A letter from George Bernard Shaw, playwright, to Mabel Fitzgerald (1884-1957). Shaw writes to Mabel regarding the detention (and possibly the severity of the sentence) of her husband, Desmond FitzGerald (1888-1947). He speculates that there will be an amnesty shortly. He asks what she is living on and comments that 'Romantic Patriotism' won't feed the boys and herself.George Bernard Shaw, journalist, political activist and playwright, was an associate of W.B. Yeats and the Abbey Theatre. Immediately after the Easter 1916 Rising, Shaw defended the actions of the leaders, and subsequently worked to try to save Roger Casement (1864 –1916) from execution, although Shaw shared no sympathy with Irish republican nationalism. 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 during his hunger strike in 1915. Both Mabel and Desmond would serve in the GPO garrison during Easter Week.