Grace Gifford
Encyclopedia
Grace Evelyn Gifford Plunkett (4 March 1888 – 13 December 1955) was an Irish
artist and cartoon
ist who was active in the Republican movement. She is mainly remembered for marrying Joseph Plunkett in Kilmainham Jail only a few hours before he was executed for his part in the 1916 Easter Rising
.
, a Church of Ireland church on the north side of the city. Grace was the second youngest in a family of 12 children and grew up in the fashionable suburb of Rathmines
in Dublin. The children were raised as Protestants - the girls attended Alexandra College
in Earlsfort Terrace, and the boys attended the High School
in Harcourt St.
. Orpen regarded Grace as one of his most talented pupils. He often sketched Grace and eventually painted her as one of his subjects for a series on 'Young Ireland'. At around this time, Grace's talent for caricature was discovered and developed. In 1907 she attended a full-time course in Fine Art at the Slade School of Art, London
.
(Æ). During the same year, Mrs Dryhurst brought Grace to the opening of the new bilingual St Enda's School in Ranelagh
, Dublin. It was here that she met Joseph Plunkett for the first time and came into direct contact with the future leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising
, including Tomás MacDonagh, whom Grace's sister, Muriel, married.
After the Rising, the leaders were condemned to death by firing squad. When Grace knew that Joseph was due to be shot on 4 May, she bought a wedding ring in a jeweller’s shop in Dublin city centre. She and Joseph were married on the night of 3 May in the chapel of Kilmainham Jail, only a few hours before he was executed.
policies and resumed her commercial work to earn a living. She was elected to the Sinn Féin executive in 1917.
Her sister Muriel, widow of executed 1916 leader Thomas MacDonagh
, died of heart failure while swimming in 1917. Grace and another sister, Nellie Gifford, shared the care of Muriel's two children, Donagh MacDonagh
and Barbara, until 1919. She remained in close contact with both until she died.
, vast numbers of republicans were arrested and incarcerated in jails over the country without trial or charge. Grace was arrested with many others in February 1923 and detained in Kilmainham Jail for about three months. She painted pictures on the walls of her cell, including one of the Madonna and Child. She was released in May 1923.
When the Civil War ended, she had no home of her own and very little money. Anti-Treaty herself, the then bitterness towards republicans was so strong that she could expect no material help from the government. Her talent as an artist was her only real asset; her cartoons were published in various newspapers and magazines, including Dublin Opinion
, the Irish Tatler, Sketch, and on one occasion in 1934, Punch
. She illustrated W. B. Yeats' The Words upon the Window Pane in 1930. She moved from one rented apartment to another and ate in the city-centre restaurants. She befriended many people and had many admirers, but had no wish to remarry. Her material circumstances improved in 1932 when she received a Civil List pension from Éamon de Valera’s Fianna Fáil
government. This freed her from financial worries and enabled her to make the occasional trip to Paris where she delighted in visits to the galleries and exhibitions. She lived for many years in a flat in Nassau St. with a balcony overlooking the sports ground of Trinity College.
His parents refused to honour Joseph Plunkett’s will (in his will made on Easter Sunday, 1916, he left everything to Grace). Legally, the will was unvalid because there was only one witness (the law requires two) and also the marriage took place after the will was made, automatically revoking it. For years Grace received nothing of what she was entitled to receive, so she began legal proceedings against her former father-in-law, Count Plunkett and his wife in 1934. They were settled before being heard in full by the court. She was paid £700, plus legal costs.
At around this time she joined the Old Dublin Society, where she met the noted Irish harpsichord maker Cathal Gannon
. When Cathal married, Grace gave him and his wife Margaret a present of two single beds and a picture. From the late 1940s onwards, Grace’s health declined. In 1950 she was brought to St Vincent’s Hospital
, then in the city centre. She convalesced in a nursing home, which she did not like, mainly because it restricted her freedom.
She died suddenly, and alone, on 13 December 1955 in an apartment in South Richmond Street
. Her body was removed to St Kevin’s Church, Harrington Street
and among the attendees at her funeral was President Seán T. O'Kelly
. She was buried with full military honours close to the republican plot in Glasnevin Cemetery
.
She is one of the people seen buying a bond in John MacDonagh's newsreel of Michael Collins signing the first issue of Republican Bonds outside St Enda's, Rathfarnham
in 1919. The film is archived and available for viewing at the Irish Film Institute.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
artist and cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
ist who was active in the Republican movement. She is mainly remembered for marrying Joseph Plunkett in Kilmainham Jail only a few hours before he was executed for his part in the 1916 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...
.
