Kathleen Clarke (; ; 12 April 1878 – 29 September 1972) was a founder member of Cumann na mBan, a women's paramilitary organisation formed in Ireland in 1914, and one of very few privy to the plans of 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 ...

in 1916. She was the wife of Tom Clarke and sister of

Ned Daly John Edward Daly (25 February 1891 – 4 May 1916; ) was commandant of Dublin's 1st battalion of the Irish Volunteers during the Easter Rising of 1916. He was the youngest man to hold that rank and the youngest executed in the aftermath. Backg ...

, both of whom were executed for their part in the Rising. She was subsequently a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( ; ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish language, Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas, the parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The official Engli ...

(TD) and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

with both

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

and

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil ( ; ; meaning "Soldiers of Destiny" or "Warriors of Fál"), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party (), is a centre to centre-right political party in Ireland. Founded as a republican party in 1926 by Éamon de ...

, and the first female

Lord Mayor of Dublin The Lord Mayor of Dublin () is the honorary title of the chairperson ( ) of Dublin City Council which is the local government body for the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The incumbent, since December 2024, is Fine Gael councillor Emma ...

(1939–1941).

Early life

Kathleen Daly was born 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 ...

on 12 April 1878, the third daughter of Edward and Catherine Daly (née O'Mara). She was born into a prominent

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood. They were secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

family. Her paternal uncle, John Daly, a subsequent Mayor of Limerick, was at the time imprisoned for his political activities in Chatham and Portland Prisons in England.Clarke, Kathleen (2008), ''Kathleen Clarke: Revolutionary Woman.'' Dublin, O'Brien Press. pp.9-13 Her uncle was released in 1896 and returned home to Limerick. At this time Kathleen had started a drapery business having previously begun an apprenticeship. When Tom Clarke, who had been imprisoned with her uncle, was released in 1898 he travelled to Limerick to receive the Freedom of the city and stayed with the Daly family. Kathleen_Clarke_1900

In 1901 she ceased her business in the city as she had decided to emigrate to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to join Tom who had been there since 1900, having secured work through his Fenian contacts. They married on 16 July 1901 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and lived in both the Bronx and Brooklyn areas of the city. They had three children together. Through his contacts in the

Clan na Gael Clan na Gael (CnG) (, ; "family of the Gaels") is an Irish republican organization, founded in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister organization to the Irish Republican Bro ...

and the

Irish Republican Brotherhood The Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB; ) was a secret oath-bound fraternal organisation dedicated to the establishment of an "independent democratic republic" in Ireland between 1858 and 1924.McGee, p. 15. Its counterpart in the United States ...

(IRB), Tom Clarke continued to be involved in nationalist activity. Kathleen joined the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...

while in the US and they returned to Ireland in November 1907. They opened a tobaconnist shop, initially at 55 Amiens Street, and later a second at 75a Great Britain (now Parnell) Street, which they ran together.

Cumann na mBan

In 1914 she became a founding member of Cumann na mBan. Her husband forbade her to take an active part in the 1916

as she had orders regardless of how the events would unfold. As Tom Clarke was the first signatory of the

Proclamation of the Irish Republic The Proclamation of the Republic (), also known as the 1916 Proclamation or the Easter Proclamation, was a document issued by the Irish Volunteers and the Irish Citizen Army during the Easter Rising in Ireland, which began on 24 April 1916. ...

he was chosen to be executed for his part in the Easter Rising. Her younger brother,

, was also executed for taking part in the rising.McCoole, Sinead (2003) ''No Ordinary Women: Irish Female Activists in the Revolutionary Years 1900–1923.'' Dublin, The O'Brien Press p.157 She visited both of them before they were executed. Kathleen was pregnant at the time but subsequently lost the baby. She was committed to a long term struggle for Irish independence: "Other risings left only despair, and efforts towards freedom left to the next generation. I would make every effort to keep the ball rolling, and in some way continue the fight for freedom, and not let it end with the Rising." After the Rising

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and Ge ...

established contact with her while in prison in his attempts to re-build the IRB network.Coogan, Tim Pat (1991) ''Michael Collins.'' London, Arrow Books. p.54 She also set up the Irish National Aid Fund to aid those who had family members killed or imprisoned as a result of the Easter Rising closely aided by Sorcha MacMahon.

