Cadiz sisters facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rosalind Mary and Leila Gertrude Garcias de Cadiz
Rosalind and Leila de Cadiz also known as Jane and Margaret Murphy
Place of origin	Roscommon, Ireland
Members	Rosalind, Leila

Rosalind Mary Garcias de Cadiz (born 1878) and Leila Gertrude Garcias de Cadiz (born around 1879) were two sisters known as the Cadiz sisters. They were important figures in the Suffragette movement in Ireland. This movement worked to get women the right to vote. During their time as activists, they used the names Jane Murphy and Margaret (Maggie) Murphy.

Early Life and Family

The Cadiz sisters were born in Madras, India. Their mother, Margarita Lawder, was from Roscommon, Ireland. Their father, Thomas Raymond de Cadiz, was a Spanish lawyer from Trinidad.

Rosalind and Leila were two of six children. Some of their siblings were born in Dublin, Ireland. Sadly, their parents passed away when the children were young. The sisters were then raised by their aunt and cousins in Lecarrow, County Roscommon, Ireland.

Fighting for Women's Votes

The Cadiz sisters became very interested in the movement for women's voting rights. In 1910, they joined two important groups. These were the Irish Women's Franchise League in Ireland and the Women's Social and Political Union in Britain. Both groups worked hard to achieve votes for women.

Brave Protests for Equality

In 1912, the sisters were sent to Holloway prison in the UK. They went on hunger strike there, refusing to eat. This was a common protest method for suffragettes. Later that year, they joined a group of eight women in Dublin. They broke windows of government buildings to protest the lack of voting rights.

For their actions, the Cadiz sisters were jailed in Mountjoy Prison for two months. They again refused food while in prison. The sisters were very determined. However, their strong actions were more militant than what the Irish suffrage movement wanted. Because of this, they were asked to leave the Irish organization in 1913.

Helping During Wartime

In 1914, the sisters wrote to The Irish Times newspaper. They stated that women should get the right to vote before they would help as nurses in the First World War.

Despite this, both sisters did volunteer as nurses. They spent the war years helping the Red Cross. They also worked as nurses during the Easter Rising in Ireland. Rosalind was injured during the war, which affected her ability to move around. Both sisters also lost their fiancés in the war. They never married and lived the rest of their lives in Dublin. Rosalind passed away in 1955 at 77 years old.

Recognition for Their Courage

Both Rosalind and Leila received special certificates for their nursing work. Leila also received a medal for her hunger strike in 1912. This medal was given by the Women's Social and Political Union. It recognized her brave actions and endurance in fighting for political justice.