Review: Women of the Irish Rising by Michael Hogan

Synopsis: This is the story of the women who put their lives on the line for Irish freedom. They were not only the nurses, cooks, and couriers, but also gunrunners, sharpshooters, and organizers. Many who barely received mention in mainstream histories are fully revealed here both in their own words and by those who witnessed their incredible courage and leadership.

Over 250 women took part in the Irish Rising, more than 70 were imprisoned, and one was sentenced to death by the British. The struggle was initially betrayed by a conservative government which compromised their rights to equality, but women were finally vindicated in recent years.

Now the fight for distributive justice and the unity of the entire nation, original goals of the Easter Rising, have passed to the present generation.

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This is exactly what it sets out to be - an easy to follow account of the women who were participants - combatants, auxiliaries, medics - in the events of the East Rising in Ireland in 1916. Hogan links these women directly with the events of the Rising as they played out. These women were active in their roles not just voices of support. And it should be noted that out of all the male leaders, it was only De Valera who refused to have women in his contingent.

The Easter Rising was an Irish republican insurrection against British government in Ireland, which began on Easter Monday, April 24, 1916, in Dublin. The uprising was planned to be nationwide in scope, but a series of mishaps led to its being confined to Dublin alone - the British had discovered the plans, leaders were arrested and planned action was called off. Following a forces surrender, Pearse and 14 other leaders of the rebellion were court-martialed and executed by British authorities in the weeks that followed. Though the uprising itself had been unpopular with most of the Irish people, these executions excited a wave of revulsion against the British authorities and turned the dead republican leaders into martyred heroes.

Of the 250 or so women who participated, 79 received sentences of imprisonment - and some of deportation.  Only one - Constance Markiewicz - received a court marital and death penalty (later commuted to imprisonment). The first fatality of the Irish Rising was a nurse - Margaret Keogh. And it was nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell who, under constant fire from the British, delivered the order to surrender to the Volunteers.

Of the women included by Hogan, some of the roles consisted of: gun-running, financial support, medical support, communications, military combatants, and training. The women in the 1916 Rising represented a cross-section of Irish society - single and married, from different religious denominations and social strata, and they included an actress, nurses, a doctor, a noblewoman, shop-assistants, seamstresses, feminists and pacifists.

The majority of the women were supporters and / or actively involved in the suffrage movement and of Cumann na mBan (Women's Guard), or were themselves members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood or the Irish Civilian Army.

Many documented their experiences during the Rising and beyond, and continued to be active in both the womens' suffrage movement and the struggle for a free Ireland. Notwithstanding their most active roles in the Rising, womens' rights were largely forgotten (despite promises to the contrary contained in the Proclamation). Their roles were severely restricted under Eamon de Valera (who as noted above, refused to have them in his contingent).

These women were deserving of more than just a mere footnote in the history books, and Hogan concludes with a further discussion on womens' rights, and the meaning of the Rising and the role of women which was - and still is - only imperfectly understood.

A valuable resource for further study and research for those with a deep interest in their particular period of history. Highly recommended reading - and a great addition to my own personal library.