Maud
Gonne,
the daughter of a colonel in the British
Army,
was born on 20th December, in Aldershot in 1865. After her mother's
early death she was sent to be educated in Paris. Her father was from
a wealth Irish family and in 1882 she joined
him in Dublin.
Maude
Gonne's father died in 1886 and left her financially independent.
She returned to France where she met and
fell in love with the radical journalist, Lucien Millevoye. Influenced
by Millevoye's political views, Maud became involved in radical politics.
Maude
Gonne moved to Ireland and settled in Donegal
where she was active in the campaign to protect those evicted from
their homes. This included building huts, fund-raising and writing
to newspapers. Threatened with arrest, Maud fled to France in 1890
where she gave birth to Millevoye's child. While living in Paris she
edited
L'Irlande Libre,
a monthly journal that promoted Irish independence.
In
1900 Maude Gonne ended her relationship with Millevoye and returned
to Ireland where she founded the revolutionary
group, the Daughters
of Erin. The organization also produced
the monthly journal, The Irish Woman,
and she contributed several articles on feminist and political topics.
Together
with William Butler Yeats Maude Gonne helped
establish the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.
Yeats fell in love with her and his feelings for her inspired a large
number of poems. In 1902 Gonne played the leading role in his play,
Kathleen
Ni Houlihan.
In
1903 Maude Gonne married John MacBride,
a major of the Irish Brigade. After giving birth to Seán
MacBride, she joined Constance Markievicz,
James Connolly and James
Larkin and Maud Gonne in the campaign
to force the authorities to extend the 1906 Provision
of School Meals Act to Ireland. She
also started a scheme to feed poor children in Dublin.
During
the First World War Maud joined Constance
Markievicz, Hanna Sheehy Skeffington
and Kathleen Clarke in the campaign against
the conscription of Irish men into
the British Army.
On
5th May 1916 John MacBride was executed
for his part in the Easter Rising. Maud
continued to campaign against conscription and in 1918 she was arrested
and interned in Holloway Prison in London.
After
her release Maude Gonne returned to Ireland
and worked for the White Cross, an organization that helped the victims
of the War of Independence and their dependents.
Together with Charlotte Despard she collected
first-hand evidence of army and police atrocities in Cork and Kerry.
The two women also formed the Women's Prisoners' Defence League to
support republican prisoners.
In
1923 Maude Gonne was imprisoned without charge by the Free
State government and was one of the 91 women who went on hunger
strike while in prison.
Maude
Gonne's
son, Seán
MacBride,
also became involved in politics and in 1936 became Chief of Staff
of the Irish Republican Army. In 1938, she
published her memoirs, A Servant of the Queen.
Maud
Gonne
died at Roebuck, Clonskeagh, on 27th April,
1953 and afterwards was buried in the Republican Plot in Glasnevin
Cemetery, Dublin.
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Last updated: 6th December, 2001
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