Background
Her parents were Frederick, a solicitor and a Roman Catholic, and Isabella Julia Burton, a Protestant. They were married in St. George'sSt. George's Church, Dublin
St. George's Church is a former parish church in Dublin, Ireland, designed by Francis Johnston, which is considered to be one of his finest works. It is located at Hardwicke Place, just north of the city centre. The elegant spire, high, became a landmark of the north inner city.-The...
, a Church of Ireland church on the north side of the city. Grace was the second youngest in a family of 12 children and grew up in the fashionable suburb of Rathmines
Rathmines
Rathmines is a suburb on the southside of Dublin, about 3 kilometres south of the city centre. It effectively begins at the south side of the Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranelagh to the east and Harold's Cross to the west.Rathmines has...
in Dublin. The children were raised as Protestants - the girls attended Alexandra College
Alexandra College
Alexandra College is a private, single-sex school located in Milltown, Dublin, Ireland. It serves girls from ages 4 to 19 as boarding or day pupils. The school is one of the most prestigious in Ireland and ranks highly in Leaving Certificate results tables...
in Earlsfort Terrace, and the boys attended the High School
The High School, Dublin
The High School is a co-educational school located in Rathgar, Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1870 in Harcourt Street before moving to its current location in Rathgar in 1971 and amalgamated with The Diocesan School for Girls in 1974, thereby becoming co-educational.-Millennium...
in Harcourt St.
Education
At the age of 16 she went to the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, where she studied under the Irish artist William OrpenWilliam Orpen
Major Sir William Newenham Montague Orpen, KBE, RA, RHA was an Irish portrait painter, who worked mainly in London...
. Orpen regarded Grace as one of his most talented pupils. He often sketched Grace and eventually painted her as one of his subjects for a series on 'Young Ireland'. At around this time, Grace's talent for caricature was discovered and developed. In 1907 she attended a full-time course in Fine Art at the Slade School of Art, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
She returned to Dublin in 1908 and, with great difficulty, tried to earn a living as a caricaturist, publishing her cartoons in The Shanachie, Irish Life, Meadowstreet and The Irish Review, which was edited from 1913 by Joseph Plunkett. She considered emigrating but gave up the idea. Despite earning so little money, she enjoyed a lively social life; she was well dressed and mixed with the likes of Mrs Dryhurst, a journalist who worked in London, and George William RussellGeorge William Russell
George William Russell who wrote under the pseudonym Æ , was an Irish nationalist, writer, editor, critic, poet, and painter. He was also a mystical writer, and centre of a group of followers of theosophy in Dublin, for many years.-Organisor:Russell was born in Lurgan, County Armagh...
(Æ). During the same year, Mrs Dryhurst brought Grace to the opening of the new bilingual St Enda's School in Ranelagh
Ranelagh
Ranelagh is a residential area and urban village on the south side of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the postal district of Dublin 6. It is in the local government electoral area of Rathmines and the Dáil Constituency of Dublin South-East.-History:...
, Dublin. It was here that she met Joseph Plunkett for the first time and came into direct contact with the future leaders of the 1916 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...
, including Tomás MacDonagh, whom Grace's sister, Muriel, married.
Engagement and Marriage
Her growing interest in the Roman Catholic religion led to the deepening of her acquaintance with Joseph Plunkett. She began to question him about his faith. He proposed to her in 1915; Grace accepted and decided to take instruction in the Catholic religion. She was formally received into the Catholic Church in April 1916. Having no knowledge of the plans for the Easter Rising, she planned to marry Joseph on Easter Sunday of that year in University Chapel on St Stephen's Green, in a double wedding with his sister and her fiancé. Her parents were not in favour of her marrying Plunkett, due to the precarious state of his health - he was extremely ill at this time.After the Rising, the leaders were condemned to death by firing squad. When Grace knew that Joseph was due to be shot on 4 May, she bought a wedding ring in a jeweller’s shop in Dublin city centre. She and Joseph were married on the night of 3 May in the chapel of Kilmainham Jail, only a few hours before he was executed.
Sinn Féin
Grace Plunkett decided to devote herself through her art to the promotion of Sinn FéinSinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
policies and resumed her commercial work to earn a living. She was elected to the Sinn Féin executive in 1917.
Her sister Muriel, widow of executed 1916 leader Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas MacDonagh
Thomas MacDonagh was an Irish nationalist, poet, playwright, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising.-Early life:MacDonagh was born in Cloughjordan, County Tipperary...
