During one visit
to Marie's home, I held an original copy of the
"1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic" in one
hand and her grandfather's Victoria Cross in the
other, she was proud of both items and in a
surreal way so was I . Many of the people (i.e.
Eamonn Ceannt, Cathal Burgha, May Gibney et al )
mentioned in the 1922 reports are "googleable"
therefore I do not elaborate on their role or
background (in other words I encourage you to do
your own research!).
Note added
by Michael Purcell 2010
- Obituary submitted to Nationalist ,
December 1982.
- By Michael Purcell
Veteran Republican, journalist
and author, Marie Comerford, who died on
Wednesday, December 15th, aged 92, at St.
Nessan's, her Dublin home, was due to spend
Christmas in Carlow.
Esther Purcell, Kennedy Street,
Marie's former Kilmainham prison-mate during the
Civil War, received a letter from Marie
accepting an invitation to stay at the Purcell
home for Christmas. Ironically the letter
arrived after the news of her death was
broadcast on the Radio Eireann 9 a.m. news.
Marie had recently presented a portrait of Kevin
Barry and a wooden travel trunk (with a secret
compartment, used for hiding documents and a
weapon) which had belonged to Eamonn Ceannt to
Mrs Purcell, who in turn presented it to Carlow
County Museum. Miss Comerford was born in
Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow, her mother Eva Esmonde
was lady tennis champion of Ireland for three
years, her father, James Comerford, a miller in
Rathdrum, was a friend of Charles Stewart
Parnell.
Her grandfather, Thomas Esmonde,
served in the Crimean War and was the first
British officer to enter Sebastopol after the
siege. Captain Esmonde was awarded the Victoria
Cross and later became Deputy Chief Inspector of
the Irish Royal Constabulary. Marie always
laughingly claimed that the Esmondes were a
"minor tier of the Anglo-Irish Catholic
aristocracy".
She became a Republican
propagandist during the Anglo-Irish War, a
position which she never quite relinquished. In
1918 she was sent to regulate the Cumann na mBan
organisation in Carlow.
During this period she was "on
the run" and stayed in the home of the Snoddy
family in Blackbog, Carlow. In 1920 she became
private secretary to the historian Alice
Stopford Green, and was appointed to the General
Council of the White Cross. This work
facilitated her in her other role as a trusted
courier for Michael Collins in the Irish
Republican Brotherhood. Marie was a regular
visitor to Carlow during the Irish-Anglo War
1919-1921 , where she sheltered in Duckett's
Grove, later she was in charge of a Cumann na
mBan unit who looked after the upkeep of the
Duckett mansion when it was occupied by the
National Army before "the Split". Marie opposed
the Treaty.
At the outbreak of the Civil War
she reported to the Four Courts garrison in
Dublin, opened a first-aid station and riding
her bicycle along the bullet-swept streets and
quays kept communication open between the Four
Courts and the IRA Headquarters where de Valera
was stationed, he had re-enlisted as a private
in the Third Battalion of The Irish Volunteers
(called "Dev's Own").
She later joined the O'Connell
Street garrison and was there when Cathal Brugha
walked out the door of the Hammam Hotel, a
revolver in each hand raised against the
levelled rifles of the Free State troops, Brugha,
rushed forward, firing, and fell amid a volley
of shots. Marie rushed to his side and held a
severed artery until medical attention arrived.
Two days later he died. One time on a mission in
Wexford she encountered the Free State Army,
they shot at her on her motorbike, later she
wrote, "shot through the hat, drove through and
delivered the stuff".
After the Civil War --or
"Counter Revolution" as she insisted on calling
it ---de Valera sent her to America, in November
1923, travelling under the name of " Edith
Lewis", to raise funds. Life was hard for her on
her return to Ireland as she refused to sign an
oath of allegiance to King George, she was
unable to work in the Civil service. For years
she eked out an existence on a chicken farm in
Wexford. She joined the staff of the Irish Press
in 1935 where she edited the Woman's Page, six
days a week for about 30 years. She ended formal
ties with the Republican movement in 1941, in
protest at the Stephen Hayes affair. Hayes, the
then Chief of Staff, was forced to sign a
"confession " admitting treachery. Marie always
maintained Haye's innocence and regretted that
his name had not been cleared. In 1969 she
published her book "The First Dail" which today
is indispensable to historians. Michael Purcell
who attended Marie's funeral told "The
Nationalist" in a statement:"
Marie Comerford will undoubtedly
be remembered as a woman with an unquenchable
thirst for the cause of Irish freedom and as a
chronicler of the important events of Ireland's
struggle for independence. But there was another
side of Marie's character that the general
public was unaware of and that was her
generosity and hospitality. I often visited her
at her home in Sandyford, where she held court
as the grand old lady of Irish Republicanism,
and where she made her vast and valuable archive
available for research. Her home was crammed
with mementos of Ireland's troubled past. Marie
engrossed her listeners with stories of stirring
episodes that she had been involved in.
Aided by her facility with
words, her sometimes humorous observations and
her meticulous attention to detail, students and
researchers always left her company feeling they
had gained an insight into the characters and
events that formed our history. She could give
personal pen pictures of the members of the
First Dail. In old age her mature enthusiasm,
energy and refusal to be daunted inspired many".
Speaking of her recent presentations to Carlow,
Mr. Purcell added , "I know that had she lived
she would have donated many more items of
historical interest to Carlow Museum, indeed she
had agreed to meet myself and local photographer
Rory Moran on a date in January 1983 to make
another presentation".
A prolific letter writer and
alert to the end, an unfinished letter to The
Irish Times in support of the H-Block hunger
strike was found on her typewriter at the time
of her death. One of last letters she had
published in The Irish Times stated : The
Churches have played a part in the despoliation
of Ireland. I appeal to them to make amends to
the Irish people , and to provide an example of
Christian living, by giving up their wealth, and
by joining together in unity.
Marie was buried under a tree on
a hillside, in a farmer's field, beside her
lifelong republican friend, Father John F.
Sweetman, O.S.B. overlooking Mount St. Benidict,
outside Gorey. Cumann na mBan and Fianna Eireann
provided a guard of honour. Fintan Vallelly
played "Boolavogue" on the flute while Padraig
O' Gallachoir recited Padraig Pearse's " Caoimne
Bean an tShleibhe".
Sinn Fein Northern Ireland
Assembly member Danny Morrison delivering the
oration, said that Marie Comerford was a rebel
stretching from the days of Easter Week 1916
through the Tan War and Civil War to the
struggles in Northern Ireland today to rid
Ireland of British rule. Among those who
attended were , Rita O' Hare, Daithi O' Conaill
and Joe Cahill of Provisional Sinn Fein, and
many Old IRA veterans.
Among the wreaths was one from
Mr. Charles J. Haughey, T.D. leader of Fianna
Fail.
-
The Kevin
Barry Portrait and Eamonn Ceannt's trunk
were presented to Esther Purcell by
inveterate republican Marie Comerford.
Mrs. Purcell had accepted the items on
behalf of Carlow Museum and they were
officially handed over during the
special Irish night. Pictured at the
historic renewal of the 1899 resolution
supporting the aims of Comradh na
Gaeilge were:
-
(Left to right)
Miceal O Puirseal, Padraigh O Snodaigh,
Bride de Poiste, Alec Burns,
-
Kevin Kennedy, Pat Purcell, Cecil Whelan
(Club Chairman)
-
(Front) Sean Donnelly (hon. Sec.) Seamas Mac
Pairc
Photo
by Rory Moran
Source:
Carloviana 1983. Vol 2. No. 31 p.6 |
