Elizabeth O'Farrell (Irish: ''Éilís Ní Fhearghail''; 5 November 1883 – 25 June 1957) was an Irish nurse, republican and member of

Cumann na mBan Cumann na mBan (; literally "The Women's Council" but calling themselves The Irishwomen's Council in English), abbreviated C na mB, is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914, merging with and di ...

, best known for delivering the surrender in the Easter Rising of 1916.

Early life

Elizabeth O'Farrell was born on 5 November 1883 in

City Quay Dublin The Dublin quays () refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of the ...

, she was the daughter of Christopher O'Farrell who worked at Armstrong's printers and Margaret Kenneah a housekeeper. She was educated by the Sisters of Mercy. Her father died when she was young and she was sent to work. She took a job in Armstrong's a printers in

Amiens Street Amiens Street is a road in Dublin, Ireland, that runs from Memorial Road to North Strand. History The road was known as The Strand in the early 18th century. It was renamed after John Stratford, 1st Earl of Aldborough (Viscount Amiens) in 187 ...

. Her mother had a small shop on the

. She was a member of the

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This de ...

and Total Abstinence sodalities. After her education, she became a midwife and joined the national maternity hospital Holles street after her involvement in the 1916 Easter Rising. She was a part of the Gaelic League and became fluent in Irish. In 1906 she joined

Inghinidhe na hÉireann Inghinidhe na hÉireann (; "Daughters of Ireland") was a radical Irish nationalist women's organisation led and founded by Maud Gonne from 1900 to 1914, when it merged with the new Cumann na mBan. Patriotic Children's Treat The Inghinidhe or ...

alongside lifelong friend Julia Grenan. She also then joined

the women's branch of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers ( ga, Óglaigh na hÉireann), sometimes called the Irish Volunteer Force or Irish Volunteer Army, was a military organisation established in 1913 by Irish nationalists and republicans. It was ostensibly formed in respon ...

after its establishment in 1914.

Easter Rising

O'Farrell acted as a dispatcher before and during the Easter Rising of 1916. She was sent to Athenry to deliver a despatch on Easter Monday. On her return, she reported with her lifelong friend and fellow nurse, Julia Grenan, at the GPO. They were sent around the bullet-torn streets of Dublin during the week with despatches, food and ammunition hidden in their long skirts to stations at Boland's Mill, Powers' Distillery, Jacobs' Factory, St. Stephen's Green and the Four Courts. With Grenan, she also cared for the wounded, including

James Connolly James Connolly ( ga, Séamas Ó Conghaile; 5 June 1868 – 12 May 1916) was an Irish republican, socialist and trade union leader. Born to Irish parents in the Cowgate area of Edinburgh, Scotland, Connolly left school for working life at the ...

. Women and wounded were evacuated from the GPO on the Friday of Easter Week, but O'Farrell, Grenan and Winifred Carney stayed behind with the remainder of the troops, who retreated to a nearby house in

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. The market there is a famous landm ...

. On Saturday,

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ga, Pádraig Anraí Mac Piarais; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist, republican political activist and revolutionary who ...

chose Elizabeth O'Farrell to seek surrender terms from Brigadier-General Lowe. At 12.45 pm she 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. She was taken to Brigadier General William 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. A well-known photograph shows Pearse facing General Lowe at the top of Moore Street. Just before the photograph was taken, O'Farrell stepped back. In the original photograph, her feet are visible next to Pearse. This photograph was published 10 days later in the Daily Sketch newspaper. In subsequent reproductions, her feet were airbrushed out. This has led some modern commentators to claim that she was "airbrushed from history". In fact, O'Farrells's role in the surrender was covered in detail in books published throughout the 20th century, such as Dorothy Macardle's '' The Irish Republic'' (1937), Max Caulfield's ''The Easter Rebellion'' (1963) and Foy and Barton's ''The Easter Rising'' (1999).

Aftermath

Accompanied by a priest and three soldiers, O'Farrell brought the order to surrender, signed by Pearse, to the Volunteer and Citizen Army units at the

Four Courts The Four Courts ( ga, Na Ceithre Cúirteanna) is Ireland's most prominent courts building, located on Inns Quay in Dublin. The Four Courts is the principal seat of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the High Court and the Dublin Circuit ...

, the

College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations ...

, Boland's Mill and Jacob's factory. Lowe gave her his word that she would not be held as a prisoner after delivering these orders. O'Farrell was then taken to the

Dublin Castle Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin. Until 1922 it was the ...

hospital where she was stripped of her clothing and possessions and stayed for one night. The following day she was taken to Ship Street barracks, and was informed was to be sent to Kilmainham jail and held as a prisoner. O'Farrell and some other prisoners were escorted to Richmond Barracks. It was then that O'Farrell noticed Fr. Columbus of Church Street, who had accompanied her to the Four Courts on the evening of 29 April. He told her he would let General Lowe know of her situation. After being sent to Kilmainham jail she was later released. General Lowe sent a car for O'Farrell to be taken to

where she was to meet him. General Lowe apologised for her detainment and provided her with a letter in case of any further trouble with the military.

Life after The Rising

O'Farrell spent the rest of life working as a midwife and nurse in the

National Maternity Hospital, Dublin The National Maternity Hospital ( ga, An tOspidéal Náisiúnta Máithreachais), popularly known as Holles Street Hospital, is a large maternity hospital in Ireland. The hospital is located at the eastern corner of Merrion Square, at its junction ...

. When the Irish Government allowed the Bureau of Military History to begin collecting oral history of the Irish Revolutionary period for historical purposes, O'Farrell refused to participate, declaring, "All governments since 1921 have betrayed the Republic." In the fifties she made speeches on behalf of the republican movement and raised funds for republican prisoners. Elizabeth died on 25 June 1957 while on holiday in Fatima House in Bray,

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered ...

