Winifred Carney
Encyclopedia
Maria Winifred Carney, known as Winnie Carney, (4 December 1887 – 21 November 1943) was a suffragist
, trade union
ist and Irish independence activist. Born in Bangor
, County Down
, her family moved to the Falls Road in Belfast when she was a child. Carney was educated at the Christian Brothers School
on Donegall Street in the city, later teaching at the school.
in Belfast. During this period she met James Connolly
and became his personal secretary. According to her biographer Helga Woggon, Carney was the person best acquainted with Connolly's politics. Carney then joined Cumann na mBan
, the women's auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers
, and attended its first meeting in 1914.
during the Easter Rising
in 1916. Carney was the only woman present during the initial occupation of the building, which she entered armed with a typewriter
and a Webley revolver. While not a combatant, she was given the rank of adjutant
and was among the final group (including Connolly and Patrick Pearse
) to leave the GPO. She had earlier taken the wounded Connolly's final dictated orders, and had refused to leave him despite being ordered to evacuate the building with the injured. After her capture, she was held in Kilmainham Gaol
and later interned in Aylesbury
with Nell Ryan and Helena Moloney
. The three requested that their internee
status, and the privileges it brought, be revoked so that they would be held as normal prisoners with Countess Markievicz. Their request was denied and she was released in December 1916. After the Anglo-Irish Treaty
and the formation of the Irish Free State
, Carney sided with the Anti-Treaty forces and was arrested several times.
as a Sinn Féin
candidate for Belfast Victoria
in the 1918 General Election
. She polled 4.05% of the vote, losing to the Labour Unionists
. In 1924 she joined the Labour Party
. In 1928 she married George McBride, a Protestant Orangeman and former member of the Ulster Volunteers. Ironically, the formation of the Ulster Volunteers prompted the formation of the Irish Volunteers, of which Carney was a member. McBride was however a fellow socialist. She continued to be involved in the trade union movement, working for the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
.
Ill health limited her political activities in her later years. Carney died in 1943, and is buried in Milltown Cemetery
. Her headstone was erected by the National Graves Association, Belfast
.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
, trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
ist and Irish independence activist. Born in Bangor
Bangor, County Down
Bangor is a large town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is a seaside resort on the southern side of Belfast Lough and within the Belfast Metropolitan Area. Bangor Marina is one of the largest in Ireland, and holds Blue Flag status...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, her family moved to the Falls Road in Belfast when she was a child. Carney was educated at the Christian Brothers School
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
on Donegall Street in the city, later teaching at the school.
Early career
In 1912 Carney was in charge of the women's section of the Irish Textile Workers' UnionNorthern Ireland Textile Workers' Union
The Northern Ireland Textile Workers' Union was a trade union in the United Kingdom. It merged with the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1930.-See also:* List of trade unions* Transport and General Workers' Union* TGWU amalgamations...
in Belfast. During this period she met 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...
and became his personal secretary. According to her biographer Helga Woggon, Carney was the person best acquainted with Connolly's politics. Carney then joined Cumann na mBan
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...
, the women's auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers
Irish Volunteers
The Irish Volunteers was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists. It was ostensibly formed in response to the formation of the Ulster Volunteers in 1912, and its declared primary aim was "to secure and maintain the rights and liberties common to the whole people of Ireland"...
, and attended its first meeting in 1914.
Easter Rising
She was present with Connolly in the Dublin General Post OfficeGeneral Post Office (Dublin)
The General Post Office ' in Dublin is the headquarters of the Irish postal service, An Post, and Dublin's principal post office...
during 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...
in 1916. Carney was the only woman present during the initial occupation of the building, which she entered armed with a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
and a Webley revolver. While not a combatant, she was given the rank of adjutant
Adjutant
Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant...
and was among the final group (including Connolly and Patrick Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
) to leave the GPO. She had earlier taken the wounded Connolly's final dictated orders, and had refused to leave him despite being ordered to evacuate the building with the injured. After her capture, she was held in Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol
Kilmainham Gaol is a former prison, located in Kilmainham in Dublin, which is now a museum. It has been run since the mid-1980s by the Office of Public Works , an Irish Government agency...
and later interned in Aylesbury
Aylesbury (HM Prison)
HM Prison Aylesbury is a Young Offender Institution situated in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. The prison is located on the north side of the town centre, on Bierton Road...
with Nell Ryan and Helena Moloney
Helena Moloney
Helena Moloney was a prominent Irish republican, feminist and labor activist. She fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trade Union Congress....
. The three requested that their internee
Internment
Internment is the imprisonment or confinement of people, commonly in large groups, without trial. The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning as: "The action of 'interning'; confinement within the limits of a country or place." Most modern usage is about individuals, and there is a distinction...
status, and the privileges it brought, be revoked so that they would be held as normal prisoners with Countess Markievicz. Their request was denied and she was released in December 1916. After the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Anglo-Irish Treaty
The Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
and the formation of the Irish Free State
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...
, Carney sided with the Anti-Treaty forces and was arrested several times.
Later career
She stood for ParliamentParliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
as a Sinn Féin
Sinn 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...
candidate for Belfast Victoria
Belfast Victoria (UK Parliament constituency)
Victoria, a division of Belfast, was a UK parliamentary constituency in Ireland. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1918 to 1922.-Boundaries and Boundary Changes:...
in the 1918 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1918
The United Kingdom general election of 1918 was the first to be held after the Representation of the People Act 1918, which meant it was the first United Kingdom general election in which nearly all adult men and some women could vote. Polling was held on 14 December 1918, although the count did...
. She polled 4.05% of the vote, losing to the Labour Unionists
Ulster Unionist Labour Association
The Ulster Unionist Labour Association was an association of trade unionists founded by Edward Carson in June 1918, aligned with the Ulster Unionists in Northern Ireland. Members were known as Labour Unionists. 1918 and 1919 were the years of intense class conflict throughout Britain. This period...
. In 1924 she joined the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
. In 1928 she married George McBride, a Protestant Orangeman and former member of the Ulster Volunteers. Ironically, the formation of the Ulster Volunteers prompted the formation of the Irish Volunteers, of which Carney was a member. McBride was however a fellow socialist. She continued to be involved in the trade union movement, working for the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
Irish Transport and General Workers' Union
The Irish Transport and General Workers Union, an Irish trade union, was founded by James Larkin in 1908 as a general union. Initially drawing its membership from branches of the Liverpool-based National Union of Dock Labourers, from which Larkin had been expelled, it grew to include workers in a...
.
Ill health limited her political activities in her later years. Carney died in 1943, and is buried in Milltown Cemetery
Milltown Cemetery
Milltown Cemetery is a large cemetery in west Belfast, Northern Ireland.It lies within the townland of Ballymurphy, between Falls Road and the M1 motorway. Milltown Cemetery opened in 1869 and there are now approximately 200,000 of Belfast's citizens buried there. Most of those buried there are...
. Her headstone was erected by the National Graves Association, Belfast
National Graves Association, Belfast
The National Graves Association, Belfast is a private Irish republican organisation which undertakes to care for and maintain the graves of some Irish Republican Army volunteers who are buried in Belfast cemeteries...
.