Countess Markiewicz

by Evelyn Maguire

Countess Markiewicz, first female MP,
Inspired me to spread my wings freely.
Revolutionary legacy lives on,
Although the troubles have now passed and gone,
The pounding silence and creeping violence,
Families torn and split. Some never to mend the rift.
Perseverance and freedom fight for control.
Brother’s blood spilled by name of the throne.

Reproduced with author’s permission. Written during Poetry as Commemoration workshops led by James Conor Patterson at Mount Lourdes Grammar School, Enniskillen in November 2023.

Themes

1916 , 1916 Rising , 1917 , 1918 , 1919 , 1920 , 1921 , 1922 , 1923 , Civil War , Countess Markievicz , Dublin , English Language , Irish Volunteers , Nationalist , Republican , Violence , War , War of Independence , Women , Workshop Poem