Muriel MacDonagh (née Gifford; 18 December 1884 – 9 July 1917) was an Irish nationalist, and member of

Inghinidhe na hÉireann Inghinidhe na hÉireann (; "Daughters of Ireland") was a radical Irish nationalist women's organisation led and founded by Maud Gonne from 1900 to 1914, when it merged with the new (The Irishwomen's Council). Patriotic Children's Treat The Ing ...

. Her husband

Thomas MacDonagh Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclama ...

, was one of the signees 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. ...

, which led to the

Easter Rebellion 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 in ...

Early life

Muriel Enid Gifford was born at 12 Cowper Road,

Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...

on 18 December 1884. She was the fourth daughter and eighth child of twelve of Frederick and Isabella Gifford. As a child, she suffered at different times from

rheumatic fever Rheumatic fever (RF) is an inflammation#Disorders, inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. The disease typically develops two to four weeks after a Streptococcal pharyngitis, streptococcal throat infection. Si ...

and

phlebitis Phlebitis (or venitis) is inflammation of a vein, usually in the legs. It most commonly occurs in superficial veins. Phlebitis often occurs in conjunction with thrombosis (clotting inside blood vessels) and is then called thrombophlebitis or ...

. She attended

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 ...

, and spent a brief time in England training to as a poultry instructor. Returning to Ireland, she trained at Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital, Dublin as a student nurse, but her health suffered from the work.

Nationalism

Along with her sisters, MacDonagh was active in the

Women's Franchise League The Women's Franchise League was a British organisation created by the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst together with her husband Richard and others in 1889, fourteen years before the creation of the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903. The P ...

and Inghinidhe na hÉireann, a nationalist organisation. She was involved in the school meals programme of 1910 to 1911, took part in a 1914 Women's Franchise League fundraiser, appearing in a tableau vivant as Maeve, the Warrior Queen. Less ardently feminist than her sisters, MacDonagh took delight in inviting home activists and artists for a "proper meal". In an outgoing family, she was shy and reserved, known for her gentle manner. In 1908 she was introduced to

by suffragette journalist Nora Dryhurst along with her sisters,

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...

and Sidney, on a visit to St Enda's School. Dryhurst advised Thomas to "fall in love with one of these girls and marry her", to which he replied laughingly "That would be easy; the only difficulty would be to decide which one". The Gifford sisters remained acquaintances with Thomas until the autumn of 1911, when the couple had a short and intense courtship. They would meet secretly in galleries and museums, and had copious correspondence. When he was appointed assistant lecturer to

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

in December 1911, they married on 3 January 1912. They had one son,

Donagh MacDonagh Donagh MacDonagh (22 November 1912 – 1 January 1968) was an Irish writer, judge, presenter, broadcaster, and playwright. Early life and education MacDonagh was born in Dublin on St Cecilia's Day in 1912. He was still a young child when his f ...

, and one daughter, Barbara MacDonagh Redmond. The family lived first at 32 Baggot Street, and later at 29 Oakley Road, Rathmines.

Later life

MacDonagh suffered with poor health and depression, which led to periods of convalescence and confinement. When her husband was arrested after the Easter 1916 Rising, she was unable to see him before his execution on 3 May 1916, which heightened the intensity of her bereavement. Devastated by his death, and estranged from her parents due to their disapproval his involvement in the Rising, she lived with the Plunketts at Larkfield, Kimmage briefly, and then with relatives of her husband's in

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

, County Tipperary. She later returned to Dublin to rent rooms in a Plunkett family property, 50 Marlborough Road. With two young children to support, she was nearly destitute, but like the other widows and orphans of the executed leaders of the Rising, they were aided by the Irish Volunteers Dependents' Fund, in her case with £250. She also served as an officer and committee member on this aid association. Her husband named her as his literary executor, and she prepared a collected edition of his poetry that was published in October 1916. The success of this volume, and his bestselling ''Literature in Ireland'', due to be published at the time he was executed, eased her financial difficulties somewhat. She converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

on 3 May 1917.

Death

MacDonagh died while swimming in the sea during a holiday with other 1916 widows and orphans in

Skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...

, County Dublin on 9 July 1917. She had almost not attended the holiday, as her son was in hospital having been injured in a fall. It is believed that she was attempting to swim to Shenick Island from Skerries, it is thought she may have wanted to place a tricolour flag on the island's

Martello Tower Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

. Her body was found near Loughshinny Beach, and as there was no water in her lungs, it was concluded that she died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

and not drowning. As there was great interest in the 1916 widows and their families, her funeral at

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery () is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasnevin, Dublin, in two part ...

attracted a large crowd of mourners estimated at 5,000 in the funeral procession. Following her death, there was a legal custody battle between the Giffords and the MacDonaghs over Donagh and Barbara. Their aunt Mary MacDonagh, a nun known as Sister Francesca and with whom MacDonagh had grown close, won custody. Even though several of her siblings offered to take the children, she placed them in a foster home. On the centenary of her death, a festival took place in Skerries in MacDonagh's memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacDonagh, Muriel 1884 births 1917 deaths Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Gifford sisters Irish suffragettes People from County Dublin Women in war in Ireland Muriel