Skip to main content

"Plunkett" the youngest signature of the Proclamation faced the firing squad he said.



In 1916, a young poet, journalist and patriot called Joe Plunkett was marched to the lonely execution yard of Kilmainham Gaol…

The taste of his new bride, Grace Gifford's, last kiss still on his lips. The lovers had married only hours before, an all too brief humble service in the prison chapel. 

The patriotic romance and tragedy was immortalised in the song "Grace" by the Wolfe Tones. 

As Plunkett, the youngest signature of the Proclamation faced the firing squad he said: 
“I am very happy I am dying for the glory of God and the honour of Ireland". No doubt Grace's dark eyes were the last thing he saw as the bullets flew. 

But there was even more darkness to this romantic image. An artist and political activist in her own right, Grace's life as a widow would be marred by loneliness and poverty. Rather unfairly Plunkett had made her promise to never remarry, lest it tarnish her image as a martyr's wife.

 Also, Grace didn't receive anything from his inheritance for years. Technicalities of the Will being hastily drafted before the wedding, and there being only one witness in the chapel, created a loophole which Plunkett's parents exploited. 

The woman who had already suffered and sacrificed so much for her country was forced to endure more. She initially struggled with poverty but eventually carved out a successful life for herself in the arts and politics. 

She passed away on 13th December 1955, her name still attached to the melancholy mystique of her widow. Yet by the end of her life, she was very much also an artist and activist in her own right.

Plunkett was born at 26 Upper Fitzwilliam Street in one of Dublin's most affluent districts. Both his parents came from wealthy backgrounds, and his father, George Noble Plunkett, had been made a papal count.

Plunkett contracted tuberculosis (TB) at a young age and spent part of his youth in the warmer climates of the Mediterranean and North Africa. He spent time in Algiers where he studied Arabic literature and language and composed poetry in Arabic.

 He was educated at the Catholic University School (CUS) and by the Jesuits at Belvedere College in Dublin and later at Stonyhurst College, in Lancashire, England where he acquired some military knowledge from the Officers' Training Corps.

 Throughout his life, Joseph Plunkett took an active interest in Irish heritage and the Irish language, and also studied Esperanto. Plunkett was one of the founders of the Irish Esperanto Association in 1907.

He joined the Gaelic League and began studying with Thomas MacDonagh, with whom he formed a lifelong friendship. The two were both poets with an interest in theatre, and both were early members of the Irish Volunteers, joining their provisional committee. 

Plunkett's interest in Irish nationalism spread throughout his family, notably to his younger brothers George and John, as well as his father, who allowed his property in Kimmage, south Dublin, to be used as a training camp for young men who wished to escape conscription in Britain during the First World War.


Thanks for reading, leave your thought in the comment section below.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Heroic Story Of Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Honoring Him For His Extraordinary Actions During WWII.

The Heroic Story Of Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Honoring Him For His Extraordinary Actions During WWII.   U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on June 16, 1943, over Buka area, Solomon Islands. In October 1939, Zeamer applied for the Army Air Corps flight training program and was accepted in December. His entrance to the program was deferred until after graduating from M.I.T. in June 1940 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, specializing in Structural Engineering.  Zeamer began elementary flight school training as a flying cadet in the Chicago School of Aeronautics, Glenview, Illinois, where his leadership skills earned him the position of Captain of Cadets of Class 41-B. In March 1941, he received his wings and a commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from basic and advanced flight school at Maxwell Field, Alabama.  On June 16...

