Elizabeth O'Farrell
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth O'Farrell was an Irish nurse and member of Cumann na mBan
, best known for delivering the surrender in the Easter Rising
of 1916.
, who remained in the G.P.O. until the end of the Rising. Along with her life-long friend and fellow nurse, Julia Grenan, she cared for the wounded including James Connolly
. At 12.45 pm on Saturday 29 April O'Farrell was handed a Red Cross insignia and a white flag and asked to deliver the surrender to the British military. She emerged into heavy fire on Moore Street
which abated when her white flag was recognised.
O'Farrell was taken to Brigadier General W. H. M. Lowe who sent her back to Pearse at number 16 Moore Street with a demand for unconditional surrender. Pearse agreed and, accompanied by O'Farrell, surrendered in person to General Lowe. Though partly obscured by Pearse, she may be seen in a press photograph taken at the moment of the surrender. The apparent removal of her figure in many subsequent versions of the photograph has given rise to much speculation.
Accompanied by a priest and three soldiers she brought the order to surrender to the insurgent positions throughout the city.
She died in Fatima House in Bray
, Co. Wicklow on 25 June 1957. She remained active in Republican politics until her death and she is buried in the Republican Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery
alongside Julia Grenan.
In 1967 the Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell Foundation was established resulting in the unveiling of a memorial plaque in Holles Street Hospital and a foundation to support postgraduate studies in the field of nursing. In 2003 a further plaque was unveiled in City Quay Park.
She has been depicted in several plays and TV dramas, including RTE
's Insurrection. She was, however, omitted from Neil Jordan
's Michael Collins
where the surrender is delivered by a man.
Cumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers...
, best known for delivering the surrender in the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
of 1916.
Background
Elizabeth O'Farrell was born in City Quay, Dublin in 1884. She worked as a mid-wife in Holles Street Hospital in Dublin.The Rising
O'Farrell acted as a dispatcher before and during the Rising, delivering bulletins and instructions to the rebel outposts around Dublin. She was one of three women, including Winifred CarneyWinifred Carney
Maria Winifred Carney, known as Winnie Carney, was a suffragist, trade unionist and Irish independence activist. Born in Bangor, County Down, her family moved to the Falls Road in Belfast when she was a child...
, who remained in the G.P.O. until the end of the Rising. Along with her life-long friend and fellow nurse, Julia Grenan, she cared for the wounded including James Connolly
James Connolly
James Connolly was an Irish republican and socialist leader. He was born in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, to Irish immigrant parents and spoke with a Scottish accent throughout his life. He left school for working life at the age of 11, but became one of the leading Marxist theorists of...
. At 12.45 pm on Saturday 29 April O'Farrell was handed a Red Cross insignia and a white flag and asked to deliver the surrender to the British military. She emerged into heavy fire on Moore Street
Moore Street
Moore Street is a street in central Dublin, Ireland, off Henry Street, one of Ireland's main shopping streets. The famous Moore Street open air fruit and vegetable market is Dublin's oldest food market....
which abated when her white flag was recognised.
O'Farrell was taken to Brigadier General W. H. M. Lowe who sent her back to Pearse at number 16 Moore Street with a demand for unconditional surrender. Pearse agreed and, accompanied by O'Farrell, surrendered in person to General Lowe. Though partly obscured by Pearse, she may be seen in a press photograph taken at the moment of the surrender. The apparent removal of her figure in many subsequent versions of the photograph has given rise to much speculation.
Accompanied by a priest and three soldiers she brought the order to surrender to the insurgent positions throughout the city.
Aftermath
O’Farrell spent several months in prison after the Rising. General Lowe petitioned that clemency be shown towards her for "great assistance" she had given in managing the final hours of the Rising.She died in Fatima House in Bray
Bray
Bray is a town in north County Wicklow, Ireland. It is a busy urban centre and seaside resort, with a population of 31,901 making it the fourth largest in Ireland as of the 2006 census...
, Co. Wicklow on 25 June 1957. She remained active in Republican politics until her death and she is buried in the Republican Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
alongside Julia Grenan.
In 1967 the Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell Foundation was established resulting in the unveiling of a memorial plaque in Holles Street Hospital and a foundation to support postgraduate studies in the field of nursing. In 2003 a further plaque was unveiled in City Quay Park.
She has been depicted in several plays and TV dramas, including RTE
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
's Insurrection. She was, however, omitted from Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan
Neil Patrick Jordan is an Irish filmmaker and novelist. He won an Academy Award for The Crying Game.- Early life :...
's Michael Collins
Michael Collins (film)
Michael Collins is a 1996 historical biopic written and directed by Neil Jordan and starring Liam Neeson as General Michael Collins, the Irish patriot and revolutionary who died in the Irish Civil War. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival....
where the surrender is delivered by a man.
External links
- Photograph of O'Farrell in nurse's uniform
- Copy of surrender photograph showing O'Farrell's feet
- Réabhlóid - Episode 4 - Famous and Invisible. RTÉRTERTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
documentary on the 'airbrushed from history' proposition. Aired 3rd October, 2011.
