Eva O'Flaherty (31 March 1874 – 17 April 1963) was an Irish nationalist, Parisienne model, patron of the arts and London milliner who founded a successful knitting industry on Achill Island.

Early life

O'Flaherty was born to Martin O'Flaherty and Mary Frances Barbara O'Gorman Lalor O'Gorman, strongly nationalist Catholics, in Caherlistrane's Lisdonagh House,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

. Her father was involved in the

John Mitchel John Mitchel (; 3 November 1815 – 20 March 1875) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist writer and journalist chiefly renowned for his indictment of British policy in Ireland during the years of the Great Famine (Ireland), Great Famin ...

Treason Felony trial in 1848, for the defence. Her mother was the daughter of

Daniel O'Connell Daniel(I) O’Connell (; 6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847), hailed in his time as The Liberator, was the acknowledged political leader of Ireland's Roman Catholic majority in the first half of the 19th century. His mobilisation of Catholic Irelan ...

's colleague, Richard O'Gorman. Her uncle Richard was a

Young Ireland Young Ireland (, ) was a political movement, political and cultural movement, cultural movement in the 1840s committed to an all-Ireland struggle for independence and democratic reform. Grouped around the Dublin weekly ''The Nation (Irish news ...

er and her granduncle was Purcell O'Gorman, O'Connell's 'second' for the 1815 duel with John D'Esterre, in which the latter was killed. In her youth, O'Flaherty lived in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

but her secondary schooling was in

Mount Anville Secondary School Mount Anville Secondary School is a Roman Catholic, voluntary all-girls post-primary school in Goatstown, a suburb of Dublin, in Ireland. It was originally an all-boarding school, but due to decreased demand for such schools has since become a ...

and

Alexandra College Alexandra College () is an independent day and boarding school for girls in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under a Church of Ireland ethos. History The school was founded in 1866 and takes its name from Princess Alexandra of ...

. When she had finished school O'Flaherty went to Paris to study millinery. It was there she met and made friends with

Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, and socialist who was the first woman ...

. She then opened a millinery shop in London.

Nationalism and Achill

In 1910 O'Flaherty moved to

Achill Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the barony (Ireland), historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a popu ...

where she opened St Colman’s Knitting Industries. These were based in

Dooagh Dooagh () is a village located on Achill Island in County Mayo, Ireland. It is best known for the nearby Keem Bay, a Blue Flag beach. Dooagh beach Between May 2017 and January 2019, Dooagh beach had of golden sand. Previously, the sand was com ...

and provided local employment for women of the area for fifty years. She also was part of the founding of Scoil Acla, with

Darrell Figgis Darrell Edmund Figgis (; 17 September 1882 – 27 October 1925) was an Irish people, Irish writer, Sinn Féin activist and independent parliamentarian in the Irish Free State. Early life Darrell Figgis was born at Glen na Smoil, Palmerstown Par ...

, Colm O’Loughlainn, and Anita McMahon. Unlike other founders of Scoil Acla, O'Flaherty stayed living on the island the rest of her life. Figgis was leader of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

in Achill in April 1916. She was connected to other well-known members of Ireland's nationalist movement. By 1914, O'Flaherty was a member of

Cumann na mBan Cumann na mBan (; but in English termed The Irishwomen's Council), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and dissolving Inghinidhe na hÉireann, and in 191 ...

with

Louise Gavan Duffy Louise Gavan Duffy (, 17 July 1884 – 12 October 1969) was an educator, an Irish language enthusiast and a Gaelic revivalist, setting up the first Gaelscoil in Ireland. She was also a suffragist and Irish nationalist who was present in the Ge ...

. During the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

she was part of the group known as "basket women" carrying messages through the city by bicycle. She remained friends with many of her nationalist acquaintances for the rest of her life. After the rising O'Flaherty returned to Achill. Her life in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where for a time she had had a millinery shop, meant she had made a significant number of connections in artistic circles. As a result, people like the artists Paul Henry and

Marie Howet Marie Howet (24 March 1897 – 24 March 1984) was a Belgian expressionist painter and illustrator. Marie Françoise Céline Howet was born in Libramont, daughter of Constant Howet, a doctor, and Pauline Thiry. She received a musical educati ...

and the writers

Heinrich Böll Heinrich Theodor Böll (; ; 21 December 1917 – 16 July 1985) was a German writer. Considered one of Germany's foremost post-World War II writers, Böll received the Georg Büchner Prize (1967) and the Nobel Prize for Literature (1972). Bio ...

and

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquired a re ...

would visit her often. O'Flaherty died on 17 April 1963 aged 89. President

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

sent Senator Mark Killilea to give the oration. She was buried in

Donaghpatrick Donaghpatrick () is a village and townland in County Meath, Ireland. It lies approximately 5 km northwest of Navan off the R147 regional road between Navan and Kells on the northern bank of the River Blackwater. The Irish language name o ...

graveyard, her coffin draped with a tricolour and given military honours. Her biography was written in 2012 by Mary J. Murphy. A portrait of O'Flaherty created in 1947 Derek Hill is part of the Hugh Lane collection.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OFlaherty, Eva Irish nationalists 20th-century Irish businesswomen 20th-century Irish businesspeople 1874 births 1963 deaths People from Achill Island People from County Galway People from County Limerick Irish expatriates in France British milliners