The Japanese WWII Soldier Who Refused to Surrender for 27 Years

Unable to bear the shame of being captured as a prisoner of war, Shoichi Yokoi hid in the jungles of Guam until January 1972 When Japanese sergeant Shoichi Yokoi returned to his home country after almost three decades in hiding, his initial reaction was one of contrition: “It is with much embarrassment that I return.” Then 56, Yokoi had spent the past 27 years eking out a meager existence in the jungles of Guam, where he’d fled to evade capture following American forces’ seizure of the island in August 1944. According to historian Robert Rogers, Yokoi was one of around 5,000 Japanese soldiers who refused to surrender to the Allies after the Battle of Guam, preferring life on the lam to the shame of being detained as a prisoner of war.  Though the Allies captured or killed the majority of these holdouts within a few months, some 130 remained in hiding by the end of World War II in September 1945. Yokoi, who only rejoined society after being overpowered by two local fishermen in Janu...

The Painful Death Of Sergeant John D. Kelly of Venango Township. And His Medal Of Honor For Action WWII.

The Painful Death Of Sergeant John D. Kelly of Venango Township. And His Medal Of Honor For Action WWII. U.S. Army Technical Sergeant John D. Kelly of Venango Township, Pennsylvania, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on June 25, 1944, near Fort du Roule, France. Kelly joined the Army in June 1942, and by June 25th, 1944, was serving as a Corporal in Company E, 314th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division.  On that day, at Fort du Roule, Cherbourg, France, Kelly repeatedly exposed himself to hostile fire to destroy an enemy emplacement and capture its occupants. He was killed in action five months after being promoted to technical sergeant. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on this day. Kelly is buried at the Epinal American Cemetery and Memorial in Epinal, France.

HONORING EDITH CAVELL FOR HER WONDERFUL SERVING WWI, REST IN PEACE BRITISH WAR HEROINE.

Edith Cavell - a British war heroine. Edith Louisa Cavell was born on the 4th of December 1865 at Swardeston, near Norwich, the daughter of a local vicar.  Edith trained as a nurse and would become the matron of The Berkendael Medical Institute in Belgium in 1907.  She was also active in nurse training there. The first World War broke out in 1914 and at the time Edith was on holiday, visiting her mother in Norfolk.  Her family begged her to stay in England but she returned to her job in Brussels. The city would fall to the Germans on the 20th of August 1914.  Edith was allowed to remain at her post when the hospital was taken over by The Red Cross.   Edith began rescuing and treating injured British and French soldiers and getting them across the border into neutral Holland from where they could return to Britain.  She also assisted Belgian civilians.  These activities constituted a crime under German Military Law.   Paragraph 58 of the ...

Why Anna Maria Von Stockhausen’s corpse, strapped to keep her coming back from the dead.

Why Anna Maria Von Stockhausen’s corpse, strapped to keep her coming back from the dead.   This is the corpse of Anna Maria von Stockhausen. After death she was strapped down to keep her in her grave. According to folklore, Stockhausen was a witch who resurrected herself 5 times. She was accused of being a witch during the Middle ages and Black Plague. This folklore about Anna was that she was killed about 6 times. She was first hanged and later clawed herself out of the grave. The town people captured her in a nearby town and quickly drowned her in a lake, by tying her to a plank. The townspeople said they checked her several times after dragging her lifeless body out of the water. View more graphics content below  View more below:

Honoring Gene Autry "Cowboy Entertainer" For His Services During WWII .

🇺🇲WWII uncovered: Gene Autry: Cowboy, Entertainer and Proud World War II Veteran "When World War II broke out, Gene Autry was determined to join the armed forces and do his part. On July 26, 1942, during a live broadcast of his radio show Melody Ranch and at the Pentagon's request, he was inducted into the Army Air Forces as a Technical Sergeant.  Already a private pilot, Gene set out to earn his wings as a Flight Officer. After basic training at the Santa Ana Air Force Base, and serving at Luke Field, Thunderbird Field, and Phoenix Airport, he was eventually accepted for flight training at Love Field in Dallas." "A week after Gene was sworn into the military, the Gene Autry Melody Ranch radio show became the Sergeant Gene Autry radio show on August 2, 1942. The program was part of Gene’s regular duties in the Army Air Forces and still had his music, comedy, and action in a dramatic story but now with a military theme.  The songs were patriotic, the comedy based on...

