Research Articles

University of Huddersfield Repository Hargreaves, Janet, Moorehouse, Paula and Hargreaves, David Rebel Nurses of the Rising: Ireland, Easter 1916 Original Citation Hargreaves, Janet, Moorehouse, Paula and Hargreaves, David (2017) Rebel Nurses of the Rising: Ireland, Easter 1916. The Bulletin of the UK Association of the History of Nursing, 6. pp. 7-16. This version is available at http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/33902/ The University Repository is a digital collection of the research output of the University, available on Open Access. Copyright and Moral Rights for the items on this site are retained by the individual author and/or other copyright owners. Users may access full items free of charge; copies of full text items generally can be reproduced, displayed or performed and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided: • The authors, title and full bibliographic details is credited in any copy; • A hyperlink and/or URL is included for the original metadata page; and • The content is not changed in any way. For more information, including our policy and submission procedure, please contact the Repository Team at: [email protected]. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/ RESEARCH ARTICLES Rebel Nurses of the Rising: Ireland, Easter 1916 Janet Hargreaves, Paula Moorhouse Through a focus on the humanitarian and David, W. Hargreaves management of the conflict from a rebel perspective this paper offers an alternative Acknowledgements: perspective on the nursing response to this We would like to acknowledge the Working historical event. In doing so a parallel, Class Movement Library, who own many of alternative view may be seen which the texts used in this research illustrates the need to explore multiple narratives. Abstract The nursing of the ‘rebels’ and the role of Background nurses in the Easter Rising of 1916 have On Easter Monday 1916 members of a received little attention until recently, even number of Irish organisations hostile to within Ireland itself. There is now a growing British rule instigated a rising, declaring analysis, in particular a reaffirmation of the Ireland’s independence from Britain. significant role played by women in the Although the Rising was contained within 6 Rising, culminating in publications days, it was a significant event in the history commemorating the centenary of this event. of conflict between Britain and Ireland, in This paper offers a critical review of what is which more than 400 people died and many known about nursing within rebel more were injured. In addition, in the strongholds in Dublin during this time. context of the First World War, it has been Findings suggest there is evidence of some described as: ‘arguably the most extensive qualified nurses involved in rebel (rather and intensive example of urban warfare than civilian and military) positions, which had occurred in Europe up to that including accounts of the extent of their role time’ (Kinsella 1997, p137). A short and the injuries managed. However, the introduction to the reasons for the rising, majority of the immediate nursing care and the nursing response, will be followed available to the rebels was given by by an outline of the sources used, the members of the Irish Citizen’s Army and the findings and discussion. women’s organisation Cumman na mBan, Conflict and rebellion in Ireland both of whom were trained in first aid and This paper cannot do justice to the very were wearing Red Cross insignia. Accounts complex history of the relationship between of the week suggest that the status and Britain and Ireland. Rather, it offers a brief treatment of qualified nurses and first aid summary of some of the factors that led to workers offering care was not consistent. 1916 being a year ripe for rebellion. The Although the Easter Rising was just one status of Ireland, as an autonomous nation week of conflict confined to Ireland, its or one subsumed into Britain had been timing during WW1 and Ireland’s contested contested for many centuries, but a starting status as a part of Great Britain in rebellion point for this summary might be the Act of against the established order raise a Union in 1800 which created the entity number of issues for discussion. These ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain and include the use and status of the Red Cross Ireland’; the Irish Parliament in Dublin was emblem in such circumstances and the shut down and rule transferred to London. management of humanitarian aid in a For working class Irish people, the British heavily populated urban setting. were seen to be poor rulers. Repeated 7 famines appeared to be evidence of British was suspended for the duration of the First indifference to their suffering, but were World War. The sectarian divisions within dismissed, blaming instead behaviour of Ireland, as well as those between Irish absentee landlords and the failure of republicans and the British, thus remained Irish agriculture to diversify. The Times critical at this time. commented that ‘we regard the potato blight James Connolly, one of the leaders of the as a blessing’ (Times 22.09.1846) because 1916 Easter Rising, saw the conflict firstly it provided an opportunity for the Irish to as one of class, not of religious or national change their behaviour. Substantial identity and thus not in traditional assistance was withheld on the grounds Republican terms but ‘a fight for mastery of that such help would reward the the means of life, the sources of production undeserving and was in defiance of the in Ireland’ (Connolly, 1910, Chapter 16). laws of God. As the famine got worse, Gray He favoured working class action, arguing states that the campaign became one in that the independence and socialism he which: ‘identifying and eradicating ‘abuse’ believed was needed could not be achieved acquired a higher priority than saving lives’ by expecting a broad nationalist approach (Gray, 1999 p332). to bring all the classes together. He argued During the famine corn, barley and dairy that the ruling Irish class were and would products were exported, predominantly to continue to be just as oppressive as the England leaving the local population to British. starve. Thus the history of Ireland in the In 1913, Dublin became the centre of nineteenth century became a story of militant trade unionism based upon the use emigration, increasing resistance anger and of widespread working class solidarity. repression. Hundreds of workers were injured by the Two different strategies for resisting British police on Blood Sunday (August 31st) and rule emerged. Some believed in a political shortly after a Lock Out was organised by solution and thus initially the Home Rule the employers. In October 1913 James League was formed in 1873, this was Connolly said that he was going ‘to replaced in 1882 by the Irish Parliamentary organise and discipline a force to protect Party which won an increased number of workers’ meetings’ (Robbins, 1977 p 58), seats in the British Parliament. They this became the Irish Citizens Army (ICA). introduced a Home Rule Bill in 1886, but Further militant action was disrupted in this was defeated, as was the second August 1914 when the First World War Home Rule Bill, in 1893. began. Connolly opposed the war but also Others rejected political solutions and saw in it an opportunity for insurrection sought to establish an independent because Republicans had an armed body, Republic through rebellion. The Fenian the ICA, which was ready to fight, and Rising of 1867 was an example of a Britain was distracted by the war effort. This comprehensive revolt but was poorly was the context in which the Rising became organised; division and unrest continued possible. throughout the remainder of the 19th In addition to the ICA there were a complex century. mix of groups with nationalist and A third Home Rule Bill was successful in republican sympathies ready to join a 1912, and came into law in September rebellion including the male Irish Volunteers 1914. Had it been enacted it might have and the female Cumann na mBan, (which addressed some of this issues, however, it translates as ‘the League of women’). The 8 latter grew from a meeting in Dublin of over along with other leaders of the Rising. He a hundred women in April 1914 to become was shot by firing squad 14 days later on an organisation with branches throughout May 12th. The contested nature of Irish Ireland, Scotland and England. The ICA, identity and British involvement in Ireland with its roots in union activism had a strong continued to resonate throughout the 20th working class association; Cumann na century and to the present day. mBan was more mixed, attracting large The nursing response numbers of middle class women who The response of established nursing tended to be the organisers and committee services in Dublin to the rising has been members. Cumann na mBan’s purpose was researched in detail by the Irish Nurses and to work in conjunction with the Irish Midwives Organisation (Loughrey, 2016), Volunteers to advance the cause of Irish as well as accounts by specific nursing liberty. Both organisations would learn first orders [see for example the Sisters of aid, drill, and signaling and rifle practice in Mercy n.d.]. In summary, both sources order to aid the cause of Irish freedom. recount the fighting breaking out with little The outbreak of WW1 caused splits with warning in a busy urban environment; thus some Irish Volunteers and Cumann na rebels, British military and civilians all mBan members supporting the British war suffered injury and death. All general effort.

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