Maud Gonne

Maud Gonne was an actress and militant Irish cause. It was born in England on December 21st, 1866, and died in Ireland on April 27th, 1953. Especially known for its engagements in the feminist movement and for the independence of the Ireland, it is the mother of Sean MacBride, one of the cofounders of international Amnesty. She remains an icon of the nationalist movement.

First years

She was born born to it on December 21st, 1866 with Aldershot (Hampshire, south-west of London). She is the girl of Thomas Gonne, a colonel of the British army resulting from a rich person Irish family and Edith Cook. Two years after his birth, his/her father is affected in Ireland. In 1871, his/her mother dies prematurely. She is sent to Paris to be high there. In 1882, after a stay with Rome it finds his/her father with Dublin.

In 1886, it is twenty years old, in November, it returns in France where it meets Lucien Millevoye a journalist and radical politician with which it falls in love, and of which it ends up sharing the ideas. At the end of this same month, his/her father dies of the typhoid fever by leaving him a heritage of 20.000 £. In 1889, it meets for the first time the poet William Butler Yeats , it is the beginning of a long ambiguous relation.

Militant and actress

1890 is the year when it settles in Ireland, in the Comté of Donegal. She militates against expulsions of the poor families, this action results in the construction of refuges and the lifting of funds; she writes also articles for various newspapers. Threatened of arrest it must flee in France where it gives rise to her Georges son, whose father is Millevoye. During its Parisian stay, it bases a monthly magazine free Ireland , to attract sympathies on the cause of Irish independence, and finances the edition of a collection of poems of Ellen O' Leary. It ends up breaking with Millevoye and turns over to Ireland, with her Georges son who dies of a meningitis on August 30th, 1891. The October 10th, news meets with Yeats, at the time of the funeral of Charles Stewart Parnell , the “king without crown”; the poet tries to comfort it loss of his son with the ritual magic ones, but it has especially recourse to chloroform. It joined the Hermetic Order off the Golden Dawn , a bunch dealing with occultism, whose Yeats has been already member for one year. In 1893, it organizes to him a round of readings in Ireland and France.

The following year, the couple remains in Paris, where it makes the experiment of the Haschisch, the August 6th it gives rise to a Iseut girl. The March 22nd according to, it beginning of a round of readings in France.

The year 1897 is particularly rich. In January it takes part (always with Yeats) in the creation of the Parisian branch of “Young Ireland” (Jeune Ireland), then it starts a round of meeting where it makes speeches: Paris, Dublin (the June 21st is the scene of riots anti-British), London, York, Glasgow, Manchester, Cork, etc From October at December, she travels to the the United States to collect funds (1000 £). End 1898, it undertakes with James Connolly the drafting of a proclamation on the problem of the famine: rights of the life and rights of the property .

“Inghinidhe Na hEireann”

Then, Maud Gonne founds a militant group: “Inghinidhe Na hEireann” (Women of Erin) which publishes a monthly magazine of the same name in which it signs articles with nationalist and feminist connotations (1900). This group is implied in the Irish cultural movement (Gaelic Revival) of which the goal is to promote the gaelic language and the culture. The activities are varied: education of the women, course the gaéliques ones, dances, Irish songs, distributions of free meals to the poor children. With William Butler Yeats and Lady Gregory, it takes part in the foundation of the Abbey Theater with Dublin; Yeats is always in love, it inspires to him by many poems, whose The Wind Among the Reeds (wind among the reeds) celebrates it . He writes with his intention the play “ Kathleen Nor Houlihan ”, created in Dublin on April 2nd, 1902, whose she interprets the main role.

Against any waiting, it is not Yeats only it marries, but John MacBride (1903), a commander of Irish Brigade; the marriage is a failure and it turns over quickly to Ireland. From this short union will be born, the following year, Sean MacBride, future cofounder of international Amnesty. It joined Constance Markievicz, James Connolly and James Larkin in the fight to force the authorities to extend the law of 1906 on the school lunches to Ireland, while being activated to nourish the poor children of Dublin. At the beginning of the First World War it militates against the conscription of the Irishmen in the British army. May 5th, 1916 John MacBride is carried out, after the insurrection of Easter

Last combat

Two years later, it is arrested and imprisoned for 6 months with Holloway Prison, (London) whereas it continues its combat against the conscription. To its release, it turns over to Ireland and is activated within “White Cross”. With Charlotte Despard, it founds an association to defend the republican prisoners (1922): the “Women' S Prisoners' Defense League” and instruction of damning testimonies on police violences in Cork and Kerry.

In 1938: publication of its memories: has Serving off the Queen . She dies the April 27th 1953, she is buried in Dublin, in the Cimetière of Glasnevin, at the sides of Daniel O' Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, Eamon de Valera, James Larkin, Constance Markievicz, Michael Collins and others.

Sources and bibliography

Pierre Joannon, History of Ireland and the Irishmen , GLM (Perrin), Paris, 2006.
Roger Faligot, James Connolly and the revolutionary movement Irish , Editions Ground of Fog, Rennes, 1997.
Anne Magny, Maud Gonne, reality and myth, analyze of a historical and literary presence , thesis of doctorate, Caen, 1995.

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