff Seán MacBride in 1946.-Foundation:...
and other parties. Máire Comerford
Maire Comerford
Máire Comerford was an Irish republican from County Wexford who witnessed central events in 1916-23 and remained a committed supporter of Cumann na mBan until her death.-Early career to 1916:...
, a life-long member from 1914, reflected in later years that it became a 'greatly weakened organisation' that 'gathered speed downhill' from the founding of Fianna Fáil in 1926.
Present day
Cumann na mBan supported the Provisional wing in the 1969/70 split in the IRA and Sinn Féin. Sinn Féin vice-president and leading Cumann na mBan member Máire DrummMáire Drumm
Máire Drumm was the vice president of Sinn Féin and a commander in Cumann na mBan. She was assassinated by loyalists while recovering in Belfast's Mater Hospital....
was killed by loyalists in 1976. In Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
Cumann na mBan was integrated into the mainstream Irish Republican Army during the conflict, although they continued to exist as a separate organisation in the South of Ireland.
In 1986, the Cumann na mBan opposed the decision by the IRA and Sinn Féin to drop the policy of abstentionism and aligned itself with Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin
Republican Sinn Féin or RSF is an unregisteredAlthough an active movement, RSF is not registered as a political party in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. minor political party operating in Ireland. It emerged in 1986 as a result of a split in Sinn Féin...
and the Continuity IRA. In 1995, RSF general secretary and Cumann na mBan member Josephine Hayden
Josephine Hayden
Josephine Hayden is the General Secretary along with Líta Ní Chathmhaoil of Republican Sinn Fein. Hayden is a former Republican Prisoner who served five years in prison for possession of weapons which were found in a van she was travelling in at Tallaght, Dublin, in 1995.-External links:* *...
was jailed for six years on charges relating to the possession of a shotgun and a revolver.
The U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Terrorism Act 2000 currently lists Cumann na mBan as a "Domestic Terrorist Group". However it is not so listed in 2008 by the U. S. State Department.
Presidents
- Countess Markievicz (1914–1927)
- Jennie Wyse PowerJennie Wyse PowerJennie Wyse Power was an Irish activist, feminist, politician and businesswoman. She was a founder member of Sinn Féin and also of Inghinidhe na hÉireann....
- Eithne Coyle O'Donnell (1897–1987)
- Margaret Langsdorf (1915–1956)
Other prominent members
- Ada EnglishAda EnglishAda English was an Irish revolutionary politician and psychiatrist.English was born in Caherciveen, County Kerry, to Patrick and Nora of Mullingar, County Westmeath. She had four siblings, including two brothers, Pierce and Frank...
- Margaret BuckleyMargaret BuckleyMargaret Buckley was an Irish republican and president of Sinn Féin from 1937 to 1950.-Early life:Originally from Cork, she joined Inghinidhe na hÉireann, which was founded in 1900, and was involved in the War of Independence in Cork...
- May Caffrey, mother of Ruairí Ó BrádaighRuairí Ó BrádaighRuairí Ó Brádaigh is an Irish republican. He is a former chief of staff of the Irish Republican Army , former president of Sinn Féin and former president of Republican Sinn Féin.-Early life:...
- Charlotte DespardCharlotte DespardCharlotte Despard was a British-born, later Irish-based suffragist, novelist and Sinn Féin activist....
- Mary McSwiney
- Helena MoloneyHelena MoloneyHelena Moloney was a prominent Irish republican, feminist and labor activist. She fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trade Union Congress....
- Estella SolomonsEstella SolomonsEstella Francis Solomons was one of the leading Irish artists of her generation.-Life:She was born in Dublin, Ireland, the daughter of Maurice Solomons , an optician whose practice in 19 Nassau St., Dublin, is mentioned in Ulysses. Her family, the Solomons, who came to Dublin from England in 1824,...
- Kathleen Lane-O'Kelley (née Shanahan)
- Kathleen ClarkeKathleen ClarkeKathleen Clarke, née Daly was a member of Cumann na mBan, and one of very few privy to the plans of the Easter Rising in 1916. She was the wife of Tom Clarke and sister to Ned Daly, both of whom would be executed for their part in the Rebellion...
, widow of Tom ClarkeTom Clarke (Irish republican)Thomas James "Tom" Clarke was an Irish revolutionary leader and arguably the person most responsible for the 1916 Easter Rising. A proponent of violent revolution for most of his life, he spent 15 years in prison... - Máire ComerfordMaire ComerfordMáire Comerford was an Irish republican from County Wexford who witnessed central events in 1916-23 and remained a committed supporter of Cumann na mBan until her death.-Early career to 1916:...
- Sheila HumphreysSheila HumphreysSheila Humphreys, sometimes known as Sighle Humphreys, was an Irish political activist and member of Cumann na mBan.-Background:...
- Polly Cosgrave
- Elizabeth Bloxham
- Lil Conlon