Grace Gifford
Photo: Grace Gifford Plunkett
Grace Eveline Gifford was 23 at the time of the 1911 Census
Address: 97, Palmerston Road (Rathmines & Rathgar East, Dublin1
The Census returns for Grace and her family records her father Frederick as aged 75 a solicitor and Roman Catholic, and her mother Isabella as aged 63 and Church of Ireland. It shows Grace is one of twelve children born to Frederick and Isabella, of whom eleven were alive at the time of the Census in 1911. Also at the house are three sisters, Helen aged 30, Muriel aged 26 (who later marries Thomas MacDonagh) and Sidney aged 21. All of the daughters in the return are Church of Ireland though both Grace and Muriel later converted to Catholicism. There is also a return for Julia Moore, a domestic servant who is Roman Catholic. Interestingly all four daughters and the servant were proficient in English and Irish, though Grace’s parents were not.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000143096/
Grace was an artist who studied in the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. Among Grace's classmates was Willie Pearse, Pádraig’s younger brother, who was training to be a sculptor at the Slade School of Art in London but who specialised in satirical cartoons of a political and topical nature. Grace’s younger sister Sydney Sidney Gifford Czira was a writer who submitted articles to Arthur Griffith’s newspaper Sinn Féin.
The Gifford sisters were introduced to future leaders of the 1916 Rising, such as Constance Markievicz, Thomas MacDonagh (who married Grace's sister, Muriel), Pádraig Pearse and Maud Gonne. During this time, Grace became even more aware of the deplorable living conditions forced upon many citizens of Dublin. In the early 1900s, Dublin slums were considered the worst in Europe. Grace and her sisters began working with several groups founded to help improve the lives of the Irish poor, including the Daughters of Erin founded by Maud Gonne. The Gifford sisters also assisted with supplying school meals for inner-city children, a project instigated by James Connolly, then a Labour leader, and strongly supported by Maud Gonne. Grace was deeply interested in Catholicism and often attended the Pro-Cathedral, located in a poor area of Dublin.
In 1915 Grace began a courtship with the editor of The Irish Review, Joseph Plunkett and they planned to marry. Joseph's devout Catholicism and Grace's strong desire to learn more about the Catholic faith formed the basis for their friendship, which developed into love. Joseph's father, George Plunkett, was a Papal Count and a barrister.
Grace and Joseph became engaged on 2nd December 1915, although they did not publicly announce their plans for an Easter wedding until February 1916. The most likely reason for their secrecy was the opposition of Graces’s mother, Isabella Gifford, to their relationship, which was based on Joseph’s health problems and his political activities. Grace was received into the Catholic Church on April 7, 1916, at the University Church on St. Stephen's Green. The marriage of Grace and Joseph was originally to have taken place on Easter Sunday, 23rd of April at Rathmines Chapel. The wedding was meant to be a double one, his sister Geraldine married Thomas Dillon, a lecturer at UCD on Easter Sunday morning however Grace and Joseph’s wedding was delayed due to the Rising.
According to Grace’s own Witness Statement, Michael Collins called to her house in Palmerston Park on Holy Saturday morning with £20 and a revolver, which very much frightened her. The gun was for her to be able to defend herself and the money in case she needed to bribe anyone in the military. Plunkett obviously feared for her safety if things went wrong. He also wanted to ensure that there would be a marriage even if it were by proxy as Grace had been thrown out of her home due to her parents objections. He wrote his will to ensure that she would be taken care of in the event of his death.
Grace went to meet Joseph Plunkett that afternoon at the Metropol Hotel, where she found him dressed in a new uniform. She thought he looked wretched, with all his hair shaved off and only just out of nursing home.
By the end of Easter Week April 1916 the rebels had surrendered and were imprisoned in Kilmainham Gaol. The leaders were condemned to death by firing squad. When Joseph learned that his execution was scheduled to take place, he sought permission to be married.
According to an article in the Evening Herald, on the Wednesday evening an attractive young lady entered the jewellery shop of Mr. Stoker at 22 Grafton Street. She was “labouring under some strong emotion”. Trying to regain her composure she explained to the jeweller that she was the fiancée of Mr. Plunkett who was under sentence of death and was to be shot the following morning. The jeweller sympathised with her, she quietly thanked him, selected her ring and departed.
On the 3rd May 1916 at 6.00pm Grace Gifford entered Kilmainham Gaol. With a priest and two witnesses present she married Joseph. Neither Grace or nor Joseph were allowed talk to each other during the ceremony other than to respond to their wedding vows. She was brought in and was put in front of the altar, he was brought down the steps and the cuffs were taken off him for the ceremony but after the ceremony the cuffs were put back on him again and he was taken away. They were never allowed time alone. When the wedding ceremony was over she had to leave the prison though she was allowed return later to say a final goodbye. He was executed the next day.
It was largely the impact of this tragic wedding and love affair that turned the tide of public opinion after the Rising.
Grace Gifford Plunkett died in Dublin on 13th December 1955 and was buried in Glasnevin cemetery.
She is the subject of “Grace” a song written by Frank and Seán O’ Meara in 1985. Jim McCann, who often played with The Dubliners, had a lot of success with this song.
Sources:
Go to Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington
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