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‘Wishes For My THOMAS MacDONAGH Son, Born On St Cecilia’s Day, 1912’ By Thomas MacDonagh Charm NOW, my son, is life for you, And I wish you joy of it,— Joy of power in all you do, Deeper passion, better wit Than I had who had enough, Quicker life and length thereof, More of every gift but love. offensive Love I have beyond all men, Love that now you share with me— What have I to wish you then But that you be good and free, And that God to you may give Grace in stronger days to live? Thomas For I wish you more than I Ever knew of glorious deed, Though no rapture passed me by MacDonagh’s That an eager heart could heed, Though I followed heights and sought intense political Things the sequel never brought. Wild and perilous holy things nationalism was the Flaming with a martyr’s blood, And the joy that laughs and sings Where a foe must be withstood, backdrop to him Joy of headlong happy chance Leading on the battle dance. leading 150 men to But I found no enemy, No man in a world of wrong, That Christ’s word of charity seize the Jacob’s biscuit Did not render clean and strong— Who was I to judge my kind, factory in 1916, writes Blindest groper of the blind? God to you may give the sight Catherine Wilsdon And the clear, undoubting strength Wars to knit for single right, Freedom’s war to knit at length, “I know this is a lousy job, but you’re during which time he studied for a BA in and , MacDonagh played an And to win through wrath and strife, doing your duty —I do not hold this French, English, and Irish at University important role in the Howth gun-running To the sequel of my life. against you.” College . Following the completion during which rifles and ammunition were But for you, so small and young, of an MA in English Literature he began smuggled in from Germany. Making their Born on Saint Cecilia’s Day, HESE are the words of lecturing at the university. In 1912 he way back from Howth, the Volunteers I in more harmonious song the poet-patriot Thomas married Muriel Gifford with whom he were apprehended at Fairview by the Now for nearer joys should pray— MacDonagh standing before had two children. He continued to write and the Dublin Metropolitan Simpler joys: the natural growth the nervous firing squad poetry, plays and literary criticism during Police. Though a brief scuffle broke Of your childhood and your youth, tasked with his execution. this time and, with his friends Mary and out, the leaders managed to prevent the T During that tense moment, Courage, innocence, and truth: , Joseph Mary Plunkett, standoff from escalating. While Figgis the 12 young Sherwood Foresters may well , and David Houston, he and the ever-talkative MacDonagh These for you, so small and young, have reminded him of his own students edited the Irish Review — a magazine of engaged the assistant commissioner of In your hand and heart and tongue. at St Enda’s or UCD. In a final display of literature, art and science. A supporter of the DMP— William Vesey Harrell — in a characteristic generosity, the revolutionary rights for women and workers, he was a prolonged argument, Hobson dispersed AN ASSESSMENT leader offered them his cigarettes. These member of the Irish Women’s Franchise the volunteers. DR LUCY COLLINS last moments lay testament not only to League, the Industrial Peace Committee, March 1915 saw MacDonagh sworn the strength of character recalled by those and a founding member of the teachers’ into the Irish Republican Brotherhood TO the rebels of 1916, the future of who knew him, but also to his great ability union, ASTI. and appointed Commandant of the 2nd was closely linked to the next to connect with people as a friend, leader, Primarily engaged in nationalist Battalion, Dublin Brigade. However, it generation of Irish men and women, teacher, poet or playwright. But how had endeavours of a cultural kind, the events wasn’t until that he became the who would keep revolutionary ideals this gentle, personable scholar ended of the Dublin Lockout contributed to seventh member of the Military Council, alive. In this poem, Thomas MacDonagh up handcuffed and blindfolded in the the intensification of MacDonagh’s which had been established the previous commemorates the birth of his son stonebreakers’ yard at ? political nationalism and in December year and included Pearse, Plunkett, by meditating on his own hopes for Born in , Co Tipperary, 1913 he joined the . Éamonn Ceannt, Seán MacDiarmada, the future. This vision is dominated MacDonagh was educated at Rockwell Elected to company captain in July of the Thomas Clarke and . by love, which both binds father and College where he briefly entertained the following year, his talkative and charming MacDonagh was Director of Equipment child together and shapes how human idea of becoming a missionary priest personality was put to use as he travelled but was not informed about the plans for meaning is created here. before deciding upon a career in education. the country with the aim of recruiting the rising until just before Easter week. MacDonagh wishes that his son be A teaching position at St Kieran’s College volunteers. At the same time the editorial In the week leading up to the Rising, ‘good and free’, linking morality with brought him to where he joined of the Irish Review indicated a transition MacDonagh played an important role as personal liberty. Here, as elsewhere in the Gaelic League and his passion for the from ideals into action as the magazine intermediary between the Council and his work, he reveals the tension between and culture was kindled. published more outwardly political his colleague at UCD, Eoin MacNeill, who individual and collective viewpoints — a While teaching English, French, and pieces such as the “Manifesto of the Irish was opposed to the Volunteers engaging in tension which fundamentally shapes History at the college, he published Volunteers”. offensive force. Once MacNeill was made how freedom itself can be understood. two volumes of poetry and became In July 1914, alongside Bulmer Hobson aware of the plans for a rising, MacDonagh Idealism lies at the heart of this poem, increasingly active in the League’s social was tasked with persuading him to pledge but it is a different kind of idealism to and cultural activities. It was during this SNAPSHOT his support. Believing that a British that contemplated by Pearse or Plunkett. time that MacDonagh became fluent in attack was imminent and that a German Though MacDonagh invokes the the Irish language and grew dissatisfied THOMAS MacDONAGH ship would soon deliver arms in Kerry, ‘martyr’s blood’, he recognises that with the absence of the subject on the Born: 1 February 1878, MacNeill briefly backed the insurrection. violent enmity is at odds with religious St Kieran’s curriculum. This prompted Cloughjordan, Co Tipperary However, the interception of the ship by feeling. He chooses instead to highlight him to take up a position at St Colman’s Educated: the British Navy prompted him to issue the role of redemption; the long and College, , where he taught for five a countermanding order on the eve of patient quest for lasting freedom. The years before joining at his Affiliation: Irish Volunteers, IRB Easter Sunday. That same day the leaders poem moves from larger, abstract aims, experimental Irish-language school in Career: Teacher, St Enda’s; convened and planned a Monday rising to the simplest of wishes for the child: Dublin, St Enda’s. lecturer, UCD instead. In an effort to divert attention that he will grow naturally in ‘courage, MacDonagh held the position of from the revised plan, MacDonagh visited innocence and truth’. assistant headmaster at Pearse’s school Died: 3 , Kilmainham Jail MacNeill at home to deliver Pearse’s

