Grace Gifford Plunkett letter and article
Dates
- Creation: 1916 April 22, 1966 April 12
Scope and Contents
Letter from Grace Gifford to her fiancé Joseph M. Plunkett, then recovering from surgery in a Dublin nursing home. With an envelope addressed to Joseph Plunkett, Miss Quinn's Nursing Home, 27 Mountjoy Sq, City, and postmarked April 22, two days before the Easter Rising. The full text of the letter reads: "Just to wish you goodnight! Had to get a car home. Damn, darling, if you see me at al tomorrow let it be morning or afternoon. I forgot to tell you that. Do you want any help moving your poetry books and settling in generally? Deepest love, sweetheart (nasty as you are!). I'd simply love to be with you, but it's going to be impossible. Grace." At the bottom of the page there is a sketch of an unidentified animal or imaginary creature.
With a clipping from the April 12, 1966 edition of the News Letter (Belfast, Northern Ireland : 1962). Under the headline "Strange story of a lost letter," the article relates how the letter was found on the body of an unidentified man shot in the Easter Rising.
Creator
- Plunkett, Grace, 1888-1955 (Person)
Language of Materials
In English.
Restrictions on Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
These materials are made available for use in research, teaching and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright Law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. The original authors may retain copyright to the materials.
Biographical / Historical
Grace Gifford Plunkett was born in 1888 in Dublin, Ireland to a Protestant mother and Catholic father. Plunkett was an artist and cartoonist, who was active in the Irish Republican movement. She married her fiancé Joseph M. Plunkett in Kilmainham Gaol only a few hours before he was executed for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising.
Grace Gifford Plunkett died in 1955 and was buried with full military honors, close to her husband's final resting place in Glasnevin Cemetery.
Source:
O'Connor, Rachael. "Who was Grace Gifford Plunkett? The heartbreaking true story behind the song 'Grace'". The Irish Post, March 4, 2021.
Extent
1.75 Linear Feet (2 containers )
Abstract
The collection consists of a letter from Grace Gifford Plunkett to her fiancé Joseph M. Plunkett while he recovered from surgery at a nursing home in Dublin, Ireland, two nights before the Easter Rising. Also included is a newspaper clipping from 1966 discussing the letter.
Arrangement
The collection is organized chronologically.
Provenance
Purchased from De Burca Rare Books, 2017.
Subject
- Plunkett, Joseph Mary, 1887-1916 (Person)
Source
- De Búrca Rare Books (Bookseller, Organization)
- Title
- Grace Gifford Plunkett Letter and Article
- Status
- Completed
- Subtitle
- 1916 April 22-1966 April 12
- Author
- Noah Sheola in 2020; Molly Aleshire
- Date
- 2023
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
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