THE FIELD DAY ANTHOLOGY OF IRISH WRITING VOLUME v IRISH WOMEN'S WRITING AND TRADITIONS Edited by Angela Bourke, Siobhan Kilfeather, Maria Luddy, Margaret Mac Curtain, Gerardine Meaney, Mairin Ni Dhonnchadha, Mary O'Dowd, and Clair Wills Cork University Press in association with Field Day Contents PrefacelReamhrd to Volumes IV and V Lady Elizabeth Dowdall (fl. 1630-50) from: The History of the Irish Politics, 1500-2000 Confederation and the War in Ireland, 1641-9 (1882-91) 22 MARY O'DOWD, Editor Lettice Fitzgerald, Baroness of Offaly GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 (c. 1580-1658) from: County Kildare Archaeological THE POLITICAL WRITINGS AND PUBLIC Society Journal (1899-1902) 25 VOICES OF WOMEN, c. 1500-1850 Various from: Deposition evidence (1642, MARY O'DOWD, Editor 1643) 27 Introduction 6 from: Group Petition (c. 1642) 29 Richard Stanihurst (1547-1618) Rosa O'Doherty (c. 1588-1660) from: Chronicles of England, from: A Contemporary History of Scotlande, and Irelande (1577) 13 Irish Affairs in Ireland, from 1641 Royal Commission to 1652 (1879-80) 30 from: Presentments (1537) 14 Elizabeth Butler, Duchess of Ormond Eleanor Butler, Countess of Desmond (1615-84) (c. 1545-1638) from: Letter to Sir Edward from: Letter to the Commissioners in Nicholas (1651) 30 Munster (1568) 16 from: Letter to Oliver Cromwell from: Letter to the English Privy (1653) 31 Council (1580) 17 from: Letter to General Charles from: Letter to Sir Francis Walsingham Fleetwood (1653) 32 (1585) 18 from: Letter (c. 1660) 32 Micheal 6 Cleirigh (1575-1643) Elizabeth O'Hara (fl. 1691) and Others from: Letter to Kean O'Hara (1691) 34 from: Annala Rioghachta Eireann Society of Friends (The Annals of the Kingdom of from: Letter to Women's Meeting, Ireland, or the Annals of the Four Cork (1689) 35 Masters) (c. 1636) 19 Anonymous Lughaidh 6 Cleirigh (fl. 1600) from: The Beginning, Progress and from: The Life of Aodh Ruadh End of the Westmeath Election in ODomhnaill (c. 1616) 20 Three Cantos (1723) 35 Grainne O'Malley (c. 1530-c. 1603) Katherine Conolly (c. 1662-1752) from: State Papers, Ireland (1596) 20 Letter to George Dodington (1735) 36 VI CONTENTS Mary Delany (1700-88) Anna Doyle Wheeler (b. 1785) from: Letter to Anne Granville (1731) 37 from: Public Lecture (1829) 63 Anonymous BIOGRAPHIES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES 65 from: An Address from the Ladies of the Provinces of Munster and Leinster . (1754) 39 WOMEN AND POLITICS IN IRELAND, from: The P**** Vindicated, and the 1860-1918 Affairs of L D Set in a True MARIA LUDDY, Editor Light ... (1754) 42 Emily Fitzgerald, Duchess of Leinster Introduction 69 (1731-1814) Anonymous from: Letter to James Fitzgerald, from: Irishman (1865) 74 1 st Duke of Leinster (1755) 43 Thomas J. Haslam (1825-1917) Louisa Conolly (1743-1821) from: Women's Advocate (1874) 75 from: Letter to Emily Fitzgerald, Isabella M.S.Tod (1836-96), Emily G. Duchess of Leinster (1777) 45 Patterson and Catherine Ross Elizabeth Hastings, Countess of Moira from: To the Members of the Belfast (1731-1808) Committee for the Repeal of the from: Letter to George Townshend Contagious Diseases Acts . (1772) 45 (1878) 77 from: Letter to Lady Selina Forbes Anna Parnell (1852-1911) (1800) 47 from: The Land League: Tale of a John