Sheila Humphreys
Encyclopedia
Sheila Humphreys, sometimes known as Sighle Humphreys, (26 February 1899 - 14 March 1994) was an Irish political activist and member of Cumann na mBan
.
and died when she was four years old. Her mother was the sister of Michael Joseph 'The O'Rahilly
' who was killed during the Easter Rising
. Her two brothers, Emmet and Dick, attended Pearse
's St Enda's School and Dick served alongside The O'Rahilly in the G.P.O. in 1916. The family moved to Dublin in 1909 where Sheila attended Mount Anville Secondary School
.
Humphrey's joined Cumann na mBan at an early age and served variously as secretary, director of publicity and national vice-president. She was on the committee of the Irish Volunteer Dependants' Fund after the Rising. The family home at 36 Ailesbury Road was used as an IRA safe house throughout the War of Independence
.
and the house on Ailesbury Road
was the object of regular raids by Free State forces. The most significant raid took place on 4 November 1922 when IRA Assistant Chief of Staff Ernie O'Malley
was wounded and arrested in a protracted shoot-out with Free State soldiers. At the time only Humphreys, her mother and aunt were staying in the house with O'Malley. Humphreys is known to have played an active part in resisting the raid, though she always denied reports that she had been responsible for shooting a Free State soldier who died in the fighting.
The incident is described in detail in O'Malley's memoir of the Civil War, The Singing Flame. In 2003 the raid was the subject of an hour-long docudrama
entitled The Struggle. The film was directed and scripted by Humphrey's grandsons Manchán Magan
and Ruán Magan
and produced by RTE
.
Humphreys, her mother and aunt were arrested in the aftermath of the raid and imprisoned for the remainder of the Civil War. Sheila was put in solitary confinement and she went on hunger strike in protest. She went on a further hunger-strike, this time for 31 days, when she was among the prisoners confined after the end of the Civil War in May 1923. She was released in late 1923.
, serving as the group's co-treasurer. In 1941 she briefly served as Cumann na mBan's president.
She married an IRA veteran, Donal O’Donoghue, in 1935 and had two children. O'Donoghue became actively involved with Clann na Poblachta
on its foundation, and stood as a Clann candidate in the 1948 general election. He died in 1957. Sheila continued to live at their home in Donnybrook, for many years. She died, aged 95 years, at Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross
on 14 March 1994. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery
.
Cumann na mBan
Cumann na mBan is an Irish republican women's paramilitary organisation formed in Dublin on 2 April 1914 as an auxiliary of the Irish Volunteers...
.
Background
Sheila Humphreys was born in Limerick into a wealthy family and raised at Quinsborough House, Co. Clare. She was the only daughter of Dr David Humphreys and Mary Ellen O’Rahilly. Her father suffered from tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and died when she was four years old. Her mother was the sister of Michael Joseph 'The O'Rahilly
The O'Rahilly
Michael Joseph O'Rahilly , self-described as The O'Rahilly was an Irish republican who took part in the Easter Rising, during which he was killed in the fighting.-Early life:...
' who was killed during the Easter Rising
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
. Her two brothers, Emmet and Dick, attended Pearse
Patrick Pearse
Patrick Henry Pearse was an Irish teacher, barrister, poet, writer, nationalist and political activist who was one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916...
's St Enda's School and Dick served alongside The O'Rahilly in the G.P.O. in 1916. The family moved to Dublin in 1909 where Sheila attended Mount Anville Secondary School
Mount Anville Secondary School
Mount Anville Secondary School is a Roman Catholic, private all-girls post-primary school in Goatstown in Ireland. It was originally an all-boarding school, but in recent years due to decreased demand for such schools it has become a day-school...
.
Humphrey's joined Cumann na mBan at an early age and served variously as secretary, director of publicity and national vice-president. She was on the committee of the Irish Volunteer Dependants' Fund after the Rising. The family home at 36 Ailesbury Road was used as an IRA safe house throughout the War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
.
The Ailesbury Road Raid
The family took the anti-Treaty position during the Civil WarIrish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
and the house on Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road
Ailesbury Road , Dublin 4, Ireland, is a tree-lined avenue linking Sydney Parade Station on Sydney Parade Avenue and the Church of the Sacred Heart, Donnybrook....
was the object of regular raids by Free State forces. The most significant raid took place on 4 November 1922 when IRA Assistant Chief of Staff Ernie O'Malley
Ernie O'Malley
Ernie O'Malley was an Irish Republican Army officer during the Irish War of Independence and a commander of the anti-treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War. O'Malley wrote three books, On Another Man's Wound, The Singing Flame, and Raids and Rallies. The first describes his early life and role in...
was wounded and arrested in a protracted shoot-out with Free State soldiers. At the time only Humphreys, her mother and aunt were staying in the house with O'Malley. Humphreys is known to have played an active part in resisting the raid, though she always denied reports that she had been responsible for shooting a Free State soldier who died in the fighting.
The incident is described in detail in O'Malley's memoir of the Civil War, The Singing Flame. In 2003 the raid was the subject of an hour-long docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
entitled The Struggle. The film was directed and scripted by Humphrey's grandsons Manchán Magan
Manchán Magan
Manchán Magan is a writer, traveller and television maker. He has made over 30 travel documentaries focusing on issues of world cultures and globalization, 12 of them packaged under the Global Nomad series with his brother Ruán Magan. He presented No Béarla, a documentary series about traveling...
and Ruán Magan
Ruán Magan
Ruán Magan is a director of documentaries and drama-documentaries based in Ireland, but working internationally. Born in Dublin in 1968, he was educated in Gonzaga College and University College Dublin before embarking on a career in feature films in 1989...
and produced by RTE
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
.
Humphreys, her mother and aunt were arrested in the aftermath of the raid and imprisoned for the remainder of the Civil War. Sheila was put in solitary confinement and she went on hunger strike in protest. She went on a further hunger-strike, this time for 31 days, when she was among the prisoners confined after the end of the Civil War in May 1923. She was released in late 1923.
Later life
Humphreys continued her involvement with Cumann na mBan after the Civil War, contributing significantly to the republican movement throughout the 1920s and 1930s. She was arrested and jailed at least three times in this period. Despite her affluent background, Humphreys was active in the socialist republican organisation Saor ÉireSaor Éire
Saor Éire was a left-wing political organisation established in September 1931 by communist-leaning members of the Irish Republican Army, with the backing of the IRA leadership. Notable among its founders was Peadar O'Donnell, former editor of An Phoblacht and a leading left-wing figure in the...
, serving as the group's co-treasurer. In 1941 she briefly served as Cumann na mBan's president.
She married an IRA veteran, Donal O’Donoghue, in 1935 and had two children. O'Donoghue became actively involved with Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta
Clann na Poblachta , abbreviated CnaP, was an Irish republican and social democratic political party founded by former Irish Republican Army Chief of Staff Seán MacBride in 1946.-Foundation:...
on its foundation, and stood as a Clann candidate in the 1948 general election. He died in 1957. Sheila continued to live at their home in Donnybrook, for many years. She died, aged 95 years, at Our Lady's Hospice, Harold's Cross
Our Lady's Hospice
Our Lady's Hospice is a Hospice with its main centre in Harold's Cross, Dublin and a specialist palliative care unit in Blackrock, County Dublin in Ireland. The Hospice was founded and run by the Religious Sisters of Charity, a congregation themselves founded by Mary Aikenhead. They provide...
on 14 March 1994. She is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery
Glasnevin Cemetery , officially known as Prospect Cemetery, is the largest non-denominational cemetery in Ireland with an estimated 1.5 million burials...
.