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Coolbanagher Rectory Portarlington Feb. 11, 1916 Dear Mrs Sheehy Skeffington,
I am in as bad a way myself as the
âIrish Citizenâ. My parishioners who boast so loudly
of their regard for âcivil & religious libertyâ are
still continuing the boycott of the parish funds.
They were utterly defeated in the political conâ
troversy; but they have still the power of the
purse. So I am very sorry that I am not
able to assist your concert. I hope to be in Dublin next week, I will
try to call to see you & your husband on Wed.
evg. If you are engaged, it will not matter,
as I have another call to make quite close
to you. Yours very sincerely Dudley Fletcher
In this letter to Skeffington (1877-1946) Fletcher (c. 1863 - 1948) apologises that
he cannot assist Skeffington with her fundraising as his parishioners are still continuing
their boycott of the parish funds. He notes that while they were utterly defeated
in the political controversy they still have the 'power of the purse'. Fletcher arranges
to call on Hanna and her husband when he visits Dublin later in the coming week.Reverend
Dudley Fletcher was an Anglican minister. Fletcher was also a prolific writer and
wrote many pieces on various topics during his lifetime, a large degree of his correspondence
with the national press concerned the Irish question and Ulster.Hanna Sheehy Skeffington,
suffragette, nationalist, language teacher, was the widow of Francis Sheehy-Skeffington
(who was summarily executed on 26 April 1916). She was active during the Rising, bringing
food to the Volunteers in the G.P.O. and the College of Surgeons. Four days passed
before she found out what had happened to her husband, Francis (1878-1916), and it
wasn't until almost two weeks later that the full details of his execution emerged.