Inghinidhe na hÉireann (; "Daughters of Ireland") was a radical

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cult ...

women's organisation led and founded by

Maud Gonne Maud Gonne MacBride (, born Edith Maud Gonne); 21 December 1866 – 27 April 1953) was an Irish republican revolutionary, suffragette and actress. She was of Anglo-Irish descent and was won over to Irish nationalism by the plight of people evict ...

from 1900 to 1914, when it merged with the new (The Irishwomen's Council).

Patriotic Children's Treat

The Inghinidhe originated from a meeting of 15 women in the Celtic Literary Society Rooms in Dublin on Easter Sunday 1900 (April 15th). While the meeting's original purpose was to provide a gift for

Arthur Griffith Arthur Joseph Griffith (; 31 March 1871 – 12 August 1922) was an Irish writer, newspaper editor and politician who founded the political party Sinn Féin. He led the Irish delegation at the negotiations that produced the 1921 Anglo-Irish Trea ...

for defending Maud Gonne from an accusation that she was a British spy,Trotter 2001, p.82 it turned to planning a "Patriotic Children's Treat" in response to the Children's Treat in the

Phoenix Park The Phoenix Park () is a large urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its perimeter wall encloses of recreational space. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since ...

which had been part of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

's April visit to Dublin. One aim of the royal visit was to encourage Irishmen to enlist in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

to fight in the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

, whereas Griffith, Gonne and others were sympathetic to the

Boer Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

s. Over fifty women joined the organising committee for the Patriotic Children's Treat, which took place in July on the Sunday after the

Wolfe Tone Theobald Wolfe Tone, posthumously known as Wolfe Tone (; 20 June 176319 November 1798), was a revolutionary exponent of Irish independence and is an iconic figure in Irish republicanism. Convinced that, so long as his fellow Protestantism in ...

Commemoration. It involved 30,000 children parading from Beresford Place to

Clonturk Clonturk () is an area on the Northside (Dublin), Northside of Dublin, in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the south of the suburb of Drumcondra, Dublin, Drumcondra, just north of the River Tolka, but previously, Clonturk had been ...

Park, followed by a picnic and anti-recruitment speeches.Trotter 2001, pp.82–85 The funds left over after the Patriotic Children's Treat were used to establish as a permanent organisation.Trotter 2001, p.85

Members

Most founders were middle-class Catholics, though

Helena Molony Helena Mary Molony (15 January 1883 – 29 January 1967) was a prominent Irish republican, feminist and labour activist. She fought in the 1916 Easter Rising and later became the second woman president of the Irish Trades Union Congress. Early ...

wrote in its magazine, (Woman of Ireland), "Now there were some young girls in Dublin, chiefly members of the Irish classes of Celtic Literary Society… They were (with one exception) all working girls.They had not much gold and silver to give to Ireland. Only willing hearts, earnestness and determination." They originally met on Easter Sunday after noon Mass, she wrote, with the intention of presenting an inscribed blackthorn stick to (an unnamed) Arthur Griffith, who had thrashed a newspaper editor for maligning Maud Gonne. They went on to plan a picnic for 30,000 children as an alternative to the planned celebrations of a recruiting visit of the British monarch to Ireland. As they had no money, they raised subscriptions all over Dublin, coming together in an association named Daughters of Ireland, or (in deliberately antiquated spelling) .

was elected President of the association; Vice-Presidents were Alice Furlong, Jenny Wyse Power, Annie Egan, and Anna Johnston (

Ethna Carbery Ethna Carbery, born Anna Bella Johnston, (3 December 1864 – 2 April 1902) was an Ireland, Irish journalist, writer and poet. She is best known for the ballad ''Roddy McCorley'' and the ''Song of Ciabhán''; the latter was set to music by Ivor G ...

). Among the founders were

, Sinéad O'Flanagan (later wife of

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (; ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was an American-born Irish statesman and political leader. He served as the 3rd President of Ire ...

), actors Maire Quinn and Molly and Sara Allgood, physician Kathleen Lynn and Mary Macken, a leading member of the Catholic

Women's Suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

League. Later members included Mary MacSwiney, Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh,

Constance Markievicz Constance Georgine Markievicz ( ; ' Gore-Booth; 4 February 1868 – 15 July 1927), also known as Countess Markievicz and Madame Markievicz, was an Irish politician, revolutionary, nationalist, suffragist, and socialist who was the first woman ...

