Early Life Political and Cultural Life MacSwiney the Writer

Born in 1879 at 25 North Main In 1901 he helped to found the Celtic Terence MacSwiney was an avid Street, Terence MacSwiney was Literary Society, and in 1908 he writer and wrote many literary educated at the founded the Dramatic Society pieces including poems and plays. School in Cork City. He left school with and wrote a One of his best works was at 15 to help support his family. He number of plays for them. He was a “Principles of Freedom” which became an accountancy clerk and playwright, poet, and writer of inspired a number of world leaders proved his determination by pamphlets on Irish history. His first including and Ho successfully obtaining a degree from play, The Last Warriors of Coole Chi Min. UCC (then Queens College), in was produced in 1910. His fifth

Mental and Moral Science in 1907, play, The Revolutionist (1915) took while still maintaining full time the political stand made by a single employment. Terence was heavily man as its theme. influenced by his mother, Mary He was one of the founders of the Wilkinson, who had very strong Cork Brigade of the opinions on Irish culture and in 1913, and was President of the identity. His father was a school Cork branch of Sinn Féin. He teacher who moved his tobacco founded a newspaper, Fianna Fáil, in business to Australia when Terence 1914, but it was suppressed after was young. This was a major factor only 11 issues. in Terence’s decision to leave school early. Picture (right): MacSwiney at a meeting of the Irish Volunteers

Death Proudly created by: Terence MacSwiney On the 20th October 1920 Terence North Monastery MacSwiney lapsed into a coma and died five days later after 74 days on History Club . His body lay in St The North Monastery’s George's Cathedral, Southwark in Republican Martyr where 30,000 people filed past it. Fearing large-scale demonstrations in Dublin, the authorities diverted his coffin 1879 – 1920 directly to Cork, and his funeral in the Cathedral of St Mary and St Anne on the 31st October attracted With the support of: huge crowds. Terence MacSwiney is buried in the Republican plot in Saint Finbarr's Cemetery in Cork. delivered the graveside oration. Food was often placed near MacSwiney to persuade him to give up the hunger-strike in prison and attempts at force-feeding MacSwiney were undertaken in the final days of his strike.