A Piece of History: Countess Markieviecz Sentenced to Penal Servitude

When talking about the Easter Rising, one cannot get far in the conversation without mentioning Countess Markievicz, who is undoubtedly one of the most important players for Irish independence. The countess is widely known as a trailblazer for women, empowering them to take up arms and fight for the country they profess to love. Because of her significant influence among the Irish people, it should come as no surprise that the British government would express concern over how they should deal with this rebel against the empire. In fact, the Kilmainham Jail Museum features an exhibit on the penal servitude records of those convicted by the presiding court. Among the names featured on the record book was Countess Markievicz.

It is interesting to note that when one looks closely at the record book, the Countess was originally sentenced to death for her ideals of Irish independence. Given the tremendous animosity between the Irish and the British, one should not be totally surprised, especially considering that the British executed fourteen leaders of the Easter Rising within the Kilmainham Jail for blaspheming against the empire. However, they just could not know what exactly they should do with Countess Markievicz. Sure, she herself was guilty of sinning against the British authorities, but would they be willing to suffer the enormous backlash that comes from killing a woman? If this was another man, fine. But a woman--just how could they do this? Apparently, as one can glean from closely examing the records shown here, they recanted, and they eventually decided that she should serve her crime by putting her through penal servitude for life. Even then, she still did not serve her full sentence, and she went on to play even more roles in Ireland's arduous journey to independence. Undoubtedly, without her involvement, Ireland's current place would be extremely different compared to today.

 To me, this is another enduring symbol of the ideals the revolutionaries of the Rising fought for. When they and the Irish people had to contend with being the minority segment of the populace, they realized that this should not be given that this was their homeland and that the British laid claims to the land they felt they had no right to have. As a result of their nationalism, they were willing to scratch and claw their way to achieve social prosperity for the Irish people--a mindset that led to most of the leaders paying the ultimate price. Countess Markievicz was among those leaders, and she believed that if the Irish people (especially women) could not break free from their British-imposed shackles, then they would not know what it would be like to be an independent nation. As the casual observer will note from this record book, Countess Markievicz strongly believed in those ideals, and it is no question that it gave her great joy to be one of Ireland's greatest players for independence. Indeed, her deeds should be recorded for history to observe, and preserving such pieces of history as this penal servitude book is a great way to inform future generations.

Here is the exhibit: