1 Loreto Hall, 77 Stephen's Green 8th June. 1916. Dear Jim, Thanks ever so much for your welcome
letter, which I may tell you was received
with great excitement here. Ever since I am
being besieged for your letter. We are
all charmed to hear that you were all so
well. You need not thank us at all
for having sent Dan to visit you because, as
he said himself, he thought it an honour to
have an interview with Irish patriots. You
will be very glad to hear that Kit has been
released from prison and is coming back
to College today. I am just going out
to class to her at eleven o'clock when I
have this epistle finished. Nell is not out
yet but will be, I think, before the end of
the week. With Kit were released
Kathleen Browne from Wexford, Miss Higgins (sister
to Brian O'Higgins), Miss French-Mullen, and 2 Nellie Gifford, Mrs. McDonagh's sister. The Count and Countess Plunkett were
released too but they have to live in
England. They have chosen Oxford as their
residence place. The same thing happened
to a Doctor Kathleen Glynn (who was also
in Mountjoy). She is going to live in Bath.
College is much the same, except for the
loss of a good few familiar places faces. You
have all become great heroes now and
everybody is wishing you were all back.
Miss Degain had us for French while
Miss Ryan was away and indeed we
are not sorry that her régime is ended.
Miss Ryan is in great form T. G.
I suppose you know that Stan is having a holiday at
present in Rathfarnham. We were out to
see ear a few days ago. She is splendid
and in great humour now that Miss Ryan
is back. She had a letter from Liam O'Brien
from Wandsworth. He is quite well and
seems to be very happy but of course he
has not your luck in having a whole
lot of other students with him. He seems
to be the only Universitite there. In your letter you said that it was a
pity that the Gaelic excursion etc. should
be put off on your account. Don't —
you know that we could not hold 3 such amusements with the principal people
gone. Wait till you get back and you will
see the Céilid we'll have. All the College
societies are suspended for the present, the
only meetings we had this term were for the
selection of officers etc. There is great
excitement at present about election of Auditor
for L & H. Joe Mooney and J. A Meagher are
the two candidates. Whichever gets in, it
will be a tight shave. I suppose Dan
told you about the Mass we had for
McDonagh's soul and also for Pearse. There is
one being said this morning at eleven o'clock
in Whitefriars St Church for the repose of the soul
of Joe Plunkett. Exams are starting on
Tuesday next. Everybody is working like
nothing on earth. I am only doing my Pass
subject (history) in June, the I am doing the
others in September. Thanks very much for the
offer of prayers. I should be delighted and
would feel very sure with you praying
for me. I believe the Biological Society
misses you sadly. They have only seen one 4 excursion this term and that one only to
Howth and of course the big Commerce
excursion is off. Remember me to Des
Ryan and Fergus O'Kelly and tell them
that all their friends are in great form.
I think they are the only two College boys
besides yourself that I know in Stafford.
Tell all the others they I wish them
every good luck and that everybody
hopes they will be soon out as indeed
I am sure they will be. I believe the
prisoners are being let home from all the
English Detention barracks by degrees. The message you sent to the 'few' that
there was great hope for the future you
might have sent it to the whole house.
You never saw such wholesale conversion.
There are not half a dozen people in the
College who are not Sinn Féiners.
Even such people as H.Garret McGrath
have turned over. You should see us
all now sporting republican flags
down Grafton Street. If you have 5 got your uniform with any Sinn Féin
buttons on it, will you please send us on
a few as I some of us, I for one, want a
souvenir of the rising, and of the Irish patriots.
In my last letter I asked Dan to get me some
but I have not heard from him since. He
is getting lax in his correspondence. Dont
forget to write again when you have time because
everybody is simply aching for news. I would
have written to you before but I Dan said he
showed you my letter and then one letter
did for both. Anna Connolly, Eileen McGrane,
Lizzie Bookey, Madge Hoare, Mary Mongey (tho' she
says she never met you), Lily Fogarty, Maureen
Reavy, Bridie Bracken infact I maght say
'Loreto Hall' send their love and also to any
others they know and their best wishes to all.
Anna Connolly is going to write soon. I
suppose you know Maureen Power is out in
diggs this term. I think she told me
she had written to you. I know Bíní Brady
did. I don't think I have got
any more to say, tho' I suppose I have 6 if I could collect my thoughts. You must
excuse composition of this letter but I
just put down everything as it came
into my head. I must now say 'Au-revoir' not
goodbye ( because we will see you soon) with
best wishes from Yours sincerely Madge Callanan P.S.Write again & give us all the news
M C