, and she is buried in the

Glasnevin Cemetery Glasnevin Cemetery ( ga, Reilig Ghlas Naíon) is a large cemetery in Glasnevin, Dublin, Ireland which opened in 1832. It holds the graves and memorials of several notable figures, and has a museum. Location The cemetery is located in Glasne ...

next to Julia Grenan in the republican plot. In modern times, the possibility that Elizabeth and Julia were romantic partners is now strongly considered. The significant closeness they displayed, the fact they lived together for 30 years, the fact that neither was ever married to a man and the fact they were buried beside each other are all considered indicators of a more intimate relationship than publicly stated. Similarly, their comrades in the 1916 rising,

Kathleen Lynn Kathleen Florence Lynn (28 January 1874 – 14 September 1955) was an Irish Sinn Féin politician, activist and medical doctor. Lynn was so greatly affected by the poverty and disease among the poor in the west of Ireland that, at 16, she deci ...

and

Madeleine ffrench-Mullen Madeleine ffrench-Mullen (30 December 1880 – 26 May 1944) was an Irish revolutionary and labour activist who took part in the Easter Rising in Dublin in 1916. Ffrench-Mullen was a member of the radical nationalist women's organisation . In 19 ...

, are also considered to be another "unstated" couple, as were Margaret Skinnider and

Nora O'Keeffe Nora O’Keeffe (1885–1961) was a revolutionary and feminist from County Tipperary. She was a regional organiser of Cumann na mBan, a dispatch courier in the War of Independence and an anti-Treaty propagandist during the Irish Civil War who w ...

Commemorations

After her death, the Nurse Elizabeth O'Farrell Foundation was established in 1967 to help support nursing postgraduate studies. A memorial plaque was also unveiled in Holles Street Hospital where she trained as a midwife from 1920 to 1921.Brosnan, M. (n.d.
Elizabeth O'Farrell
, The National Maternity Hospital. Retrieved 2 February 2018. Every year, the hospital awards a student the 'Elizabeth O'Farrell' commemorative award which is a silver medal awarded to a student midwife who exceeds academically in their final exams for qualification as a midwife. In 2003 another plaque was unveiled in

City Quay The Dublin quays () refers to the two roadways and quays that run along the north and south banks of the River Liffey in Dublin, Ireland. The stretches of the two continuous streets have several different names. However, all but three of ...

park commemorating her. O'Farrell was born close by to this area. In 2012, what was originally the City Quay park, is now known as the Elizabeth O'Farrell Park on Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin. In 2016,

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the national broadcaster of Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while ...

aired a television series giving insight into the Rising for its 100-year anniversary. The series, by RTÉ's ''Cláracha Gaeilge'' unit – called ''Réabhlóid'' (English: Revolution) – aired four episodes with the final one commemorating Nurse O'Farrell. Episode 4 – 'Famous and Invisible' tells the story of O'Farrell's role in the surrender and looks at how she was allegedly airbrushed out from the original image of the surrender. The episode looks at lesser known characters of 1916 including Elizabeth O'Farrell.

Bibliography

* Hogan, M (2004). Elizabeth O'Farrell and surrender, 1916. Discovering Women in Irish History. Retrieved 21 November 2016, from
3.1.8 Elizabeth O'Farrell and surrender, 1916
* Brosnan, M. (n.d.

, The National Maternity Hospital. Retrieved 2 February 2018. * Ni Cheallaigh, L. (Producer & Director) (2016). Réabhlóid. (Motion Picture). Ireland. RTÉ. * Central Statistics Office. (n.d.
Elizabeth O'Farrell. Census and Women of the Rising
Ireland. CSO. Retrieved 21 November 2016 * Author Unknown. (28 August 2012). City Quay Park now known as Elizabeth O'Farrell Park on Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin. Irish Volunteers. Retrieved 20 November 2016 fro
City Quay Park now known as Elizabeth O'Farrell Park on Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin.
* Barry, M. (10 March 2016). Airbrushed from history? Elizabeth O'Farrell and Patrick Pearse's surrender, 1916. The Irish History. Retrieved 10 November 2016 fro
Airbrushed out of history? Elizabeth O’Farrell and Patrick Pearse’s surrender, 1916.
* Granville, D. (2004). Irish Democrat Archive : Features : The Irish Revolutionary Women of Cumann na mBan. Archive.irishdemocrat.co.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2016, fro
The Irish Revolutionary Women of Cumann na mBan
* Story of the surrender. (2011, April ). Retrieved 23 November 2016, fro
1916 Rebellion Museum , Story of the Surrender

Writings

* O'Farrell, Elizabeth, 'Events of Easter Week', ''The Catholic Bulletin'' 1917. * O'Farrell, Elizabeth & Grenan, Julia, 1972, Memorial Card, Kilmainham Collection (KGC).

Primary sources

* Doherty, Shuna,'Elizabeth O'Farrell and the Women of 1906', Unpublished MA thesis presented to The National Library of Ireland (NLI 1995) * Henderson, Fr Enna, Cistercian Abbey Roscrea, Testimony, 1997, Kilmainham Gaol Collection (KGC) * Interview with Tove O'Flanagan and Jill Andrews of the National Maternity Hospital 2003.

Secondary sources

* McCoole, Sinead, ''No Ordinary Women: Irish Female Activists in the Revolutionary Years 1900–1923'' (Dublin 2003).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Farrell, Elizabeth 1884 births 1957 deaths Burials at Glasnevin Cemetery Cumann na mBan members Irish nurses Irish republicans Irish LGBT people People of the Easter Rising