WOMEN, PHOTOSHOP, AND THE 1916 RISING
Jul 14th, 2007 by Conor McCabe
The latest issue of Red Banner has an article on women in the 1916 rising, written by Dr. Ann Matthews. The article focuses in on the three women who remained with the GPO garrison to the end: Elizabeth O’Farrell, Julia Grennan, and Winifred Carney. It’s an excellent piece, and well worth the €2 cover price. The journal is available in Connolly Books, Temple Bar.
Elizabeth O’Farrell was born in Dublin in 1884. Although she is usually referred to as “nurse O’Farrell”, she was not a trained nurse at the time of the rising. Julia Grennan, who was a life-long friend of O’Farrell, was also born around this time. The third woman, Winifred Carney, was born in 1887, in Bangor, co, Down. According to Dr. Matthews:
In 1912 [Carney] was secretary of the Textile Workers’ Union, which was effectively the women’s section of the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union Belfast branch, and affiliated to the Irish Women Workers’ Union. In 1913 she was actively involved in fundraising for the lock-out Dublin workers. As a result of her involvement in trade unionism, she came in contact with James Connolly, who was then living in Belfast. when Cumann na mBan was founded, Carney joined its Belfast branch. She travelled to Dublin on 14 April 1916 to assist Connolly in the final preparations for the rebellion. She typed the first round of mobilisation orders, and after the confusion caused by the cancellation by Eoin McNeill, she typed the second round of mobilisation orders on Easter Sunday.”
The rebellion, which began on Easter Monday, 24 April 1916, lasted for one week. Its principal headquarters was the General Post Office (GPO), but this was abandoned after several days of heavy fighting. The final headquarters of the Irish republic was no.16 Moore Street, its area of sovereignty no bigger now than a handball court.
This is 16 Moore Street today (14 July 2007). A preservation order was placed on the building in 2006, by the Department of the Environment.
The only sign that the building carries such historical significance is a small memorial beside the first floor window.
The decision to surrender was taken by the rebel leaders, and conveyed to the British forces by Elizabeth O’Farrell. General Lowe made it clear that he would accept only unconditional surrender. O’Farrell brought this message back to Pearse, who had little option but to agree. O’Farrell accompanied Pearse to the British barricade, which was at the corner of Moore Street and Parnell Street. At 2.30pm, Saturday, 29 April, General Lowe met Pearse and accepted his unconditional surrender. Amazingly, a photograph was taken of this historic moment.
Elizabeth O’Farrell was at Pearse’s right-hand side when he surrendered. Her feet and part of her coat can be seen in the photograph.
The photograph was used recently by the publishers of Tim Pat Coogan’s Ireland in the Twentieth Century.
However, in the picture used on the book’s cover, Elizabeth O’Farrell’s legs are gone. Someone took the notion to “clean up” the photo, and as a result, she has disappeared from history. All that remains is the outline of her coat, which makes Pearse look like he is wearing a triangle.
I suppose this is what happens when aesthetics dictates history. Tim Pat Coogan may have set out to write an old-style nationalist history of Ireland, and as such the cover sits perfectly with his attempt. All except “the boys” are left out of Coogan’s view of the past - in some cases, as with O’Farrell, with a “pro-active” Photoshop editor as the gleeful assistant.
For a photoshop-free account of the women in the 1916 rising, however, you could do worse than check out Dr. Matthew’s article in Red Banner. Available at all good Irish communist party bookshops.
Below, contemporary footage of Dublin in the aftermath of the rising.
The photo of Pearse and nurse O’Farrell was discussed on an RTE radio documentary during the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the rising. On this documentary they stated that the Nurse O’Farrell’s head and upper body were removed by English newspapers at the time, who presumably were not using photoshop! Pearse was badly wounded and needed the help of nurse O’Farrell to stand. The newspapers removed her to make the scene appear more ‘heroic’ but they did a poor job and forgot her feet. Tim Pat Coogan seems to have completed the job.
The documentary also discussed the young English officer on General Lowe’s right. He is the general’s son John. After WW1 he became an actor and ended up in Hollywood under the name John Loder and appeared in many films including: ‘How green was my valley’. His bio is on IMBD: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0517058/bio. It’s funny where life can take you.
That is brilliant! Thanks very much for that, 511kev, I didn’t know about the removal of O’Farrell’s head and upper body. and as for the general’s son! Fantastic stuff. Cheers!
Just nit-picking here, but shouldn’t it read Elizabeth O’Farrell under the image of Pearse, rather then Deirdre O’Farrell?
Doh! Yeah it should. I’ll change it now.
my damned connection is acting up, so won’t be change it until the morning!
Thanks for the posting the pictures, I’ve been looking around for a good quality version of this picture, fascinating stuff.
The surrender image was also used for a play in Kilmainham jail last year.
http://www.hexhibit.com/home.php?view_id=55&image=4
http://www.hexhibit.com/home.php?view_id=55&image=2
Many brave Irish girls served the republic in 1916. De Valera would’nt have any in his garrison because its said he was notoriously shy around the opposite sex. Others have said simply that he didnt want any women killed in such a hopeless uprising. It was probably a bit of both in my opinion.
Does anyone have a picture of Julia Grenan?
hello,julia grennan was my great aunty !!i am busy tracking down the old fotos of my nanna and her sisters ,if you have more info over julia will you please let me know ??many thanks annie maguire
Hi Annie, thanks for the comment! I’m afraid I don’t have any photos, but I’ll keep an eye out for you.
hi conor i just found one !!!if you go onto an phoblacht site and look for article on bodenstown 1963 there is a foto of her .my mam lost contact with her family and she is 85 now and would love to know if we have any family in ireland left,annie maguire,
does anyone have a copy of insurrection on rte 1966 by hugh leonard ??i am trying to trace info and family of julia grennen a nurse at gpo 1916,annie
hi does anyone have a copy of a painting of ronnie drew as a saint in heaven?i printed one in august when he died but now cant find the site i found it on it was real funny painting of him in heaven
Hi
Julia Grenan is also my great aunt. I would be interested for you to get in touch with me. I have a number of family photographs of Julia including one with her brother Patrick who was my grandad. Elizabeth O’farrell also appears on this photograph.
Have a couple a pics of Elizabeth at home doing a family tree at the moe and she’s a great great aunt .Saved the website in my favourites so shall give a shout when im done
If it’s any help Julia had a sister Mary who moved to Manchester and two brothers Pat and Mark, Pat being my grandfather who moved to Liverpool. Mark moved to London. I know that my grandad stayed with his cousins the ‘Whites’ when back in Dublin. I take it that you belong to that side of the family. Good luck with the family tree, I look forward to hearing from you.
Ste Grenan
Does anyone have any information on a Hubert Murphy, who I believe was one of the youngest to fight at the GPO in 1916? I’m doing some reserch and would like to find out some details about him.
The 1911 Census has 2 Huberts listed one was aged 13, his address was James St East Dub., the other was only 10 and lived at Erne St Lower Dub.
I’d appreciate any help.
Thanks
Hello to Stephen Grenan. I am writing a book about Ireland 1911 to 1923 and in particular the Rising. Would you mind getting in touch. I would be very grateful if you could give me any information of Julia Grennan’s time in Ireland during these years and would apreciate any photos you could allow me to use in the book.
Thanks
Lorraine Reid
lorreid2@gmail.com
Hi White and Stephen Grenan,
Elizabeth Farrell was my grandmother’s cousin. I am also working extensively on a family tree, perhaps you could get in touch and we can cross reference. If anyone else has information on Elizabeth Farrell or her mother Bridget Kenna from Wicklow, possibly Delgany it would be wonderful if you could get in touch directly.
many thanks
You can contact me on louise.aitchison@ucd.ie
To Annie
looking for a copy of the rte documentry. You can get it here. http://www.rte.ie/laweb/ll/ll_t06_strands_c_06.html
Lorraine
Hi any relatives of Winifred Carney as my dad was her cousin.
Winifred was Connelly’s secretary during the 1916 uprising.I actually have a picture of her as a child with her mum.
Hi guys. I am looking to solve a mystery. According to Fergus O’Kellys WS he was with a man called David Bourke but there is no trace of anyone by that name. Does anyone know if this was an alias used by someone. If any of Mr. O’kellys relatives are out there they maybe able to help me. Eddie
B rebelradio@dublin.ie
Hey does anyone have any photos of Nurse ElizabethO’Farrell ? thats if this blog is still checked !
thanks
Has anyone any info on Annie Maguire of Fionngall, Blackrock, Co Louth, and owner of The Eimear bakery, bar, restaurant and dance hall. She was i n Cumann na mBan and interned in Crumlin Road jail.