Unlikely Rebels: The Gifford Girls

Grace Gifford is one of the tragic stories of the 1916 Easter Rising, but the poignancy of her brief marriage to the executed rebel leader Joseph Mary Plunkett has tended to overshadow her family's deep commitment to the cause of the Irish Republic. Grace was the second youngest of twelve children. Her sisters were raised in their mother's Protestant faith and the sons were raised as Catholics. The Gifford sisters were heavily involved with the leaders of the 1916 Rising, such as Constance Markievicz, Thomas MacDonagh (who married Grace's sister, Muriel), Padraic Pearse and Maud Gonne. The sisters became strong supporters of the Irish Women's Franchise League, a militant organization working to obtain voting rights for women.