, Margaret Buckley, Ella Young,

Máire Gill Máire ‘Mollie’ Gill (Máire Ní Ghiolla) (1891–1977) was a political activist who became third and longest-serving president of the Camogie Association and captained a Dublin GAA#Camogie, Dublin team to an All-Ireland Senior Camogie Champ ...

, writer Rosamond Jacob, Hanna Sheehy,

Alice Milligan Alice Letitia Milligan 'pseud.'' Iris Olkyrn(4 September 1865 – 13 April 1953) was an Irish writer and activist in Ireland's Celtic Revival; an advocate for the political and cultural participation of women; and a Protestant Irish nation ...

,Trotter 2001, p.86 and

Marcella Cosgrave Marcella Cosgrave (30 April 1873 – 31 January 1938) was an Irish nationalist. She was a founder member of Inghinidhe na hÉireann and Cumann na mBan and took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and Irish War of Independence. Background Cosgrave w ...

as well as many working-class women.

Work

The Inghinidhe's objects were defined as follows: * The re-establishment of the complete independence of Ireland * To encourage the study of

Gaelic Gaelic (pronounced for Irish Gaelic and for Scots Gaelic) is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". It may refer to: Languages * Gaelic languages or Goidelic languages, a linguistic group that is one of the two branches of the Insul ...

, of Irish literature, history, music and art, especially among the young, by the organising and teaching of classes for the above subjects. * To support and popularise Irish manufactures. * To discourage the reading and circulation of low English literature, the singing of English songs, the attending of vulgar English entertainments at theatres and music halls, and to combat in every way English influence, which is doing so much injury to the artistic taste and refinement of the Irish people. * To form a fund called the National Purposes Fund for the furtherance of the above objects. They sponsored classes and entertainment for children and adults, and protested at the British army recruitment centre in

O'Connell Street O'Connell Street () is a street in the centre of Dublin, Ireland, running north from the River Liffey. It connects the O'Connell Bridge to the south with Parnell Street to the north and is roughly split into two sections bisected by Henry ...

. The Inghinidhe performed

tableaux vivants A (; often shortened to ; ; ) is a static scene (performing arts), scene containing one or more actors or models. They are stationary and silent, usually in costume, carefully posed, with props and/or theatrical scenery, scenery, and may be s ...

on themes from Irish mythology and world history. It also produced Irish plays with male actors recruited from other nationalist groups. In 1908, the Inghinidhe launched a monthly magazine, , which was edited by

. Among the contributors were

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...

Thomas MacDonagh Thomas Stanislaus MacDonagh (; 1 February 1878 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish political activist, poet, playwright, educationalist and revolutionary leader. He was one of the seven leaders of the Easter Rising of 1916, a signatory of the Proclama ...

, Sidney Gifford (under her ''nom de plume'' John Brennan),

, who wrote the gardening column and Molony herself who wrote the Labour Notes. There were articles on politics, the vote for women, nationalism, language – and regular columns on labour issues, fashion (stressing Irish-made clothes), gardening, articles in Irish in the (as Irish was always then written and printed), a children's section with competitions, etc. It was popular with both men and women.

Superseding

In 1914, was absorbed into , the women's arm of the

Irish Volunteers The Irish Volunteers (), also known as the Irish Volunteer Force or the Irish Volunteer Army, was a paramilitary organisation established in 1913 by nationalists and republicans in Ireland. It was ostensibly formed in response to the format ...

. However, some trade unionist members opted instead to join the

Irish Citizen Army The Irish Citizen Army (), or ICA, was a paramilitary group first formed in Dublin to defend the picket lines and street demonstrations of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union (ITGWU) against the police during the Great Dublin Lock ...

.''Maud Gonne MacBride and Inghinidhe na hÉireann'', p.1

References

Bibliography

* Coxhead, Elizabeth, ''Daughters of Erin'' (Gerrard's Cross 1985) * Fox, R.M, ''Rebel Irishwomen'' (Dublin 1935) * Fox, R.M, How Women Helped', in ''Dublin's Fighting Story 1916–1921'', ''Told by Men who Made it'', Tralee, the ''Kerryman'' undated. * Hayes, Alan (ed.) ''The Years Flew By, Recollections of Madame Sidney Gifford Czira'', (Galway 2000) * Markiewicz, Countess Constance, ''Women, Ideals and the Nation'' (Dublin 1909) * Mulholland, Maria, ''The Politics and Relationships of Kathleen Lynn'' (Dublin 2002) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inghinidhe na hEireann Cumann na mBan Irish nationalist organisations Women's organisations based in Ireland 1900 establishments in Ireland 1914 disestablishments in Ireland Organizations established in 1900 Organizations disestablished in 1914