After the Rising
Eugene McCarthy
Elected to the Sinn Féin
Executive - 1917
Grace became a member of the
Sinn Féin executive. She used her
passion of politics and artistic
skills to promote Sinn Féin
policies and added to the
propaganda during the War of
Independence.
Grace’s parents never
approved of Joseph. She
quotes that he wanted them to
be married so that anything he
had would become hers as she
had been thrown out of her
home.
Fr.
officiated the wedding just
before midnight on May 3rd
1916. The witnesses were
two British soldiers. On
their wedding certificate
Joseph was listed as a
bachelor with the
occupation gentleman and
Grace was listed as a
spinster with the
occupation of artist.
Grace Gifford
Plunkett
`
Unfortunately for years
Grace received nothing. In
1934 she began to take legal
action against Count and
Countess Plunkett and
eventually she was paid
£700 plus costs.
When she was released from
Kilmainham she had little money
but still followed her passion and
resumed commercial work to earn a
living.
Grace always claimed that she
knew nothing of the Rising.
“I shall have to read a book about
the Rising because I know nothing
of the military history of it”
Grace died very suddenly on
13th December 1955.
At 2am a military car was sent
for Grace to take her back to
the Gaol. This was her last
time seeing her husband ever.
The couple had only ten
minutes together while a
guard stood with a watch in
his hand.
Lovers Torn Apart
Many see this wedding as
terribly romantic, a tale of two
lovers torn apart. However, it
was tragic - not allowed to speak
or touch each other and Joseph’s
cuffs only were taken off for a
few short minutes at the altar.
The untimely ballad ‘Grace’
was written by Frank and Seán
O’ Meara of The Dubliners in
1985 to commemorate the
marriage of Grace Gifford and
Joseph Plunkett and keep their
memory and story alive.
“Whenever those
vivacious Gifford
Girls entered a
gloomy Sinn Féin
room they turned
it into a flower
garden”
BACKSTORY
Grace Gifford was born in
Dublin in March 1888.
Studying art in Dublin and
London, she was the youngest
of 12 children. Her sisters
Muriel and Nellie and she
were all avid Nationalists.
The year 1915 : Grace began
a relationship with Joseph
Plunkett, editor of the Irish
Review. Unknown to her,
Joseph was one of the
founders of the Irish
`

The President at that time, Volunteers – at that time

Seán T O’ Kelly attended her planning a Rebellion.
funeral at St. Kevin’s Church
The end of Easter Week in
and burial in Glasnevin
1916 and the rebels had
Cemetery.
surrendered and were
DID YOU KNOW? imprisoned in Kilmainham
Gaol, condemned to death by
When Grace was held in firing squad.
Kilmainham Gaol herself.
She was arrested in February Once Joseph knew when he’d
1923, following her along be executed, he looked for
with the other 1916 widows permission to marry Grace.
being against the Anglo-Irish
Treaty she covered the walls
of her dreary cells with
sketches using crayons she
had found.