Bridget Connolly (23 May 1890 – 15 November 1981) was an Irish

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

and republican, active during the Easter Rising of 1916 and believed to be the only person from

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by ...

to be in the

General Post Office, Dublin The General Post Office (GPO; ga, Ard-Oifig an Phoist) is the headquarters of An Post — the Irish Post Office. It is the principal post office of Dublin — the capital city of Ireland — and is situated in the centre of O'Connell Street, ...

, during the Easter Rising. She also served during both the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which resi ...

and the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

Biography

Bridget Connolly was born 23 May 1890 in Friarstown near Killerig, County Carlow. Her parents were Peter Connolly, a labourer, and Elizabeth Gaynor. The Connolly's left Friarstown, possibly after they were evicted, and by 1911 were living in Artane, Dublin. She attended school at St. Vincent's Convent School, Dublin, going to qualify as a school teacher. She then joined , an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation. In advance of the Easter Rising, Connolly stored arms, over a dozen 900 Mauser rifles. She served in the GPO garrison during the Easter Rising, where she carried dispatches from

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the ...

in the GPO to Ned Daly in Church Street. She was also stationed at the Hibernian Bank during that week. When the retreat from the GPO looked inevitable, Connolly was tasked with leading a group of women from the building by

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...

and James Connolly on the Friday. She led 30 to 40 women out of the building under a white flag, with the group being arrested and brought to

Summerhill Summerhill or Summer Hill may refer to the following places: Australia *Summer Hill, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney * Summerhill, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston *Summerhill (Mount Duneed), a prefabricated iron cottage in Victoria Canada * ...

. They were released that evening. Connolly was described as by her fellow Cumann na mBan members as being of "highest grade". In the days after the Rising, she mounted a search to find volunteer

Paddy Shortis Paddy may refer to: People *Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname *An ethnic slur for an Irishman Birds *Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon * Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species *Black-faced s ...

, only to discover he had died in the retreat from the GPO. His family believed they were in a romantic relationship at the time of Shortis' death. During the War of Independence, she collected and stored arms, and secured safe houses for men on the run. Connolly went to Manchester and Liverpool on the orders of

Austin Stack Augustine Mary Moore Stack (7 December 1879 – 27 April 1929) was an Irish republican and politician who served as Minister for Home Affairs from 1921 to 1922. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1918 to 1927. Early life Stack was born in Ball ...

during the Civil War to relay cables to the United States and await the replies. She was attached to the garrison at Barry's Hotel during the attack on the

Four Courts The Four Courts ( ga, Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit ...

in 1922, mobilising men and moving arms under the orders of

Oscar Traynor Oscar Traynor (21 March 1886 – 14 December 1963) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and republican who served as Minister for Justice from 1957 to 1961, Minister for Defence from 1939 to 1948 and 1951 to 1954, Minister for Posts and Telegr ...

. She was imprisoned after that attack, with

Richard Mulcahy Richard James Mulcahy (10 May 1886 – 16 December 1971) was an Irish Fine Gael politician and army general who served as Minister for Education from 1948 to 1951 and 1954 to 1957, Minister for the Gaeltacht from June 1956 to October 1956, ...

ruling her a danger to public safety. She was released in late November 1923. At the 25th anniversary of the Rising in 1941, she received her

1916 Medal The 1916 Medal is a service medal of the Republic of Ireland. Established 24 January 1941, the medal was awarded to those who rendered recognised military service during the week of 23 April 1916 during the Easter Rising. Appearance The 1916 Med ...

for her role in the GPO. She was number 332 in the 1936 roll of honour, and was awarded three more medals:

Service Medal (1917-1921) Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a p ...

, 1916- 1966 Easter Rising Anniversary Commemorative Medal, and Truce (1921) Commemoration Medal. Connolly died on 15 November 1981, and is buried in the family plot in Grange cemetery, County Carlow.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Bridget 1890 births 1981 deaths Irish republicans Women in war 1900–1945 Women in war in Ireland People of the Easter Rising People of the Irish War of Independence People of the Irish Civil War (Anti-Treaty side) People from County Carlow Cumann na mBan members