Nellie Gifford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nellie Gifford
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Gifford in 1917
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| Born |
Helen Ruth Gifford
9 November 1880 Phibsborough, Dublin, Ireland
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| Died | 23 June 1971 (aged 90) Dublin, Ireland
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| Other names | Nellie Donnelly |
| Relatives | 11 siblings, including
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Nellie Gifford (born November 9, 1880, died June 23, 1971) was an important Irish activist. She worked for Ireland to become an independent country. She was known for her strong beliefs and her role in major historical events.
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Nellie's Early Life
Helen Ruth Gifford, known as Nellie, was born on November 9, 1880, in Phibsborough, Dublin. Her father, Frederick Gifford, was a lawyer. Her mother, Isabella Julia Gifford, was related to a famous painter. Nellie was one of twelve children in her family.
Her father was Catholic, and her mother was Protestant. All the children grew up in the Church of Ireland. While the men in the family often moved away and supported British rule, the women, including Nellie, became strong supporters of Irish independence. Her younger sisters, Grace Gifford, an artist, and Sydney Czira, a journalist, were also well-known activists.
Nellie grew up in Rathmines, a part of Dublin. She went to school at Alexandra College. She trained to be a teacher of home economics. For seven years, she worked in different places in County Meath.
Becoming an Activist
Seeing Poverty and Joining the Cause
While working as a teacher, Nellie stayed in the homes of poor farm workers. This experience showed her how difficult life was for many people in the countryside. Because of what she saw, she began to support Laurence Ginnell. He was a politician who fought for the rights of farmers and for Irish independence.
Nellie was also inspired by her sisters, who believed strongly in Irish independence and women's rights. With them, she joined the Irish Women's Franchise League. This group worked to get women the right to vote. Through this, she met Constance Markievicz, another famous Irish activist. Nellie even acted in some plays, including one produced by Countess Markievicz's husband.
The Dublin Lock-out and the Irish Citizen Army
In 1913, Dublin had a big workers' strike called the Dublin lock-out. Nellie helped James Larkin, a union leader, sneak into the Imperial Hotel, Dublin on August 31. He was disguised as an old, sick clergyman. Nellie pretended to be his niece. She spoke to the hotel staff to hide Larkin's strong accent. After this, Larkin gave a speech that led to a violent police attack known as "Bloody Sunday."
Nellie then became a founding member of the Irish Citizen Army (ICA). This group was special because it supported women's rights, thanks to its leader, James Connolly.
Nellie taught cooking skills at Liberty Hall, the ICA's headquarters. She also helped new recruits find jobs. In a very important moment, she introduced Michael Collins to her future brother-in-law, Joseph Plunkett. Collins later became Plunkett's assistant during the 1916 Easter Rising.
The Easter Rising
Nellie was the only one of her sisters to actively take part in the Easter Rising in 1916. She was with the ICA group in St Stephen's Green in Dublin, alongside Countess Markievicz. During the week-long rebellion, Nellie managed the food supplies for the fighters in the College of Surgeons' building. She got food from shops and bread vans. She also made sure food reached other rebel groups.
After the rebels surrendered, Nellie was one of the women arrested and sent to Kilmainham Gaol. In the same prison, her sister Grace married Joseph Plunkett just hours before he was executed. Only twelve women were kept in prison after May 8, 1916. Nellie was one of them. She was moved to Mountjoy Prison and was finally released on June 4, 1916. After her release, she continued to be involved in campaigns for Irish independence.
After her time in prison, Nellie traveled to the United States. There, she and other women who had fought in the Easter Rising gave talks across America. In 1918, she married Joseph Donnelly in the US. In 1921, she and their young daughter, Maeve, returned to Ireland.
Nellie's Later Life
Nellie's father died in 1917 and left her some money. However, she was not wealthy. She became a broadcaster for national radio and wrote for Irish newspapers. She remained a strong Protestant, unlike four of her sisters who married Catholics.
Nellie was very dedicated to making sure the history of the Irish independence movement was remembered. In 1932, she noticed many visitors for a big Catholic event called the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. She used this chance to organize a small exhibition of items from the 1916 Rising for the National Museum of Ireland. She felt that the museum should show more about recent Irish history.
She worked hard to create a permanent exhibition about Irish nationalist groups, the Easter Rising, and the Irish War of Independence. The collection she helped gather is now a very important part of the museum's displays.
Over the years, Nellie was the secretary of the Old IRA Association. She was also a member of the Old Dublin Society and helped start the Kilmainham Gaol Restoration Society. This group worked to restore the historic prison. Nellie also cared for stray and neglected dogs and cats. She passed away on June 23, 1971, at a nursing home in Rathmines, Dublin, at the age of 90.
