Sarah Curran (1782 – 5 May 1808) was the youngest daughter of

John Philpot Curran John Philpot Curran (24 July 1750 – 14 October 1817) was an Irish orator, politician, and lawyer celebrated for his defence of civil and political liberty. He first won popular acclaim in 1780, as the only lawyer in his circuit willing to repr ...

, an Irish barrister celebrated for his defence of

United Irishmen The Society of United Irishmen was a sworn association, formed in the wake of the French Revolution, to secure Representative democracy, representative government in Ireland. Despairing of constitutional reform, and in defiance both of British ...

, and his wife Sarah Curran (née Creagh). She was the great love of the Irish patriot

Robert Emmet Robert Emmet (4 March 177820 September 1803) was an Irish Republican, orator and rebel leader. Following the suppression of the United Irish uprising in 1798, he sought to organise a renewed attempt to overthrow the British Crown and Prote ...

, executed for treason in 1803.

Life

Sarah Curran was born in

Newmarket, County Cork Newmarket, historically known as Aghatrasna (), is a town in the barony of Duhallow, County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is situated at the junction of the R576 road (Ireland), R576 and R578 road (Ireland), R578 regional roads. Newma ...

, and brought up at the Priory,

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside (Dublin), southside suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland in County Dublin. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and Dublin 16, 16. It is between the Lo ...

. She met

through her brother Richard, a fellow student at

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. However, her father considered Emmet unsuitable as a husband, and their courtship was conducted through letters and clandestine meetings. Notable is a letter from Robert to Sarah. Robert and Sarah were secretly engaged in 1803. When her father discovered that they were engaged, he disowned Curran and then treated her so harshly that she had to take refuge with friends in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

. However, this latter statement is contradicted by local historians in Sarah Curran's birth town where it is said that her father did not cast her adrift and that, instead, he sent her to friends in Cork to ensure she was well looked after at this difficult time. After leading an abortive rebellion against British rule in 1803, Emmet was tried and executed for

high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its d ...

. In Cork, after Emmet's death, Curran met Captain Henry Sturgeon, a nephew of the Marquis of Rockingham, and married him in November 1805. The two lived in Sicily, where Sturgeon was posted; she had a child, John, who died at the age of one month, after a difficult birth. Sarah Sturgeon died of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

on 5 May 1808. She had wished to be buried in her father's garden at Rathfarnham, beside her sister Gertrude, who had died at the age of twelve after a fall from a window in the house, but her father refused. She was buried in the birthplace of her father at Newmarket, County Cork.

Recognition

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He wrote the short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and "The Legend of Sleepy ...

, one of America's greatest early writers, devoted "The Broken Heart" in his

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. ''The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.'', commonly referred to as ''The Sketch Book'', is a collection of 34 essays and short stories written by the American author Washington Irving. It was published serially throughout 1819 and 1820. The ...

'' to the romance between

and Sarah Curran, citing it as an example of how a broken heart can be fatal. Irish poet

Thomas Moore Thomas Moore (28 May 1779 – 25 February 1852), was an Irish writer, poet, and lyricist who was widely regarded as Ireland's "National poet, national bard" during the late Georgian era. The acclaim rested primarily on the popularity of his ''I ...

was inspired by her story to write the popular ballads, "She Is Far from the Land" and "Oh Breathe Not His Name!" and the long poem Lalla Rookh. ''She is far from the land where her young hero sleeps,''
''And lovers around her are sighing,''
''But coldly she turns from their gaze, and weeps,''
''For her heart in his grave is lying.'' The road leading past Saint Enda's Park in

is called Sarah Curran Avenue. The ruins of The Priory still stand across the road from the park, in The Hermitage housing estate. There once was a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

Village called ''The Sarah Curran'', named in her honour. In her family's home town of

, there is a statue of Sarah Curran standing across the road from the graveyard where she is buried. Newmarket also have a local anthem called ''Up Up Newmarket'', written by Fr. Norris. Its air is that of

God Save Ireland "God Save Ireland" is an Irish rebel song celebrating the Manchester Martyrs, three Fenians executed in 1867. It served as an unofficial anthem for Irish nationalists from the 1870s to the 1910s. Composition On 18 September 1867, a group of 20� ...

. Sarah Curran is mentioned within the song lyrics....... ''Boston boasts of Bunker Hill; brave men fought at Gettysville.'' ''Newmarket too, has honours like the rest.'' ''Here ’t was Curran first drew breath; after Emmet’s tragic death'' ''They laid his sweetheart Sarah here to rest.''

Amelia Clotilda Jennings Amelia Clotilda Jennings (died 1895) was a Canadian poet and novelist who wrote under the pseudonyms Maude Alma and Mileta. Jennings was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in a family of a dry-goods merchant and died in Montreal. She published a numb ...

wrote a poem about her called "Sarah Curran's Song."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curran, Sarah People from Rathfarnham 1782 births 1808 deaths 19th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Ireland 18th-century Irish people 19th-century Irish people People from Newmarket, County Cork

Life

Recognition

See also

References