Sorcha MacMahon (20 July 1888 – 13 December 1970) was an Irish nationalist and republican who was active 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 ...

of 1916 and both the

War of Independence Wars of national liberation, also called wars of independence or wars of liberation, are conflicts fought by nations to gain independence. The term is used in conjunction with wars against foreign powers (or at least those perceived as foreign) ...

and 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 ...

Early life

She was born Sarah Teresa MacMahon to James and Sarah MacMahon of Coas,

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

in 1888. She was one of four boys and three girls. She used the Irish form of her name, Sorcha. Irish was the family's first language. She was educated in Laggan National School and St Louis School in Monaghan. After school she went to

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 ...

and took a commercial course. She then worked as a bookkeeper for Taggart's Garage.

Easter Rising

An early 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 ...

, in 1914 MacMahon was the local secretary of the Central Branch and was secretary nationally in 1916. She also trained the other women in the branch in first aid and nursing as well as related branch duties. She was on the executive committee for Cumann na mBan from 1915 to 1919. She was an organiser for the O'Donovan Rossa funeral, a mass demonstration arranged when the body of the

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 ...

was returned from America for burial. Prior to the

most Irish Volunteers and Cumann na mBan members believed they were simply going out on major maneuvers and only a few members knew that an armed rebellion was about to occur. MacMahon was aware of the plans. MacMahon was selected by

Kathleen Clarke 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 in 1916. She was the w ...

as one of the women to deliver messages around Ireland for leading up to the Easter Rising. Once the Rising began MacMahon delivered the mobilisation orders to the Cumann section leaders and also delivered guns, both hidden in her bicycle basket. She continued to act as courier throughout the Rising, moving between garrisons, such as the

Four Courts The Four Courts () 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 Court. Until 2010 the build ...

, all week. She was estimated to have made more than 50 trips out of the

General Post Office The General Post Office (GPO) was the state postal system and telecommunications carrier of the United Kingdom until 1969. Established in England in the 17th century, the GPO was a state monopoly covering the dispatch of items from a specific ...

After the Rising

After the Rising she assisted Clarke with the Irish Volunteer Dependants’ Fund, running it when Clarke had to take time off due to a miscarriage, postponing her own marriage to Tom Rogers to do it. She was very involved in the work and finances of the fund Then she began working directly for

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 ...

. On his instructions she resigned from Cumann na mBan when a majority of its members voted to reject the Treaty terms in February 1922. MacMahon did not publicly support either side during the

. Her public political activities had ended on 6 December 1921. However she continued to work for Collins and hold papers for him until his death in 1922. Collins was aware that his activities would put people working for him in danger so he was concerned. MacMahon had married and moved when she did which added to her safety.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacMahon, Sorcha 1888 births Irish republicans People of the Easter Rising People of the Irish War of Independence People of the Irish Civil War (Pro-Treaty side) 1970 deaths Cumann na mBan members Women in the Easter Rising Women in the Irish War of Independence Women in the Irish Civil War