Lily O'Brennan
Elizabeth ‘Lily’ O'Brennan | |
---|---|
(brother in law) |
Elizabeth ‘Lily’ O'Brennan (20 August 1878 – 31 May 1948), was an Irish republican, writer and playwright.[1]
Background
O'Brennan was born in Summer Street, Dublin, the third daughter of Francis Brennan, auctioneer, and Elizabeth Anne Butler.
O'Brennan became a teacher and contributed to both Irish and American periodicals. She wrote a play, May Eve in Stephen's Green, produced with Máire Nic Shiubhlaigh and performed in Father Mathew Hall, Church Street, Dublin in 1912. It was inspired by a statue of Mangan standing in St Stephen's Green. The play got good reviews.[7]
Nationalism
O'Brennan attended the inaugural meeting of
O'Brennan was stationed in the Marrowbone Lane distillery under the command of Con Colbert and remained there all week.[7] She was arrested with the garrison there and held at Richmond Barracks and Kilmainham Gaol. The day she was released was the day her brother-in-law was executed, 8 May 1916. O'Brennan worked as a clerk for the National Aid Association later the Prisoner's Dependents Fund as well as locating and marking the graves of those killed during the Rising.[11][8][12][13]
After the Rising, in late 1917, O'Brennan joined the executive of Cumann na mBan, she was also a member of the
O'Brennan wrote a novel, using the pseudonym ‘Esther Graham’, entitled The call to arms: a tale of the land league (1929). She was a founder member of the Catholic Writers Guild in 1947.[20]
O'Brennan lived in Churchtown, Dundrum, County Dublin. She died on 31 May 1948 and was buried in the Deansgrange cemetery.[7][8] Her papers are in the University College Dublin Archives.[21][22]
Further reading
- "Women in Intelligence – Part 1: Annie Mary Smith née Brennan". Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection. 15 June 2018.
- "Witness Mrs. McCarvill (Eileen McGrane)" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Miss Brighid O'Mullane" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Aine Bean E. Ceannt" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Brighid, Bean Ui Mhairtin (Ni Fhoghludha)" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Robert C. Barton" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Miss Moira Kennedy O'Byrne" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Miss Bridie O'Reilly" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Eilis, Bean Ul Chonaill (Nl Riain)" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
- "Witness Dr. Nancy Wyse-Power" (PDF). Bureau of Military history.
References and sources
- ^ "Revolutionary wives: author Sinéad McCoole on discovering the stories behind the 1916 widows".
- ^ "Irish Genealogy" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- ^ "Irish Genealogy" (PDF). civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie.
- ^ "National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
- ^ "National Archives: Census of Ireland 1911". www.census.nationalarchives.ie.
- ^ "Context: Letter from Cumann na mBan to Lily O'Brennan..." catalogue.nli.ie. 1930.
- ^ a b c d e "The Dictionary of Irish Biography".
- ^ a b c d "The Men & Women of 1916: The Rebels Part 2 | Century Ireland". www.rte.ie.
- ^ "'Voices of the Rising', an NLI podcast series - DHR Communications". DHR Communications. 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-84889-860-8.
- ^ "Lily O'Brennan – Women of the Easter Rising #1916 Easter Rising". Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland. 22 January 2016.
- ^ "The Women Detained at Richmond Barracks". Richmond Barracks. 16 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-61117-220-1.
- ^ Archives, The National. "The Discovery Service". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk.
- ^ McCoole, Sinéad, (2003), No Ordinary Women: Irish Female Activists in the Revolutionary Years, 1900–1923, The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, WI, p. 104
- ^ McCoole, pg 85
- ISBN 978-1-85635-684-8.
- ISBN 978-1-85109-770-8.
- ^ "Truce July 1921 - General Michael Collins". www.generalmichaelcollins.com.
- ^ "O'Brennan, Elizabeth ('Lily') | Dictionary of Irish Biography". www.dib.ie. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ^ "Collection - UCD Archives". www.ucd.ie.
- ISBN 978-1-351-89401-2.