Constance de Markievicz, 1912-1938, undated
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials collected by Loretta Clarke Murray relating to the fight for Irish Independence, particularly materials belonging to women who fought for the cause. Included are materials by and about Cumann na mBan, Máire Gill, Maud Gonne, Countess Constance Markievicz, Helena Molony, Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington, and Margaret Skinnider in the form of correspondence, photographs, meeting minutes, autograph books of female prisoners, and handbills. Of note are an embroidered banner made by Gonne and a journal chronicling Skinnider’s participation in the 1916 Easter Rising.
Other materials are related to the women’s personal and artistic pursuits. Materials from Cuala Industries, from both the printing and embroidery departments, are included. Gill’s papers include photographs, correspondence, and other materials relevant to her involvement with camogie, as well as her work as a printer for Cuala Press. The collection also contains photographs and articles about Elizabeth Corbet Yeats’ management of Cuala Industries and watercolor landscapes by Yeats. Irish arts are further documented through jewelry, including Tara-inspired brooches worn by Inghinidhe na hÉireann members, etchings by Estella Frances Solomons, and a watercolor by Michael MacLiammoir inspired by a W.B. Yeats poem.
Bean na hÉireann: Monthly magazine published by the organization Inghinidhe na hÉireann.
Cumann na mBan: League of Women; An Irish republican women's organization.
Cumann Camógaíochta na nGael: The name of the Camogie Association from 1939 until 2010.
Cumann na Saoirse: The League for Freedom; The women’s organization created after Cumann na mBan split.
Dáil Éireann: Assembly of Ireland; The parliament of the Irish Republic from 1919 to 1922.
Inghinidhe na hÉireann: An Irish republican women’s organization founded by Maud Gonne and later merged with Cumann na mBan.
Sinn Féin: Irish republican political party.
Dates
- Creation: 1912-1938, undated
Creator
- Markievicz, Constance de, 1868-1927 (Person)
Language of Materials
This collection includes materials in English, French, and Irish.
Access Note
Collection is open for research; portions of the collection available digitally.
Biographical note
Countess Constance de Markievicz was born Constance Gore-Booth in 1868 in County Sligo, Ireland. She married Count Casimir Markievicz, an artist who already had a son, Stanislas, by his first marriage. Together they had a daughter, Maeve.
An actress with the Independent Dramatic Company, Markievicz was also involved with the Irish independence and suffrage movements. She was a member of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies and also worked with the Irish Citizen Army. Additionally, Markievicz co-founded Fianna Éireann and trained Irish boys in military skills.
During the 1916 Easter Rising, Markievicz served as second-in-command at St. Stephen’s Green. She was arrested for her role in the rebellion and sent to Kilmainham Gaol, and later to Mountjoy Prison and then a prison in Aylesbury, England. She was sentenced to death for her involvement, but that sentence was reduced to life in prison because of her gender. She was eventually released in July 1917.
She was elected to Sinn Féin’s executive council and then arrested again in 1918 for Sinn Fein’s anti-conscription actions. That same year she ran as the candidate for Sinn Féin in the St. Patrick division of Dublin and won, becoming the first woman elected to British Parliament. She did not ever sit in the House of Commons, however, and was still in Holloway prison when her colleagues met for the Dáil Éireann, the revolutionary parliament of Ireland. She was appointed Minister of Labor by Éamon de Valera.
In March 1919 she was released from prison, only to be arrested again that same year for making seditious speeches. She moved around upon her release to avoid imprisonment, since Sinn Féin had become an illegal organization. However, she was arrested for a fourth time and had a long imprisonment at Mountjoy Prison. During the Irish War for Independence, Markievicz served as a sniper and was arrested for a fifth time while speaking in Dublin.
She died in 1927.
Sources
Eide, Marian. "Maeve’s Legacy: Constance Markievicz, Eva Gore-Booth, and the Easter Rising." Éire-Ireland 51, no. 3 (2016): 80-103.
Patrick Allitt. "Markievicz, Constance (1868-1927).(Narrative Biography)." Encyclopedia of World Biography, 1998, Encyclopedia of World Biography, Edition 1, 1998.
Full Extent
2.0 Linear Feet (2 containers)
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Burns Library Repository
John J. Burns Library
Boston College
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill MA 02467 USA
617-552-4861
burns@bc.libanswers.com