, died of heart failure while swimming in 1917. Grace and another sister, Nellie Gifford, shared the care of Muriel's two children, Donagh MacDonagh
Donagh MacDonagh
Donagh MacDonagh was an Irish writer, judge, presenter, broadcaster, and playwright.-His private life:He was born in Dublin and was still a young child when his father Thomas MacDonagh, an Irish nationalist and poet, was executed in 1916.Tragedy struck again when his mother died of a heart attack...
and Barbara, until 1919. She remained in close contact with both until she died.
The Civil War and aftermath
Throughout the Civil WarIrish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
, vast numbers of republicans were arrested and incarcerated in jails over the country without trial or charge. Grace was arrested with many others in February 1923 and detained in Kilmainham Jail for about three months. She painted pictures on the walls of her cell, including one of the Madonna and Child. She was released in May 1923.
Dublin Opinion
Dublin Opinion was an Irish satirical magazine, published monthly from 1922 to 1968. It was founded by cartoonists Arthur Booth and Charles E. Kelly and writer Thomas J. Collins. Booth was its first editor, and drew the covers of the early issues. The first issue was launched on 1 March 1922, and...
, the Irish Tatler, Sketch, and on one occasion in 1934, Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
. She illustrated W. B. Yeats' The Words upon the Window Pane in 1930. She moved from one rented apartment to another and ate in the city-centre restaurants. She befriended many people and had many admirers, but had no wish to remarry. Her material circumstances improved in 1932 when she received a Civil List pension from Éamon de Valera’s Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
government. This freed her from financial worries and enabled her to make the occasional trip to Paris where she delighted in visits to the galleries and exhibitions. She lived for many years in a flat in Nassau St. with a balcony overlooking the sports ground of Trinity College.
His parents refused to honour Joseph Plunkett’s will (in his will made on Easter Sunday, 1916, he left everything to Grace). Legally, the will was unvalid because there was only one witness (the law requires two) and also the marriage took place after the will was made, automatically revoking it. For years Grace received nothing of what she was entitled to receive, so she began legal proceedings against her former father-in-law, Count Plunkett and his wife in 1934. They were settled before being heard in full by the court. She was paid £700, plus legal costs.
At around this time she joined the Old Dublin Society, where she met the noted Irish harpsichord maker Cathal Gannon
Cathal Gannon
Cathal Gannon , was an Irish harpsichord maker, a fortepiano restorer and an amateur horologist.-Beginnings and education:...
. When Cathal married, Grace gave him and his wife Margaret a present of two single beds and a picture. From the late 1940s onwards, Grace’s health declined. In 1950 she was brought to St Vincent’s Hospital
St. Vincent's University Hospital
St. Vincent's Hospital is a teaching hospital located at Elm Park, south of the city of Dublin, Ireland. It is at the junction of Merrion Road and Nutley Lane opposite the Merrion Centre and adjacent to Elm Park Golf Club.-History:St. Vincent's Hospital was founded in 1834 on St...
, then in the city centre. She convalesced in a nursing home, which she did not like, mainly because it restricted her freedom.
She died suddenly, and alone, on 13 December 1955 in an apartment in South Richmond Street
Portobello, Dublin
In Dublin, Portobello is an area stretching westwards from South Richmond Street as far as Upper Clanbrassil Street bordered on the north by the South Circular Road and on the south by the Grand Canal....
. Her body was removed to St Kevin’s Church, Harrington Street
St. Kevin's Church, Harrington Street, Dublin
St. Kevin's Church opened in Harrington St., Dublin, in 1872 to serve the Roman Catholic parish of St. Kevin, which had been split from St. Catherine's in 1855. It was named after the nearby St...
and among the attendees at her funeral was President Seán T. O'Kelly
Sean T. O'Kelly
Seán Thomas O'Kelly was the second President of Ireland . He was a member of Dáil Éireann from 1918 until his election as President. During this time he served as Minister for Local Government and Minister for Finance...
. She was buried with full military honours close to 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...
.
Media
She is the subject of "Grace", a song written in 1985 by Frank and Seán O'Meara, which became very popular in Ireland and elsewhere and has been recorded by many musicians.She is one of the people seen buying a bond in John MacDonagh's newsreel of Michael Collins signing the first issue of Republican Bonds outside St Enda's, Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham
Rathfarnham or Rathfarnam is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin County Councils.The area of Rathfarnham...
in 1919. The film is archived and available for viewing at the Irish Film Institute.
Publications
- 1919: To Hold as Twere: a collection of Grace’s cartoons of political figures.
- 1929: Twelve Nights at the Abbey Theatre: a collection of cartoons depicting actors of the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
- 1930: Doctors Recommend It: An Abbey Tonic in Twelve Doses: another collection of cartoons.
External links
- article which includes some of her drawings
- Grace Gifford on the Irish Comics Wiki