Mary MacSwiney facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary MacSwiney
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| Vice President of Sinn Féin | |
| In office 1927–1933 |
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| Leader |
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| Preceded by | Kathleen Lynn |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Buckley |
| Teachta Dála | |
| In office December 1921 – June 1927 |
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| Constituency | Cork Borough |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 March 1872 London, England |
| Died | 8 March 1942 (aged 69) County Cork, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Politician, educationalist |
Mary MacSwiney (born March 27, 1872 – died March 8, 1942) was an important Irish politician and teacher. In 1927, she became the deputy leader of the Sinn Féin political party. This happened when Éamon de Valera stepped down as the party's president.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Mary MacSwiney was born in London, England. Her father was Irish, and her mother was English. When she was six years old, her family moved back to Ireland. She went to school at St Angela's School in Cork.
At age twenty, Mary started teaching at a private school in England. She later got a special loan to study teaching at the University of Cambridge. This program was usually only for men. She also worked at a convent school and even thought about becoming a nun for a short time.
In 1904, her mother passed away. Mary returned to Cork to help care for her younger brothers and sisters. She took a job teaching at St Angela's, the same school she had attended.
Getting Involved in Irish Politics
Mary became interested in women's rights and joined the Munster Women's Franchise League. This group worked for women's right to vote. However, her strong Irish nationalist beliefs sometimes caused disagreements with other members.
Her younger brother, Terence MacSwiney, was a very strong supporter of an independent Ireland. He inspired Mary. She joined groups like the Gaelic League, which promoted the Irish language, and Inghinidhe na hÉireann, a women's nationalist organization.
In 1914, Mary helped start Cumann na mBan in Cork. This was a women's group that supported Irish independence. She became a national leader of the group. In 1916, after the Easter Rising (a rebellion against British rule), she was arrested and put in prison. She also lost her teaching job because of her actions.
After she was released from prison, Mary and her sister Annie started a new school called Scoil Íte. It was similar to Patrick Pearse's famous St. Enda's School. Mary continued to work at Scoil Íte for the rest of her life.
Political Career
Supporting Irish Independence
Mary MacSwiney strongly supported the Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921. Her brother, Terence MacSwiney, died in October 1920 after going on a hunger strike in prison during the war.
After his death, Mary was elected to the Dáil Éireann (the Irish parliament) in 1921. She represented the Cork Borough area. Her other brother, Seán MacSwiney, was also elected to the Dáil. Mary traveled to America with Terence's widow, Muriel MacSwiney, to give talks and interviews about the situation in Ireland.
Opposing the Anglo-Irish Treaty
In October 1921, Irish leaders were preparing to sign a peace agreement with Britain called the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Mary MacSwiney was strongly against this treaty. She believed Ireland should continue fighting for full independence. She famously said that if it meant war, she would "take it gladly and gleefully." She spoke for three hours in the Dáil, explaining why she thought the treaty was wrong.
Imprisonment and Hunger Strikes
During the Irish Civil War (which followed the signing of the Treaty), Mary MacSwiney was arrested in November 1922. She was taken to Mountjoy Prison. She immediately began a hunger strike to protest being held without charge. Her health became very serious, and she was given the Last Rites by a priest. The government did not want her to die, so she was released.
Later, she was arrested again and taken to Kilmainham Gaol. She started another hunger strike, showing she was not afraid to die for her beliefs. She was eventually released again. Many other republican prisoners also went on hunger strike in 1923 to protest being held without trial.
Later Political Life
Mary MacSwiney kept her seat in the Dáil after the 1923 general election. However, like other Sinn Féin members, she refused to take her seat in the Dáil because she did not accept the new Irish Free State.
In 1926, there was a big split in the Sinn Féin party. Éamon de Valera believed that refusing to enter the Dáil was not working. He wanted to form a new party, Fianna Fáil, and become the elected government. Mary MacSwiney disagreed and stayed with the original Sinn Féin, continuing to support a fully independent Irish Republic.
She lost her Dáil seat in the June 1927 Irish general election. When Sinn Féin couldn't afford to run in the next election, Mary told people not to vote for any other parties.
Mary continued to try and make Sinn Féin stronger. However, in 1933, she left Cumann na mBan and started a new group called Mná na Poblachta. In 1934, she also left Sinn Féin.
Belief in an Independent Irish Republic
Mary MacSwiney strongly believed in the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as the true army of the Irish Republic. She felt they were fighting for the legitimate government of Ireland. In December 1938, she was part of a group of seven republicans who met with the IRA Army Council. They signed over what they believed was the authority of the Dáil Éireann to the IRA. From then on, the IRA saw itself as the rightful government of the Irish Republic.
Personal Life
Mary MacSwiney became the legal guardian of her brother Terence's daughter, Máire. In 1931, Mary went to Germany to bring Máire back to Ireland. This led to a court case, and Mary was given custody of her niece. Máire went to Scoil Íte, the school Mary had founded and continued to run as a teacher. Mary was known for her progressive ideas in education and her support for women's rights.
See also
In Spanish: Mary MacSwiney para niños
