Letter from Margaret Pearse to Mabel FitzGerald, 16 July, 1916. Letters 1916-1923 Margaret Pearse

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A letter from Margaret Mary Pearse (1878–1968) to Mabel FitzGerald, (1884-1957), the wife of Desmond FitzGerald, (1888-1947). Miss Pearse acknowledges the kind words Mrs. Fitzgerald sent to her mother (Margaret Pearse (1857-1932)) about her brother, Patrick. The writer goes on to describe her visits to HM Prison in Dartmoor and describes conditions for the Irish prisoners there, which she finds quite reasonable. She thinks it is a good thing that the Irish prisoners are segregated from ordinary criminals. She advises Mrs FitzGerald that it is possible to send books in to the prison but that the books become the property of the prison service.Margaret Pearse was the sister of Patrick Pearse (1879-1916), one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916, who was executed on 3 May 1916. Another brother, Willie Pearse, was also executed. Mabel was a former governess in London. She later vigorously canvassed her former acquaintances in London's liberal circles for support for Francis Sheehy Skeffington (1878 -1916) during his hunger strike in 1915. Both Mabel and Desmond would serve in the GPO garrison during Easter Week.

 University College Dublin Archives FitzGerald Papers, P80/1606/1 https://letters1916.ie/item/8 English Margaret Pearse 1916-07-16 St. Enda's College, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland. Mabel FitzGerald Female Easter Rising Ireland 1916