Montgomery (fl. 1780s) 47 Great Sham (c. 1906) 79 from: Letter to Elizabeth Hastings, Maud Gonne (1866-1953) Countess of Moira (1783) 48 from: A Servant of the Queen (1938) 83 John Barter Bennett (fl. 1780) Mary E.L. Butler (1874-1920) from: A Contemporary Account from: Irishwomen and the Home of the Rightboy Movement (1787) 48 Language (c. 1900) 84 Mary O'Brien (fl. 1783-90) Edith Helen Vane-Tempest, from: The Political Monitor or the 7th Marchioness of Londonderry Regent's Friend (1790) 50 (1878-1959) Mary Birkett (1774-1817) from: Women's Indirect Influence, from: A Poem on the African Slave and Its Affect on Character; Her Trade, Addressed to Her Own Sex Position Improved by the Franchise (1792) 52 Morally and Materially (1909) 86 Mary Ann McCracken (1770-1866) Susanne R. Day (1890-1964) from: Letters to Henry Joy from: The Amazing Philanthropists McCracken (1797) 53 (1916) 88 Martha McTier (1742-1837) Hanna Sheehy Skeffington from: Letters to William Drennan (1877-1946) (1792, 1796, 1797, 1798) 56 from: Reminiscences of an Irish Lucy Fitzgerald (1771-1802) Suffragette (1975) 91 from: Address to Irishmen (1798) 59 Constance Markievicz (1868-1927) Ellen Mary Patrick Downing ('Mary') from: Women, Ideals and the (1828-69) Nation (1909) 99 from: United Irishman (1848) 60 Inghinidhe na hEireann Jane Francesca Elgee (1826-96) from: Bean na hEireann (1909) 101 from: Nation (1848) 61 Mary MacSwiney (1872-1942) Lucy O'Brien (1811-61) from: Irish Citizen (1914) 102 from: Letters to William Smith Cumann na mBan O'Brien (c. 1850-1) 62 from: Manifesto (1914) 103 CONTENTS Vll Nora Connolly (1893-1981) Cumann na mBan 150 from: Atlantic Monthly (1916) 104 from: Statement on Pension An Anonymous VAD Restrictions (c. 1938-9) 151 from: Blackwood's Magazine (1916) 108 Jennie Wyse Power (1858-1941) Helena Molony (1883-1967) from: Seanad Eireann Parliamentary from: An Phoblacht (1936) 110 Debates Official Report (1927) 152 Patricia Lynch (1898-1972) Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland from: Workers' Dreadnought (1916) 112 from: Maynooth Statement (1925) 153 Margaret K. Connery (c. 1876-1956) Irish Ecclesiastical Record from: Irish Citizen (1918) 116 from: Editorial (1926) 154 BIOGRAPHIES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES 117 Mary Immaculate Training College from: Annual (1927) 155 William T. Cosgrave (1880-1965) WOMEN AND POLITICS IN from: Letter to James Downey, INDEPENDENT IRELAND, 1921-68 Bishop of Adara and Co-Adjutor Bishop of Ossory (1925) 157 MARGARET O'CALLAGHAN, Editor SigneToksvig (1891-1983) Introduction 120 from: Eve's Doctor (1937) 158 Enid Mary Starkie (1899-1970) from: Signe Toksvig's Irish Diaries, from: A Lady's Child (1941) 135 1926-37 (1994) 160 Patricia Cockburn (1914-89) Sheila Pirn (1909-95) from: Figure of Eight (1985) 136 from: The Flowering Shamrock Siobhan Lankford (1894-1986) (1949) 161 from: The Hope and the Sadness: Irish Women Workers' Union Personal Recollections of Troubled from: Letter to Eamon de Valera Times in Ireland (1980) 137 (1937) 162 Sighle Humphreys O'Donoghue Irish Press (1899-1994) from: Editorial (1937) 164 from: Survivors: The Story of Joint Committee of Women's Societies Ireland's Struggle as Told Through and Social Workers Some of Her Outstanding Living from: Letter to the Executive Council People (1980) 138 (1937) 165 Dorothy Macardle (1899-1958) Irishwomen's Social and Progressive from: The Irish Republic: (1937) 139 League Prisoners' Defence Association from: Manifesto of IWSPL (1943) 166 Letter to the Catholic Hierarchy Hanna Sheehy Skeffington (1922) 141 (1877-1946) Maire Comerford (1893-1982) from: Electoral Address (1943) 167 from: Survivors: The Story of Hilda Tweedy (1911- ) Ireland's Struggle as Told Through from: Irish Housewife (1948) 168 Some of Her Outstanding Living Rosaleen Mills (1905-96) People (1980) " 142 from: Irish Housewife (1949) 169 C.S.Andrews (1901-88) 145 Archbishops and Bishops of Ireland from: Man of No Property: from: Letter from James Staunton to An Autobiography (1982) 146 John A. Costello (1950) 170 Kathleen Clarke (1878-1972) Edna O'Brien (?1930- ) from: Revolutionary Woman: from: Girls in their Married Bliss Kathleen Clarke 1878-1972, (1964) 171 An Autobiography (1991) 148 BIOGRAPHIES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES 174 Vlll CONTENTS THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT IN THE Irish Women United REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, 1968-80 from: Banshee (1975) 213 Eileen Lemass (1932- ) JUNE LEVINE, Editor from: Dail Eireann Parliamentary Introduction 177 Debates Official Report (1979) 215 Ad Hoc Committee Eileen Desmond (1932- ) from: Minutes of Meeting to Propose the from: Dail Eireann Parliamentary Establishment of a Commission on Debates Official Report (1979) 216 the Status of Women (1968) 188 Rape Crisis Centre Commission on the Status of Women from: First Report (1979) 217 from: Report of the Commission on James Finucane (1957- ) the Status of Women (1972) 191 from: Girls on the Street: The Mary Kenny (1944- ) Need for a 'Welcome' (c. 1981) 218 from: Irish Press (1970) 192 Lyn Madden (1946- ) Maeve Binchy (1940- ) from: Letters to June Levine (1982) 219 from: Irish Times (1970) 194 Mary McAleese (1951- ), Betty Purcell Mary Maher (1940- ) (1956-) and Mary Robinson (1944-) from: Irish Times (1971) 196 from: Crane Bag (1980) 220 Irish Women's Liberation Movement BIOGRAPHIES/BIBLIOGRAPHIES 226 from: Irishwomen — Chains or Change? (1971) 197 Elgy Gillespie (1950- ) THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND from: Irish Times (1971) 198 WOMEN POLITICIANS IN THE Irishwomen's Liberation Movement REPUBLIC OF IRELAND, 1980-2000 Equal Rights for Irish Women! (1971) 199 June Levine (1931- ) FRANCES GARDINER and MARY O'DOWD, Editors from: Sisters: The Personal Story of an Irish Feminist (1982) 200 Introduction 229 Nuala Fennell (1935- ) Pat Brennan (1951- ) ' 238 from: Letter of Resignation from from: Status (1981) the Irishwomen's Liberation Niamh Bhreathnach (1945- ) Movement (1971) 201 from: Journal of the Women's Irish Women's Liberation Movement Political Association (1988) 240 from: Statement on Nuala Fennell's Una Claffey (1947- ) Resignation (1971) 202 from: The Women Who Won: Women Mary Flynn (1946- ) of the 27th Dail (1993) 241 from: Memoir of Irish Women's Gemma Hussey (1938- ) Liberation Movement (c. 1980) 203 from: At the Cutting Edge: Cabinet Women's Liberation Movement Diaries, 1982-87 (1990) 241 from: Fownes Street Journal (1972) 205 Pat Brennan (1951- ) Maura Richards