Political career

Sinn Féin

She became a member of Sinn Féin and in 1917 was elected a member of the party's Executive. In 1918 (during the alleged " German Plot") she was arrested and imprisoned in

Holloway Prison HM Prison Holloway was a British prison security categories, closed category prison for adult women and young offenders in Holloway, London, England, operated by His Majesty's Prison Service. It was the largest women's prison in western Europe, ...

for eleven months. Imprisoned in Holloway along with Clarke were several women Irish Republican leaders -

Maud Gonne Maud Gonne MacBride (, born Edith Maud Gonne); 21 December 1866 – 27 April 1953) was an Irish republican revolutionary, suffragette and actress. She was of Anglo-Irish descent and was won over to Irish nationalism by the plight of people evict ...

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 ...

and

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington Johanna Mary Sheehy-Skeffington (née Sheehy; 24 May 1877 – 20 April 1946) was a suffragette and Irish nationalist. Along with her husband Francis Sheehy-Skeffington, Margaret Cousins and James Cousins, she founded the Irish Women's Franch ...

. During the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

she served as a District Judge on the Republican Courts in Dublin. In 1919 she was elected as an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

for the Wood Quay and Mountjoy Wards of

Dublin Corporation Dublin Corporation (), known by generations of Dubliners simply as ''The Corpo'', is the former name of the city government and its administrative organisation in Dublin since the 1100s. Significantly re-structured in 1660–1661, even more si ...

and served until the corporation was abolished in 1925. She was also active in the

Irish White Cross The Irish White Cross was established on 1 February 1921 as a mechanism for distributing funds raised by the American Committee for Relief in Ireland. It was managed by the Quaker businessman, and later Irish Free State senator, James G. Dougla ...

. She was elected unopposed as a Sinn Féin Teachta Dála (TD) to the

Second Dáil The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...

at the 1921 elections for the Dublin Mid constituency. She argued against the

Anglo-Irish Treaty The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...

in the Dáil debates in December 1921 and January 1922. She was not re-elected at the 1922 general election, however and supported the

Anti-Treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty (), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain an ...

during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 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 Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. She was arrested briefly by the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

during this time and her shop in D'Olier Street, Dublin was frequently raided. Clarke later applied to the Irish government for a service pension under the Military Service Pensions Act, 1934 and was awarded 7 years service in 1950 at Grade D for her service with Cumann na mBan between 1 April 1916 and 30 March 1923.

Fianna Fáil

In 1926 she became a founder member of

and had to resign from Cumann na mBan. She was re-elected to the short-lived 5th Dáil at the June 1927 election as a Fianna Fáil member for the Dublin Mid constituency but lost her seat at the September 1927 election and did not regain it. She was elected as one of six Fianna Fáil Senators to the Free State Seanad (Senate) for nine years at the 1928 Seanad election under the leadership of Joseph Connolly.O'Sullivan, Donal (1940), ''The Irish Free State and Its Senate.'' London, Faber and Faber. pp.240-1 She would remain a member of the Seanad until it was abolished in 1936.

First woman to be Lord Mayor of Dublin

In 1930 she was elected to the re-constituted Dublin Corporation for Fianna Fáil along with Robert Briscoe,

Seán T. O'Kelly Seán Thomas O'Kelly (; 25 June 1882 – 23 November 1966), originally John T. O'Kelly, was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the second president of Ireland from June 1945 to June 1959. He also served as deputy prime minister of Ir ...

, Thomas Kelly and

Oscar Traynor Oscar Traynor (21 March 1886 – 14 December 1963) was an Irish republican and Fianna Fáil politician 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 served as the first Fianna Fáil

, and the first female Lord Mayor, from 1939 to 1941. She opposed the

Constitution of Ireland The Constitution of Ireland (, ) is the constitution, fundamental law of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It asserts the national sovereignty of the Irish people. It guarantees certain fundamental rights, along with a popularly elected non-executi ...

as she felt that several of its sections would place women in a lower position that they had been afforded in the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Following correspondence with

, she made her feelings public in the press. She was criticised by many in Fianna Fáil as a result and, while she resigned from the Thomas Clarke Cumann she remained a member of the Fianna Fáil Ard Chomhairle (national executive committee). She had previously opposed the Conditions of Employment Bill in the Seanad in 1935. While she did not support the IRA bombing campaign in England during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she appealed for IRA men sentenced to death by the Irish courts to be granted clemency. Ultimately this would lead to her breaking with the party completely after her term as Lord Mayor had finished in 1941. She also opposed the perceived centralisation of local government and the increased power of County and City Managers which had been introduced by

Seán MacEntee Seán Francis MacEntee (; 23 August 1889 – 9 January 1984) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Tánaiste from 1959 to 1965, Minister for Social Welfare from 1957 to 1961, Minister for Health from 1957 to 1965, Minister for Lo ...

