A Courageous Daughter of Ireland-Countess Constance Markievicz

Honors 252 Blog #1

Anna Collins

A Courageous Daughter of Ireland-Countess Constance Markievicz

            “Valiant women who fought for Ireland in 1916”. This is the encryption found upon a simple statue of Countess Constance Markievicz within Stephen’s Green of Dublin. Although a generous tribute, this hardly even brushes the surface of the person that Markievicz was to Ireland.

            Coming from a wealthy Anglo Irish family from the county Sligo, she was noted for her fieriness from an early age. She was not only well educated in studying at both Paris and London, but was also regarded as an excellent horsewoman with an impressive shot. Her father, Henry Gore-Booth, was likely the inspiration of her adventurous spirit. He was a philanthropist, arctic explorer and landlord in west Ireland.

            It was after marriage, having a child and settling in Dublin that Markievicz jumped into her political activism. Her inspiration stemmed from William Butler Yeats. At a time when women were not allowed to vote or become members of parliament, he provided the spark that this might someday change. In addition, Dublin in the early 1900s was the center for nationalist and social unrest. Once settling there, it would have been unavoidable for her to be affected in some way. In essence, it seems to me that it was Markievicz’s true passion for the cause in which she was fighting that drove her to devote her life to it. She truly believed in a nationalistic approach, the women’s movement and the labor movement.

            It wasn’t long before she joined the daughters of Ireland and Sinn Fein with the intentions of making Ireland free. What’s captivating to me in regards to Markievicz is that she was not only about joining parties and affiliations. She was active in the pursuit of change and caring for the people of Ireland. For example, during the 1913 lockout she, along with James Connolly and Jim Larkin, operated a soup kitchen to support the families of affected workers. This was just before she joined the citizen army. It is incredibly easy to join groups and talk about helping people or a cause. However, with this incredible woman there are countless instances that demonstrated her devotion and involvement with what she knew was right. The world could certainly use more determined souls such as her.

            After fighting in the 1916 rising she was sentenced to death, as were many others. It’s likely that she would have been willing to die for her beliefs without regret. She had devoted most of her life to this cause, and I believe she was fully aware of the risks she was taking. However, due to her gender she was released a year later. Following this release she was elected to the House of Commons, which would have made her the first woman ever in parliament. Yet, she refused to take her seat. Her own party Sinn Fein created their own parliament in Dublin, where she was appointed the minister of labor. The Countess should serve as an example to all to take action and leave the world at least a little better than you found it when you came.