The Most Horrifying Forms of 3 Executions in History

What was the unusual execution method used in history? Stoning, also known as lapidation, is a method of execution that involves pelting the condemned individual with stones until death occurs. It has been practiced in various societies throughout history and is often associated with religious or cultural beliefs. Stoning as a form of punishment is primarily intended to instill fear and act as a deterrent. In stoning, the condemned person is typically buried up to their chest or neck in a pit or shallow hole to restrict movement. The crowd or a group of executioners then proceeds to throw stones at the individual until they are killed. The stones used in stoning are typically of a specific size and weight, ensuring that the punishment is prolonged and painful rather than immediately lethal. The severity and execution of stoning can vary between different cultures and regions. It is important to note that stoning is often linked to moral or religious offenses, such as adultery or bla...

🇦🇺WWII uncovered: Private Edward Kenna Honored with Victoria Cross for Bravery at Wewak New Guinea.

🇦🇺WWII uncovered: Private Edward Kenna Honored with Victoria Cross for Bravery at Wewak New Guinea "Edward (Ted) Kenna was born at Hamilton, Victoria, on 6 July 1919. He completed his education in his home town before becoming a plumber. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1940 and served in the 23/21st Battalion in Victoria and later in the Darwin area.  In June 1943 his unit returned to Victoria before being sent to Queensland. At this point the unit was disbanded and its members allotted as reinforcements to other units. Kenna was assigned to the 2/4th Battalion and embarked for New Guinea in October 1944." (AWM 096203) On 15 May 1945, Kenna was involved in an action near Wewak, New Guinea, during which he exposed himself to heavy fire, killing a Japanese machine gun crew and making it possible for his company's attack to succeed. For this he was awarded the Victoria Cross.  ⭐ Private Kenna's Victoria Cross Citation reads as follows: War...

JOHN MARTIN SCRIPPS THE TOURIST FROM HELL, HANGED IN SINGAPORE FOR MURDER

John Martin Scripps - "The tourist from hell". John Martin Scripps became the first Westerner to be hanged in Singapore for murder and only the second for any offence.  (Dutch born Johannes van Damme was executed for drug trafficking in 1994). He is the last British murderer to be hanged since Britain abolished the death penalty. Dubbed the "tourist from hell" by the British tabloids he may well have murdered three people in all. Scripps was convicted of the murder of Gerrard George Lowe after a trial that began on October the 2nd, 1995. It was to be Singapore's most sensational murder case since that of Adrian Lim, who with his wife and girlfriend, were convicted in May 1983 of the murder of two children in 1981.  Forty six old Lim, a self-styled spirit medium and the two women, Hoe Kah Hong and Tan Mui Choo who were both in their early 30’s, were hanged together in Changi prison in November 1988. September 18th, 1995. In the Singaporean equivalent of Comm...

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS, COURTESY AND HONOR IN THE WORST OF TIMES!

LITTLE KNOWN MILITARY HISTORY! RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS, COURTESY AND HONOR IN THE WORST OF TIMES!  In 1943, Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown was piloting his B-17 Flying Fortress, Ye Olde Pub, back to England after bombing industrial centers in Bremen, Germany.  During its run, the nose was torn apart by flak fire, causing the plane to drop out of formation and come under attack from fifteen enemy fighter planes.  The plane lost sixty percent of its electric capacity, lost its oxygen, and half its rudder.  Of the ten crewmen on board, the tail gunner had been killed, the rest wounded. 2Lt Brown himself was hit in his right shoulder. He then passed out from oxygen deprivation and woke up to find the bomber in a 4,000-foot dive.   He pulled the plane up and headed home, having been left for dead by the pursuit fighters. On the way back to England, Germans on the ground spotted the bomber.  The Luftwaffe dispatched ace fighter pilot Oberleutnant (Lt)...