. She declined to stand as a Fianna Fáil candidate at the 1943 general election. She helped found the

Irish Red Cross The Irish Red Cross Society (IRCS; also Irish Red Cross or IRC; ) is the National Red Cross Society for the Republic of Ireland. (Northern Ireland comes under the aegis of the British Red Cross.) The society was formally established on 6 July ...

while Lord Mayor of Dublin. She contested the 1948 general election on behalf of

Clann na Poblachta Clann na Poblachta (; "Family/Children of the Republic") was an Irish republican Irish republicanism () is the political movement for an Irish republic, void of any British rule. Throughout its centuries of existence, it has encompassed var ...

in Dublin North-East but was not elected, receiving only 1,419 (3.2%) votes.

Later life

In 1966, as part of the celebrations of the Easter Rising, she and other surviving relatives were awarded honorary doctorates of law by the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

. In the run up to the commemorations of the rising she wrote to then taoiseach

Seán Lemass Seán Francis Lemass (born John Francis Lemass; 15 July 1899 – 11 May 1971) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1959 to 1966. He also served as Tánaiste from 1957 to 1959, 1951 to 1954 ...

saying as “the only widow alive of the signatories of the 1916 Proclamation...I know more about the events both before and after the Rising than anyone now alive”. She wanted a central role in the celebrations and said that her husband, not Patrick Pearse, had been president of the Republic in 1916. She said Pearse “wanted to grab what was due to others . . . surely Pearse should have been satisfied with the honour of Commander-in-Chief when he knew as much about commanding as my dog . . . I had not intended raising the issue in public but I shall be forced to come out very strongly in public if the powers that be attempt to declare Pearse as President”. In a taped interview made in 1968 she opined that

Roger Casement Roger David Casement (; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during World War I. He worked for the Britis ...

was "... the aristocratic kind and he assumed that when he went into any movement, ipso facto, he was one of our leaders, if not the leader . . . and what could he know of Ireland, when he was all the time out of it.” Following her death aged 94 in 1972 at a nursing home in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, she received the rare honour of a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

. She is buried at

Deans Grange Cemetery Dean's Grange Cemetery (; also spelled ''Deansgrange'') is situated in the suburban area of Deansgrange in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, County Dublin, Ireland. Since it first opened in 1865, over 150,000 people have been buried there. It is, toge ...

, Dublin. She preferred to be known as ''Caitlín Bean Uí Chléirigh'' (Kathleen, Mrs Clarke) and had this inscription on her headstone. Her grand-niece, Helen Litton, edited her memoirs and her biography was published in 1991. An apartment building in

Ballybough Ballybough () is an inner city district of northeast Dublin city, Ireland. Adjacent areas include the North Strand and Clonliffe. Location Ballybough is an inner city district of northeast Dublin. Neighbouring districts include Drumcondra to ...

is named after Clarke, 'Kathleen Clarke Place'.

References

External links

Interview with Kathleen Clarke – RTÉ Libraries and ArchivesKathleen Clarke file at Limerick City Library, Ireland

Kathleen Daly Clarke Papers and Collection of Thomas Clarke and Irish Political Materials
at John J. Burns Library,

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Kathleen 1878 births 1972 deaths Burials at Deans Grange Cemetery Clann na Poblachta candidates in Dáil elections Cumann na mBan members Early Sinn Féin TDs Fianna Fáil TDs Fianna Fáil senators Lord mayors of Dublin Members of the 1928 Seanad Members of the 1931 Seanad Members of the 1934 Seanad Members of the 2nd Dáil Members of the 5th Dáil People of the Irish War of Independence Politicians from County Limerick Women mayors of places in Ireland 20th-century women Teachtaí Dála Women in the Irish War of Independence