May Gibney
May Gibney | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mary Bridget Gibney October 1893 Tralee, Ireland |
| Died | 1987 Dublin, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Other names | Mary, May, Maura, Gibney, O'Neill |
May Gibney (October 1893 – 1987) was an Irish nationalist and feminist, active during the Easter Rising of 1916 and both the War of Independence and the Irish Civil War.
Early life
Mary Bridget Gibney was born in October 1893 to Thomas Gibney and Mary O’Reilly in Tralee, Co. Kerry.[1] She was the eldest of three children. Her father was in the Royal Irish Constabulary and the family was not nationalist; she was the only active member. She was only 10 when her father died and she was sent to live with an aunt in Dublin. She was educated in the Model School in Marlborough Street and later the Kings Inns School.
Easter Rising
When the 1916 Easter Rising started May approached the garrison at the General Post Office and asked to join them. She knew one of the volunteers on duty and she was allowed in.[2] She remained at the GPO for the rest of the week. She was involved in general activities, including cooking and first aid but also delivered messages to other garrisons such as the one to Michael Mallin at the Royal College of Surgeons.[1][3][4]
When she was told to leave she and Brid Connolly were making their way home when they were arrested and sent to Broadstone Station. However, on this occasion she was not detained for very long.[1]
After the Rising
Once the Rising was over Gibney remained active with the nationalist movement. She met her fiancé Dick McKee who was a Commandant of the Irish Volunteers and later the Irish Republican Army in Dublin. She became a courier bringing messages from activists and hid Victor Murphy, a Jacob's factory garrison member who had avoided arrest with the others. She joined the Central Branch of Cumann na mBan. McKee was shot dead on Bloody Sunday on 21 November 1920 during the War of Independence.[1][3][4]
Gibney continued to find hideouts for men during the war as well as getting involved in the elections. She also continued to act as a courier between Dublin commands and the rest of the country. It was during these trips that she met the man who would be her husband, Laurence O'Neill, Commander of the Carlow brigade. Her roles during the war also included gathering intelligence and providing first aid, acting as a watch and hiding weapons. Once the Anglo-Irish Treaty was signed Gibney was part of the Anti-Treaty side and she was arrested and sent to Kilmainham Gaol in 1922. She was released in 1923.[1][3][4][5]
Later life
After the war, in 1929, she married Laurence O'Neill in Dublin, where they had four children, three daughters and one son. One of her daughters became artist Sally Smyth who created a series of art exhibited in and about Kilmainham and the incarcerated.[3][6] She died in 1987 and was buried with military honours.
References
- ^ a b c d e Sinead McCoole. "Seven women who played a key part in 1916 and beyond, impacting on society".
- ^ Joe Connell. "Women imprisoned in Kilmainham gaol after the easter rising".
- ^ a b c d "May Gibney (1893 - 1987)".
- ^ a b c Deirdre Morrissey (18 October 1999). "An Irishwoman's Diary".
- ^ Niamh O'Sullivan (30 June 2007). Every Dark Hour: A History of Kilmainham Jail. Liberties Press. ISBN 978-1-909718-07-4.
- ^ "Kilmainham Gaol". Carlow County - Ireland Genealogical Projects (IGP TM).