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 St. Enda's College Rathfarnham 16/7/'16 Dear Mrs. Fitzgerald, In reply to your letter this morning to my mother. First I must thank you for your kind words about my good brother. Life for us will never again be the same, & yet it is such a strange mixture of grief & pride. May God bless the boys & all who stood by him. You have your own great trial, but it won't be for very long. Time will bring many changes. About Dartmoor. We saw only our own two personal for which we had a special permit from the Home Secretary. The rule is 4 months must lapse before a visit, but we got one much sooner. I hope to go again in October. The conditions were better than I had hoped. I heard they had 4 months' solitary confinement. That is not so. It is one month, which time in most cases had expired before the men left Dublin. There are 69 of ours in Dartmoor. They are not allowed to mix with the ordinary convicts, & that in itself is a blessing. At recreation they walk round in some sort of yard quite away from the others. At Mass they (The Irish Prisoners) are all together, & 3 empty benches are left between them & the criminals. They are employed at making post bags. I think the authorities did not think it wise to put them at severe work. The food, as far as I can judge, is good. We had a little of the prison bread when taking lunch with the priest after our visit. It was a bit dark, but quite all right. Our two friends were well & especially the younger, in good spirits. Another good thing, they have lots of books & can read a good deal. They can use nothing that is not prison property, but t he head warden explained a little point about books. He told me if I wished my young friend to have any special book treating of his profession I could send it, provided the book becomes prison property. Needless to say I have just sent on a valuable book on his future profession (Architecture) to Conor, or rather to the governor as prison property. Perhaps you would care to do the same for your husband. The priest is an Irish man, from the North. Not quite 'our way' but an Irishman. Our men have confession & H. Communion every week. The Bishop of Plymouth paid each one of them a personal visit. Rather unusual for 'convicts', is it not? The head warden who was on duty during our visits, & took many notes of what we said, seems a decent, good man. He was quite a formal & official person when speaking to us, but when he spoke to Conor he was much nicer & more sympathetic. I took this as a good sign. It has been explained to our prisoners that if their friends cannot visit them they can write an extra letter in lieu of the visit. This would mean anordinary letter about Oct. & another, instead of a visit, sometime in Dec! However I'll do my best to go see my two in October. It is expensive, over £4-5 return to Princetown. I have just learned that the younger brother of the boy I saw in Dartmoor arrived home last night from Frongoch, also another of our past boys. I think I have told you the chief particulars. If you could come see us I might remember a little more. But you now have as much as any visitor could gather. With kind regards from Mother & myself Yrs. very sincerely Margaret Pearse St. Enda's College, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Ireland. Letter from Margaret Pearse to Mabel FitzGerald, 16 July, 1916. Mabel FitzGerald Letter from Margaret Pearse to Mabel FitzGerald, 16 July, 1916.Letter from Neans bean í Rathgaille (Nancy O'Rahilly) to Mabel FitzGerald, circa 26 May 1916.Letter from Nancy O'Rahilly to Mabel FitzGerald, May 1916.Letter from Caitlín Burgess to Mabel FitzGerald, 1 June 1916.Letter from Desmond FitzGerald to Mabel FitzGerald, 8 November 1915Postcard from Mabel Fitzgerald to Hanna Sheehy Skeffington, 28 February 1916Letter from Charles Arthur Munro to Mabel FitzGerald, 22 February 1916Letter from Charles Arthur Munro to Mabel FitzGerald, 21 March 1916Letter from Charles Arthur Munro to Mabel FitzGerald, 24 March 1916Letter to Mabel FitzGerald, 1916Letter from T.M. Healy to Mabel FitzGerald, 24 May 1916Letter from Mabel FitzGerald, 24 May 1916Letter from John Dillon to Mabel FitzGerald, 24 May 1916Letter from John Dillon to Mabel FitzGerald, 24 May 1916Letter from Anna O'Rahilly to Mabel FitzGerald, 25 May 1916Letter from John Brosnan to Mabel FitzGerald, 25 May 1916Letter from John Muldoon to Mabel FitzGerald, 26 May 1916Letter from T.J. Hanna to Mabel FitzGerald, 26 May 1916Letter from Laurence Ginnell to Mabel FitzGerald, 26 May 1916Letter from Julia Evans to Mabel FitzGerald, 13 May 1916Letter from Captain, Richmond Barracks to Mabel FitzGerald, 14 May 1916Letter from J.H.G. Stantin to Mabel FitzGerald, 20 May 1916Letter from R.F. Sergeant probably to Mabel FitzGerald, 21 May 1916Letter from Mabel FitzGerald to Brigadier General, Richmond Barracks, 22 May 1916Letter from Nancy Campbell to Mabel FitzGerald, 23 May 1916Letter from George Bernard Shaw to Mabel FitzGerald, 25 May 1916Letter from W. Goodman to Mabel FitzGerald, 12 April 1916.Telegram from Superintendent of Police, Kingstown to Mabel FitzGerald, 10 May 1916.Letter from Mabel FitzGerald, 10 May 1916Letter from Mabel FitzGerald to the Governor of Richmond Barracks, 11 May 1916Letter from Mabel FitzGerald to John Redmond, 27 May 1916.Letter from Annie F. to Mabel FitzGerald, 27 May 1916.Letter from Robert Lynch to Mabel FitzGerald, 28 May 1916.Letter from John Redmond to Mabel FitzGerald, 29 May 1916.Letter from Caitlín Ní Shéaghda to Mabel FitzGerald, 30 May 1916.Letter from the Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 31 May 1916Letter from Harry Stockman to Mabel FitzGerald, 31 May 1916.Letter from R.C. Barton to Mabel FitzGerald, 1 June 1916.Letter from R. C. Barton to Mabel FitzGerald, 21 May 1916.Letter from Mabel FitzGerald to the Governor, Mountjoy Prison, 2 June 1916.Letter from Máire Ní Catháin to Mabel FitzGerald, 3 June 1916.Letter from Austin Stack to Mabel FitzGerald, 4 June 1916.Letter from the Charles Arthur Munro, the Governor of Mountjoy Prison, to Mabel FitzGerald, 5 June 1916.Letter from Ernest Blythe to Mabel FitzGerald, 8 June 1916.Letter from M.B. McDonough to Mabel FitzGerald, 16 June 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 20 June 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 5 July 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 10 July 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 15 Jult 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald, 20 July 1916.Letter from Major E. Reade to Mabel FitzGerald 4 August, 1916.Letter from The Governor, Dartmoor Prison to Mabel FitzGerald, 18 August 1916.Letter from Charles Arthur Munro to Mabel FitzGerald, 24 November 1915Letter from Mabel FitzGerald [June 1916]Letter from Desmond FitzGerald to Mabel FitzGerald, 7 March 1916Letter from Desmond FitzGerald to Mabel FitzGerald, 30 December 1915 Letter from Desmond FitzGerald to Mabel FitzGerald, 8 February 1916Letter from Mabel FitzGerald to the Governor, Dartmoor Prison, 22 June 1916. Margaret Pearse Letter from Margaret Pearse to Mabel FitzGerald, 16 July, 1916.Copy of letter from Patrick Pearse to his mother Margaret Pearse, 3 May 1916Letter from Patrick Pearse to his mother Margaret Pearse, 3 May 1916Letter from Margaret Pearse, 14 October 1916Letter from Patrick Pearse to his mother Margaret Pearse, 3 May 1916Copy of last letter from Patrick Pearse to his mother Margaret Pearse, 3 May 1916