Letter from S.M. Martina to Nancy O'Rahilly, 25 May 1916.

Foo, Bar; Bar, Foo

Letter from S.M. Martina to Nancy O'Rahilly, 25 May 1916.

1 St. Mary's Dominican College, Muckross Park, Donnybrook, Dublin, S. 25th May 1916 Dear M rs. O'Rahilly, You must think
it very strange that I
never wrote a line to
offer you our deepest
sympathy in the biggest
sorrow of your life. Believe me it was 2
through no want of
sympathy, but there are
times when a stranger's
letter might jar and
in a grief such as
yours I thought it
better to wait a little
before intruding.
May God comfort
your poor broken heart,
as He alone can. You
have the comfort of
knowing that your dear
husband was a good,
holy man and died
a holy, happy death.
We have prayed much
for him and you. I hope the boys
will be a great comfort 3
to you now. If you get any mortuary
cards of your dear husband
may I ask for a few.
We should like to remember
such a noble soul R.I.P.
Joined by the Sisters in
deepest sympathy, love
to my old Children. Yours very sincerely in J.C. S.M. Martina
O.S.D. P.S. When you
feel equal, we
should like to
have a visit
from you.

This is a letter from S.M. Martina to Nancy O'Rahilly (1875-1961). The writer apologises for not writing sooner, saying that, as a stranger, she didn't want to intrude too early on Mrs. O'Rahilly's grief. She praises The O'Rahilly and and says that the sisters have been offering prayers. She mentions 'the boys' and hopes they will be a comfort. Finally the writer requests a supply of mortuary cards and offers deepest sympathy. In a P.S. she invites Mrs. O'Rahilly to visit the Convent.Nancy O'Rahilly was a member of the Provisional Council of Cumann na mBan at its founding in 1914. She was the wife of Michael Joseph O'Rahilly, self-styled as 'The' O'Rahilly (1875-1916), who was shot in Parnell/Moore Street on 28 April 1916 and died some time later. Nancy was pregnant at the time of her husband's death – the child was born three months later.

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How to cite

Letters 1916, published by the Austrian Centre for Digital Humanities, Vienna, 2026 (https://letters1916static.github.io/letters1916-static/item__0022.html)