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56 Fitzroy Av., Dublin 15th. Oct., 1916 Dear Mrs. Dillon, I am sorry to be
adding to your work and worry at
such a time as this. Your preface I liked very much; what struck me
most about it was its homeliness, sincerity, and its sense of the difficulty of
reaching
to the mastery of his instrument your brother showed. On the
whole I agree with your criticism of his work, too. The whole
book is very fine and will live. I am, dear Mrs. Dillon,
Very gratefully yours, Peter McBrien P.S. : I shall be at Larkfield about 8.15, p.m., next Tuesday, 17 th. : your sister
must be blessing me. PMcB.
A letter from Peter McBrien to Geraldine Plunkett Dillon (1891-1986). The letter refers
to a collection of Joseph's poetry which was posthumously published under the title
'The poems of Joseph Mary Plunkett' and edited by Geraldine, who also provided a preface.
McBrien praises both the preface and the book.Geraldine was a sister of Joseph Mary
Plunkett, one of the signatories of the proclamation of the Irish republic who was
executed for his part in the Easter Rising. Geraldine married her fiancé, Tommy Dillon
(1884-1971), on Easter Sunday 1916. Tommy, an Irish Volunteer, was ordered to manufacture
explosives in the Imperial Hotel opposite the GPO where they spent their wedding night.
Geraldine and Tommy managed to escape Dublin during Easter week.