8 | Irish Independent 1916 Collection Irish Independent I 21 January 2016 PROFILE

Clockwise from left: Catherine Wilsdon; Thomas MacDonagh with his wife Muriel and their firstborn Donagh; a transcript of MacDonagh’s last letter to Muriel; the covers of McDonagh’s ‘When the Dawn is Come’ which played at the in 1908, and ‘Poems By Thomas MacDonagh’, as chosen by his sister. Inset below: MacDonagh, by Dublin artist Brian O’Neill.

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CO UCD confirmation of the brbrouought angry civilian countermand. That would mobs to the gates of be the last time MacNeill the garrison prompting would see his friend. MacDonagh to order At noon on Easter rebels to fire blanks to Monday the 2nd Battalion disperse the crowd. As a of the Dublin Brigade leader he was reported to convened at St Stephen’s have been indecisive and Green Park where they confusing in his orders were joined by members and therefore MacBride of Cumann na mBan assumed a leading role. After Empire and Na Fianna Éireann. Nevertheless, his sense of The last minute arrival humour and good nature Leaders’ Discussion of Major John MacBride helped to reassure the meant that Michael volunteers as they waited O’Hanrahan was in anticipation of British With contributions from former political leaders from replaced as second- attack. During the week in-command owing to the brigade ambushed South Africa, Tanzania, Canada and India, University College Dublin MacBride’s superior 30 British soldiers, a hosts After Empire, providing a discussion forum in which those who military experience. plain-clothes DMP officer have shaped the modern histories of their own nations can reflect MacDonagh found reporting on activities at that he had 150 men at the factory was shot, and upon the themes of independence, inter-dependency, international his disposal, fewer than six others captured. At relations and citizenship with an eye to the present and future half of what he could have “ Davy’s pub an opportunity In the week leading up to as much as to the past. expected had the Rising to attack a troop of taken place the previous the Rising, MacDonagh British soldiers was lost, day as planned. This meant played an important precipitating the fall of the Leaders in attendance that he would have to role as intermediary outpost. forgo plans to take Trinity Initially, MacDonagh • South Africa College and concentrate between the Council and opposed Pearse’s order Thabo Mbeki - President 1999 – 2008 efforts on seizing Jacob’s his colleague at UCD, to surrender until he Factory and establishing confirmed the legitimacy • Tanzania outposts in the area. The Eoin MacNeill, who was of the order with Ceannt. Benjamin Mkapa - President 1995 – 2005 strategic importance of the On April 30 he accepted opposed to the Volunteers • Canada factory lay in its proximity surrender and ordered his to Dublin Castle and to engaging in physical force brigade to stand down. The Joe Clark - Prime Minister 1979 – 1980 Richmond and Portobello first of the leaders to be • India Barracks. The position allowed the tried and executed, the British officer-in- Salman Khurshid - Minister of External Affairs 2012 – 2014 volunteers to hinder British access to the command remarked: “They all died nobly, city from the South. but MacDonagh died like a prince”. Relative to the fighting that took place This public discussion will take place in UCD O’Reilly Hall at the GPO and the Four Courts, however, Catherine Wilsdon is a Research at 6:30pm on Thursday, February 4th, 2016. they saw little action. Heavily fortified, Associate at UCD Humanities Tickets €10 ( €5 UCD Alumni) with snipers positioned in the towers Institute and co-director of Book now at www.ucd.ie/centenaries/events-calendar relentlessly harassing the British forces, the Irish Revival Network. She and surrounded by a warren of small recently completed a PhD on JM streets, Jacob’s Factory was a difficult Synge at UCD School of English, target for an all-out attack. The disruption Drama & Film

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