Joseph Mary Plunkett
Aged 24 at the time of the 1911 Census
Born: 21 November 1887
Executed: 4 May 1916
Census 1911 Address: 26, Fitzwilliam Street, Upper (Fitzwilliam, Dublin)1
The 1911 Census returns for the family of Joseph Mary Plunkett did not include him or his brother George – (Joseph may have been in hospital). The return does include Count George Noble Plunkett aged 59, a barrister and director of a museum and his children: Mona (21), Geraldine (19) and John (13). All three children were students. The Census return also records Sara Catherine Farrell (48) from Dubuque, USA who was a cousin of George Plunkett. All of the family were proficient in Irish and English. The Census records 3 domestic servants, Margaret O’Keeffe (60), a widow, Bridget Dunne (22) a parlour maid and Elizabeth Kinsella (24), a housemaid. All the people in the household were Catholic. The House and Building return for the Census shows that the family and their servants lived in a house with 14 rooms.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Dublin/Fitzwilliam/Fitzwilliam_Street__Upper/85124/
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000207150/
Joseph Mary Plunkett was an Irish nationalist, poet, journalist, and a leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Both his parents came from wealthy backgrounds. His father George Noble had been made a Papal Count. Joseph contracted glandular tuberculosis at a young age and spent some of his early years in Italy and North Africa. At one stage in Algiers he became interested in roller skating and was offered a job by the management of a rink there. According to Grace Gifford, “he was very athletic, and was a champion skater. He used be able to jump six chairs at a time2”. He took an active interest in Irish heritage and the Irish language. He met Thomas Mac Donagh at University College Dublin and with common interests such as poetry, religion and mysticism, they became close friends. “Joe had always a lot to say on Irish history in general and after he met Tom McDonagh he was particularly interested in the history of the previous hundred years3”. Both men joined the Irish Volunteers.
Plunkett wrote a number of poems the most famous being “I see his Blood upon the Rose” which explores death and self-sacrifice. “He took, however, a frightful lot of pains about his poetry and he put the last ounce of his ability into it3”. Plunkett’s nationalism spread to his two brothers George and John, (who both were involved in the Easter Rising), and his father George Noble. The Plunkett’s farm at Larkfield in Kimmage was used as one of the clearing stations for the cargo of arms which was landed at Howth in 1914 and was also used as a training camp for young men trying to avoid conscription in Britain. At Kimmage, the men were instructed on military tactics and prepared bombs and ammunition for the planned insurrection.
In April 1915, Plunkett joined the IRB and was sent to Germany to help Roger Casement in procuring arms and assistance and to find out if the German government would support a revolution in Ireland. An ambitious plan, the Ireland Report, to land a force of 12,000 of German soldiers in the West coast of Ireland which would incite a rebellion was submitted. The combined Irish and German forces would defeat the British in Ireland, allowing the German’s to establish naval bases and use it’s U-boats to cut off British supply routes in the Atlantic. The German government rejected this plan but agreed to send a consignment of weapons to Ireland.
On his return he was appointed to the Military Council mainly because of his key position as director of military operations in the Irish Volunteers. He was deeply involved in the preparations for the Rising along with James Connolly and Sean MacDiarmada and it was largely his plan that was followed. Plunkett was hospitalised just before the Rising and, after an operation on his neck and still wearing bandages, he took his place in the GPO along with the rest of the Provincial Government, assisted by a young Captain Michael Connolly. He had planned to marry his fiancée Grace Gifford on Easter Sunday in a double ceremony along with his sister Geraldine and her fiancée Thomas Dillon but his wedding to Grace was cancelled due to the Rising. Instead Grace watched events unfold on Easter Monday from her bridal suite in the Imperial Hotel on Sackville Street, which is now O’Connell Street.
In 1916 radio communication was in its infancy. Just before the Rising Joseph Plunkett and his brother Jack were interested in the use of radio and some wireless apparatus was assembled by the Plunketts and two others named Con Keating and David Bourke at the Plunkett home. The latter two men were qualified Marconi operators. On Easter morning Fergus O’Kelly “was called aside by Joseph Plunkett and instructed to take a few men and take possession of the wireless school and Reis's shop and do everything possible to get the transmitting plant and receiving apparatus into working order. I took about six men. One was Sean O'Connor, an electrician and a member of the Kimmage Garrison from London. Another was Arthur Shields, the well-known Abbey actor, and I also had David Burke as operator.4” “On reporting to H.Q. that the transmitting apparatus was operating, a message was sent over by James Connolly, commanding the Dublin area, for broadcast transmission. As the receiving apparatus could not be got to operate correctly it was not possible to get in direct touch with any station or ship but the message was sent out on the normal commercial wavelength in the hope that some ship would receive it and relay it as interesting news. As far as I can remember, the first message announced the proclaiming of the Irish Republic and the taking over of Dublin city by the Republican Army. A later message stated that the British troops had attacked and had been repulsed and that the positions were still held by the Republican forces4”. From then until the building had to be abandoned the message was sent out at regular intervals in the hope that some ship would receive it and relay it as important news. This is regarded as the world’s first radio broadcast. Although it was intercepted by several receivers, the rebels never knew if their message was heard as they could not get any receiving equipment to work.
Although Plunkett’s health prevented him from much activity, he did however manage to lead a group safely from the GPO to Moore Street when the GPO had to be evacuated, although they were under heavy gun-fire at the time. Along with Willie Pearse, Plunkett led the surrender of the rebels. He was held with his brothers George and Jack at Richmond Barracks where he expressed concern for his friend MacDonagh.
He faced a court-martial and was condemned to death by firing squad but was allowed to marry Grace Gifford just before being executed. They were never left alone together even after the wedding ceremony which was conducted by Father Eugene McCarthy. As Grace’s sister Muriel was married to Thomas MacDonagh, the best friends were briefly brothers-in law as Thomas was executed the same day as the marriage between Grace and Joseph.
Joseph Mary Plunkett was executed 4th May 1916 aged 28. Joseph's brothers, George and Jack, were also condemned to death but in their cases the sentences were commuted.
The main railway station in Waterford City is named after Joseph Plunkett as is Plunkett Barracks in the Curragh Camp, Co. Kildare.
Photo: British Army notice on the executions of William Pearse, Michael O'Hanrahan, Joseph Plunkett and Edward Daly on 4 May 1916
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