Gertrude Gaffney facts for kids

Gertrude Gaffney, also known as Gertie Gaffney, was an important Irish journalist. She also wrote stories and articles using the pen name Conor Galway. People knew her as a strong supporter of women's rights. She passed away in December 1959.

Early Life and First Writings

Gertrude Gaffney was born in Middletown, County Armagh, a place in Ireland. She went to school at the St Louis convent in Carrickmacross.

Early in her career, she wrote stories and a novel called Towards the Dawn (1919). This book was about the events of the 1916 Rising, a major moment in Irish history.

By 1920, Gertrude was living in London, England. She wrote articles for the Irish Independent newspaper about Irish political events happening there. She also wrote for other Catholic newspapers, like The Universe, where she was the Dublin reporter.

Later, in the late 1920s and early 1930s, she worked in Dublin. She was the social reporter for the Independent newspaper. After this, she moved back to London to become the editor of a women's magazine called Queen.

A Career at the Irish Independent

In 1935, Gertrude Gaffney returned to the Irish Independent. Her friend, Frank Geary, hired her as the women's columnist. She wrote a popular column called I sketch your world. This column mixed social news and fashion with important political discussions.

Before World War I began, Gertrude traveled widely across Europe. She reported on news stories from different countries. This was unusual for Irish newspapers back then, as they usually used news agencies instead of sending their own reporters abroad.

She reported on the Irish Brigade fighting in Spain in 1936. After the war, she wrote about the difficulties these fighters faced when returning to Ireland. She also covered many other parts of Europe. She was in Danzig just before World War II started and managed to leave safely before the fighting began.

Speaking Up for Women's Rights

Gertrude Gaffney was a very strong opponent of the 1937 Irish constitution. She believed that the parts of the constitution about women's roles were unfair. She argued that the constitution did not recognize that women needed to work. She worried it would force women out of their jobs and even threaten their right to vote. Her articles in the Irish Independent encouraged women voters to oppose the constitution.

Reporting on Irish Emigration

In 1937, Gertrude wrote a series of articles about Irish women moving to Britain for work. These articles were so popular that they were printed as a small book called Emigration to England: what you should know about it: advice to Irish girls.

In these articles, she talked about the challenges faced by young women from rural areas in Britain. She suggested that this emigration was partly because farming in Ireland was struggling. She also admired Father Peter Conefrey, who believed in a simple, rural Irish way of life.

Later Life

Gertrude Gaffney's regular column in the Irish Independent stopped in 1946. She continued to write occasional articles until 1957. She passed away on December 8 or 9, 1959, in a nursing home in Dublin. She was buried in her family's grave in Middletown, County Armagh.